Offline online marketing tools

Online surveys are great, but they won't give you an accurate result if our customers aren't comfortable on the internet. If you establish that your target audience use traditional media and most people do to some extent, although much less than they used to , then there are a huge number of tools to choose from.

Your choice is going to depend on the message you are trying to get across, the stage in the buying process you are targeting, your budget and, of course, your objectives. For example, you are going to use different methods when you are trying to improve awareness of a product from those you will use if you are aiming to generate direct sales.

If you want to increase awareness offline you have a large number of options including PR and advertising - in the press or on radio or TV, as well as networking and exhibitions. Offline direct sales are usually driven by direct mail, special offers or possibly even telemarketing.

Starting with search engines, you can use pay per click advertising to guarantee that you achieve visibility for your chosen keywords or you can work towards organic search, using online content marketing tools to help you get found when potential customers are looking for what it is you do.

The more relevant, useful content you include in your site the more traffic you are likely to generate. PR and advertising work online as well as offline, with adverts on other sites driving traffic to a landing page and online press articles increasing awareness as well as potentially driving traffic and leads, if you are fortunate enough to earn a link from a reputable site.

Email marketing is another option to consider - first build a quality list using online lead generation techniques and then keep in touch with relevant and timely content, working towards direct sales and appointments.

Last but not least, there is social media - a whole subject in its own right. These have benefits at various points in the buying process, predominantly at the awareness and interest stages as well as being useful for maintaining customer loyalty and building communities. Of course, these tools are not used in isolation, which is where a decent marketing plan comes in. The materials can be deployed directly to current and prospective clients, or be displayed at the front counter, expo booths or trade shows.

Flyers and brochures are integral as a way for entrepreneurs to present their information quickly and remind or inform clients about their solutions. Large-format graphics attract eyeballs and lets business people display their solutions as well as announce promotions or special offers. Oversize format printing is a great way to make full-colour posters for upcoming events. Promotional apparels or wearable branding is yet another great way to reach out to prospects.

Love the holidays? Send out cards and small gifts to clients and use special occasions and milestones to make your presence known. A well-designed, well-thought-out, personalized greeting or small token can show clients that you care and that they mean something to your brand. Consider working with other brands you relate to who stand for similar values and business model. You can work together to co-develop products or co-sponsor events, as well as develop exclusive swag! Here at Palo Alto Software, we partner with Intuit Quickbooks to help supplement our LivePlan product and better engage with customers, and help them more accurately work with their financials when it comes to planning and managing their businesses.

We also love getting customized Palo Alto Software apparel from Patagonia , a brand that we support because of its mission, activism, and environmental consciousness.

A great way to get your name out there and be a responsible business overall is to get involved in the community. Now our first thought may be sponsoring a nonprofit, but you can also promote volunteer work amongst your company. Here at Palo Alto Software , we engage in various forms of community service and encourage our employees to be part of the process every step of the way.

Find ways to engage in and help support your community through donations, volunteer work, and joining organizations that also support local people and businesses. Being engaged in your community will help spread knowledge of your business as well as and above all get you and your employees doing good for your community.

When venturing out into the community, cross-promoting with different companies, or even launching a new book, creating your own events within the community or virtually streaming can be a great way to market your business. One major benefit of planning events is that it can serve as both an outreach and networking initiative.

You can hand out your new business cards, utilize event-specific promotions, and even make new pamphlets or book publications exclusive to that event. Explore new ways to create unique and valuable experiences and even leverage live streaming to make your in-person event a valuable digital initiative as well.

Go out of your way to get to know them and show them what your brand is about. To be fair, the days when you circulated print copies of press releases to news organizations are gone. So this strategy is offline in that good, genuine PR, like good marketing, is about creating relationships with reporters and others who can help spread hopefully good news about your company.

Even with a small business, you can network your way to success. There are countless opportunities to build a business network even in a small town, so make sure that you attend all relevant business activities in your area.

And of course, now, most of these meetings or events will be held remotely. Attending and participating in trade shows is another way to get more exposure for your business. Again, these will likely be virtual events, for the time being, so be sure to prepare to showcase your products or business accordingly. As an expert in your chosen field, there are numerous opportunities where you can help people and at the same time get airtime for your business.

Try becoming a guest at a local radio show or morning TV show and offer consumer advice that is related to your brand and industry. See if you can get a regular column in your newspaper or other relevant publication.

Be genuine and offer some valuable information. If you want to be more visible in your community, there are a few ways to help people start to recognize your brand. Also, Think about sponsoring or volunteering for a cause in your area. Most sponsorship opportunities come with some promotion brand awareness opportunities. And if you do decide to volunteer, wear that branded shirt! One major way to help market your business offline is to refine your elevator pitch.