Offline Marketing – Finding New Customers Away From Your Keyboard

Although online marketing is your bread and butter strategy in terms of getting the word out about your business and expanding your market, thinking like an offline marketer wouldn’t be a bad idea. Not at all. In fact, offline marketing could complement your online marketing efforts. Here are a few offline marketing strategies you could try to help boost sales for your online business:

Get Published
Every business owner these days are looking to get published online on e-newsletters, e-zines, and article submission directories. It is a standard operating procedure, so to speak, when trying to drive traffic to your business website since most submission sites allow resource box or bylines through which readers could reach them or their website. These basically act as an ad for the company publishing the articles. Getting published online is a highly effective, cost-effective method of marketing and advertising an online business. The question is, why stop there?

Business owners seem to have forgotten that there is a great deal of magazines, newsletters and newspapers that are still in circulation these days. They seem to have also forgotten that the readership for print media, not to mention the trust level for this media, is still very high. So getting published on e-zines is just as important and effective as getting published on print. 

Target Promotional Events
Somewhere in the United States, there is at least one promotional event held every day. From charity events and gathering of professionals from all over the 50 states of America to country music events and beer-drinking contests, there are plenty of events that attract thousands of people every day. If you could get just a minimal exposure in any one of these, you are sure to at least have another person visiting your site in a day. But why settle with just that?

Target as many promotional events as you can. Promote your online business by using well-placed advertisements in such gatherings. Better yet, distribute promotional materials in such events with your URL printed on them. No matter what you do, you should target maximum exposure.

Don't worry if the event is out of town. If you can’t make it to the event, you can contact the organizing group and ask that you be helped with your promotions. Usually, you will have to pay a small fee for the opportunity to promote your business. 

Advertise Offline
From colossal billboards to business cards and flyers, there are plenty of things you can do to advertise your online business to an offline market. Stretch your advertising dollars to offline advertising mediums such as TV and radio ads, street signs, free bookmarks, and business cards, among others. 

Explore your options and don't settle for online marketing SOPs. You see, there's more to marketing your online business than SEO and banner ads. The online world may be a tremendous market for your services and products, but try not to forget the rest of the offline world. 
