Online vs Offline Marketing
How Do Large Corporations Handle Marketing?
When we talk about marketing in the current age we tend to spend a lot of time talking about online marketing, Google analytics, SEO, email campaigns and social media. While these things are important to consider it is worth remembering that offline or real world marketing strategies can be just (and some times more) effective than online strategies.
Given that the audience for a web based marketing campaign is potentially limitless, it is tempting to view online marketing as the optimal way to communicate your message – however it’s worth considering how some big companies use online vs offline marketing.
Have you ever received an email advert from a big brand like Coca Cola? Chances are you’ll only have received something like that if you’ve signed up to receive them. Now consider the same company’s offline strategy – have you seen posters or billboard adverts for them? If you live or work in a town, chances are you’ll see quite a large number of these adverts every day, as they often appear around shops or on the side of bus stops etc.
Big brands know that putting their message out in the real world is more likely to have an influence and effect a consumer, rather than a pop up advert or unsolicited email.
Location, Location, Location
This should be a particular lesson to businesses that tend to focus on a local market. If your customer base is fairly well concentrated (e.g if you have a shop for people to visit or most of the customers you visit are within a set distance to a town) then will most likely be able to get the attention of your target market with a relatively low number of signs, banners or posters.
Location is key. For high street shops this might be using something like an a-board or pavement sign to make sure people walking past (while looking forward but not necessarily to the sides) don’t miss you or for a trade service this might mean putting up banners or sign boards at the roadside where your customers are likely to drive past.
Promotional Signage
Are You Utilising Your Banners?
Banners are often thought of as a very temporary solution, a large amount of the banners displayed at the roadside are displaying specific events (like concerts or fairs) or limited time offers – such as summer sales.
However, they don’t need to be entirely temporary. Banners are actually a very versatile advertising medium because they are lightweight and relatively cheap. With a bit of forethought and research you could easily have a small number of banners and rotate them between several locations for maximum impact.
Banners tend to have a fairly smooth surface, so additional details (such as special limited time offers) can be added to them with printed vinyl – in these cases a low tack vinyl is often a good idea as it is less likely to leave unsightly glue residue behind afterwards.
Stay Topical With An A-Board
I’m a big fan of a-boards, they are easy to move and can be created with poster pockets, blackboard or dry-wipe vinyls to allow for easy customisation.
They come in a range of styles and sizes, which will suit most businesses. A lot of businesses have used black board/dry-wipe A-boards to create thought provoking temporary adverts that can be kept very relevant and up to date with quick alterations to wording.
This is ideal for things like limited time deals or advertising times that are likely to change.
The important thing to remember (as is the case with any marketing campaign) is just who your customer is and how to make sure you reach them. It’s never going to pay off throwing a lot of money at online adverts if your primary customer is walking past your door every day but doesn’t know you are there!
