While everyone’s catching up with the trends of SEO, Email marketing, and social media, they are missing out on one of the most important marketing channels for their business.
OFFLINE MARKETING!
Despite the increasing digitization, offline marketing proves to be one of the most effective ways to market your business.
Offline marketing methods—like local events, flyers, direct mail, and press releases—offer you a unique way to cut through digital noise and engage with your customers in a tangible and personal way.
So what offline methods should you be using?
Well, we’ll cover that in this blog post outlining the 13 best offline marketing ideas for startups. We’ll also cover some examples of real companies using these marketing techniques to grow their business.
Without beating around the bush, let’s get started.
13 offline marketing ideas for startups
Offline marketing is a non-digital way of marketing your business to your potential and existing customers. Anything from print media to television ads and press releases is included in offline forms of marketing.
Let’s discuss a few of these strategies you can use for your startup.
1. Trade shows and pop-up events
Participating in industry-specific trade shows is one effective way to amplify your offline marketing efforts. These shows provide exciting opportunities to collect high-quality leads from potential customers and enhance your visibility amongst them.
Trade shows are also beneficial when you want to gather immediate feedback on your products. Such shows allow you to test your offerings and use the feedback/insights to refine and develop your products.
Trade shows and pop-up events both get you incredibly closer to your target market. These short-term events create an immersive interactive experience for customers creating a high-recall value for the brands.
Examples:
- Minimalist and aesthetically appealing pop-up stores by Glossier across different cities.
- Pop-up events by Red Bull Music Academy to host concerts, workshops, and immersive music experiences.
2. Guerilla marketing
Guerilla marketing goes beyond the established offline marketing tactics to do something attention-grabbing and unconventional. Its only goal is to generate buzz and brand awareness.
Guerilla marketing can be as cost-effective as a simple chalk poster to something as advanced as an AR (augmented reality) experience. Brands can develop their guerilla offline marketing strategies around concepts like flash mobs, stealth marketing, experiential marketing, or outdoor guerilla marketing.
Examples:
- Goldtoe’s Wall Street Takeover is considered one of the finest examples of Guerilla Marketing. To launch their new line of boxers and briefs, Goldtoe dressed the New York City Stock Exchange bull in their giant pair of Goldtoe underwear.
- SPAR Slovenia garnered attention when they placed a special interactive citylight in front of their Interspar store entrance. Its AI detected the clothing style of individuals and played the music that matched their style. It was entertaining, fun, and unexpected.
So yes, you don’t need expensive budgets to launch your guerrilla marketing strategy. You just need unboxed creativity to make a bold statement.
3. Direct mail
Yes, email marketing is wonderful. But the audience is now experiencing something we call digital fatigue. They have an appetite for anything and everything that’s not digital.
If that’s the case, what better way to fuel your offline marketing tactics than our old and traditional, direct mail?
Leading companies across the globe are still sending physical mail to their customers and surprisingly these mails aren’t as conveniently moved to the trash as emails.
Direct mail allows businesses to connect with customers in a memorable, engaging way—keeping the message fresh and impactful without getting lost in the digital noise.
This marketing tactic feels personal and connects the users with the brand’s message. It leaves behind a lasting impression helping the brand retain a favorable brand image.
Examples:
- Blue Apron, an ingredient and recipe meal kit company, sends direct mail to their existing and potential customers with a pamphlet—offering them a couple of free online orders. It’s one of the most prominent strategies of their $100 million marketing budget.
- Chubbies, a top-quality clothing store, sends direct mail with tiny samples of its ultra-soft brushed cotton shirts to give potential customers a feel for the fabric. We find this move brilliant.
4. Personalized or seasonal gifts
The list of other offline marketing techniques includes sending seasonal gifts to your customers, especially during holidays, birthdays, or anniversaries. This could be anything from a hamper to email, voucher, or in-store coupon discount.
Such personalized approaches connect the customer with the brand and make them loyal to the brand.
Example:
Sleep Company during their Christmas campaign in 2017 sent their customers a $230 gift card through emails. This campaign was live till the end of December and the only condition to redeem these cards was to use them for in-store purchases.
This is a perfect example of how you can use online marketing to fuel offline sales.
Now, there are a few additional ways you can make holidays or occasions special for your customers:
- Send a birthday card.
- Send an anniversary card.
- Send a gratitude hamper for being your long-standing customer. (My fitness coach does that once every quarter).
- Give them holiday offers on selected services/products.
- Host a holiday giveaway.
5. Group specific discounts
Businesses can fuel their offline marketing efforts by offering group-specific discounts. This can be any specific group that can benefit from your business offerings.
For instance,
- Women’s Day special offers
- Veterans discounts
- Discounts for newlyweds
- Discounts for new moms
By introducing special offers and loyalty programs for specific groups, you make your existing customers feel valued and recognized. It gives them a sense of belonging and this goes on to build long-lasting relationships with them.
Example:
- Under Armor introduces special military discounts for current militants and veterans on Memorial Day. Most of these discounts are available on their physical stores.
- Boston Market, a food franchise, offers a 20% discount to anyone with a military ID at all their restaurants.
6. Pamphlets and flyers
Print media might seem obsolete among the new digital marketing techniques. However, it still delivers results, not only for MNCs but for local businesses as well.
The printed marketing material can successfully capture the attention of your target market. They can be used to,
- Announce your inauguration in the local market.
- Announce special offers
- Promote your business at trade shows
- Educate customers on complex business aspects
- Advertise sponsorship
When designing your promotional materials, don’t restrict your creativity. Play with infographics, graphics, messaging, and words. Just keep the contents readable and make sure that the message you want to deliver comes across clearly.
Example:
This leaflet by Brownie and Madam, an eyewear company, is quite literally eye-catching.
7. Business cards
Business cards are still the most effective traditional offline media used to get your business out there. And no, we aren’t asking you to have one of those old boring business cards. We are asking you to get creative with the messaging, design, cuts, quality, and overall appeal of your card such that it cohesively reflects your brand values and creativity.
Every employee of yours should have a business card. It’s the easiest way for them to share the business details especially when the person on the other side is on time crunch. Besides, we think business cards are extremely effective in growing your business network.
Now, weigh the benefits of having a business card against the costs and choose the design that strikes a balance between both.
Example:
Lego’s employees get their own minifigures with their names and contact details instead of traditional paper business cards. It’s like giving away a mini Lego toy, a legacy upon which Lego sustains.
8. Host or participate in events
Small business owners can amplify their presence by hosting or participating in local events. For instance, a local designer store can participate in a flea market to make their brand visible. However, if the store wants to do something more prominent they can pull together an entire event and host it.
Now, the concept behind an event could be anything—fun, education, networking, or growth. However, the entire idea is to come face-on-face with your target audience, build connections, and give them something to keep coming back to you.
Example:
The giant SaaS platform Salesforce hosts the world’s largest AI event, Dreamforce. It’s a learning-focused event that holds discussions and talks about the latest AI happenings in the SaaS field. While the event is offline, it’s promoted heavily through online marketing efforts.
9. Be an event sponsor
Interested business owners can choose to be an event sponsor (global or local events) to gain visibility amongst a large audience.
For instance, you could be supplying the merchandise to the local football teams and get your branding on their t-shirts. Or you could be sponsoring food at some local events. If not, you could just be a financial sponsor at some event.
Each sponsorship type provides a different way to engage with the community, build goodwill, and boost brand recognition without needing a direct sales pitch.
Example:
- Monster Energy has built its niche in action sports events such as skateboarding, BMX, and motocross by offering sponsorship.
- Red Bull has built a strong connection with adrenaline-driven sports enthusiasts by sponsoring events like Red Bull Stratos (space jump) and Red Bull X-Fighters (freestyle motocross).
10. Press releases
Now, you don’t necessarily need an in-house PR team to handle your press releases. You just need the right relations with relevant media houses and organizations to give your brand appropriate coverage.
When planning to release a press statement, make sure that the story is newsworthy. Choose an appropriate medium to reach your audience and build relations with related professionals who could bring justice to your brand story.
That said, if you think offline press releases are no longer effective, rethink. Even leading brands like L’oreal announced their partnership with the 2020 Dubai Expo through an offline press statement.
11. Billboards
Billboards are amongst the top offline marketing tactics that would give you a massive reach and audience. When placed in a high-traffic area, it tends to generate significant brand awareness amongst thousands and millions of people.
Billboard is expensive marketing. So make sure that the message you want to pass comes across loud and clear. Get creative with your texts and graphics. If the budget permits, go loud with 3D billboards and animations.
Example:
This Google Pixel campaign with 3D anamorphic DOOH goes the extra mile to portray the irresistible features of Pixel Fold when it launched in London.
12. Product samples
Something as simple as offering product samples could do wonders for a brand’s market image. This is specifically true for businesses in the food, cosmetics, and personal care industry.
Samples help your audience make an informed buying decision rather than getting swayed by false marketing claims. This way a customer will stay loyal and dedicated to your brand.
As a brand, you could be offering free samples on every order or orders above a certain value. You could also send free testers of newly launched products to your customers to foster brand loyalty.
Example:
The leading beauty and personal care retailer Sephora is renowned amongst beauty enthusiasts for its small testers and freebies.
13. Sale week partner
In this partnership model, businesses align with larger brands or retail platforms to offer special discounts or bundle deals. This helps generate more customer interest and benefits the business from the broader event marketing.
However, if you can’t partner with larger brands or retail platforms, you can collaborate with local businesses to offer complementary services. For instance,
- Movie theater and restaurant collaboration to offer dine-in services.
- A pet store and grooming center partnership to offer pet care services.
- Furniture store collaboration with moving services.
In the brand’s world, we have also witnessed some unconventional collaborations.
For instance,
KFC and Crocs released limited edition Clogs that featured a KFC pattern and a red striped bucket.
These were some of the best offline marketing techniques businesses can incorporate in their marketing plan to amplify their reach. While the list here is limited, you have exhaustive options to market your business through offline channels.
Align your marketing strategies with your business plan
The offline marketing strategies still work and generate very positive results for your business. However, before executing any of these strategies, make sure that these strategies support your business plan. The strategies you choose should align with your goals and offer a relevant ROI for the amount you spend.
By integrating offline efforts into your broader marketing plan, you create a balanced approach that enhances your brand’s visibility and fosters brand loyalty.
Now, take the first step and use Upmetrics to develop your detailed marketing plan. Align this plan with your short-term and long-term goals and guide your operational and sales efforts accordingly.
Try now.
