In Converting Offline Marketing to Online Sales Parts 1 and 2 we went over a number of powerful offline methods of marketing that can drive traffic straight to your website. These included proven and well-established tactics like direct mail, flyers and pamphlets, billboards and bench advertisements, and the more recent but perhaps even more powerful strategy of marketing using SMS text messaging. In this installment of the series we'll discuss three more effective strategies that will realize significant online results from offline marketing methods.
5.) Placemats
Chances are great that if there's a placemat in front of you while you're waiting for your food order, you're probably going to look at it. In some cases placemats have fun activities and helpful tips or interesting factoids, but these are always sandwiched between ads. This is a form of advertisement that has been around for most of the 20th century and is one that will likely never fade; restaurants will always need placemats, and people will almost always look at the ads in front of them.
However, today's placemat advertising is far more effective than that of yesteryear. Why? Being that a staggering number of people in modernized countries carry internet-ready cell phones, if your placemat advertisement sparks their interest, they can immediately visit the website you reference. Traditionally thought of as a local form of advertising, this means that placemats can be used for national and even global products and services.
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6.) Radio
Radio is an extremely effective type of advertising if the station's audience fits the demographic you're targeting. Think about it: even if someone isn't really listening to your ad, they're still registering it subconsciously – a powerful effect that few forms of marketing can mimic. And while traditional radio ads generally target local consumers who may or may not ever see a brick and mortar location to fit with the "picture" painted by a radio ad, they'll most likely remember a simple web address when their subconscious memory ignites from something related that they see while surfing the net.
Unfortunately, radio ads can be expensive and some stations or media groups will require a definite period contract that you may be stuck with even if it doesn't drive any business to your site. For this reason, try to buy single spots of airtime instead of a package – especially if it's your first time advertising with radio.
7.) Television
Most online business owners don't consider television advertising because they believe that they can't afford it. But while it may be true that many can't afford a prime time spot on a network like Fox or NBC, most small to medium sized businesses can afford short ads on smaller stations during off-peak hours. In fact, some small television stations and especially public access stations offer inexpensive ad time – provided of course that you create your own ad to run within the allotted time.
In general paying for the ad time isn't nearly as expensive as having an ad professionally made. Therefore, if you have video talent you can save a significant amount of money shooting a short TV spot yourself, or you can put an ad for a local university video or film student to do the ad for a reasonable fee.
While it might not make sense to some people to use TV to drive traffic to a website, the fact of the matter is that this strategy is extremely effective – especially considering that more and more homes have televisions with web browsers built in. This way if your ad is compelling enough your target consumer can get more information and even make an instant purchase on your website within seconds of seeing your ad.
In the fourth and final part in this series we'll discuss three more ways that offline marketing can be used to drive relevant, high-converting traffic to your online business. But if you're ready to implement any of the strategies we’ve discussed so far, call the number at the top of your screen now for an immediate consultation. The sooner you get started, the sooner you can tap into both online and offline markets simultaneously.
