Offline marketing and how it can actually help your online presence

Offline Marketing - what is it?

Off-line marketing is basically what businesses have been doing for years, before online marketing took over the world. Up until that point most businesses would promote their products and services by using traditional marketing methods such as editorial content, magazine and newspaper advertising, brochures, flyers, and other types of print media which were far more prominent and were, in fact, in exclusive use for gaining the attention of the buying public. Additionally, the traditional definition of offline marketing typically includes radio, TV, and recordable media such as audio and videotape. In-person encounters, including one-on-one meetings and group presentations such as lectures, seminars, and workshops, also complete the common definition of offline marketing.

Marketing Has Changed

Most conventional marketing campaigns such as magazine advertising or TV and radio advertising carried a hefty price tag - and still do. However, today, they no longer hold the monopoly they once did. They now have to compete with, and in some cases complement new media methods. At one time, such offline campaigns were considered one of the inevitable expenses of doing business, but with the advent of the Internet and today's extensive line of high-powered digital devices, marketing has changed almost unrecognizably.

While the overall definition of offline marketing has remained the same and its importance has certainly not diminished, its influence has shifted and its function has changed, opening the way for a whole new era of direct marketing strategies.

Today's Marketing Requires More

There's no denying that the old-school definition of offline marketing as a stand-alone strategy - in comparison to the brighter promise of online marketing - has left the offline version the clear runner-up in the marketing race. And while traditional marketing methods haven't been totally replaced by online methods, they now serve a subordinate role. Whereas, at one time they were the whole story, today they serve to complement, supplement, and/or reinforce online methods by leading prospects to a business's website or social media fan page.

To summarize, online methods are the obvious winners in terms of convenience, cost, and reach, yet they clearly benefit when a well thought-out traditional marketing plan is run simultaneously. An example would be in-flight magazines or product catalogs which still advertise products but also direct the reader to a brand and/or website. Because some online marketing methods, such as e-mail and social media, are completely free, they are some of the most cost-effective marketing methods you'll find! And you can learn to use these and other Internet marketing media effectively.

New Media Marketing Can Be Learned

There are many ways to ensure that your online presence is reflected in your offline marketing efforts. Many marketers are learning these processes and implementing them into their own businesses to ensure maximum profits.

It may seem an unlikely statement that online presence needs offline existence too, but it is a fact. You can use offline marketing to grow your online business. Things have really changed and marketing methods have also altered. Several offline marketing modes can be very helpful in boosting your online business and making it a great deal. You shouldn't forget that several online businesses that there were many businesses having offline existence primarily and then the business owners gave it an online trend.

You will also need to keep in mind that these businesses were able to flourish in their offline existence. It means that they might have used some offline marketing ways to facilitate them to grow their offline businesses. You can employ these offline marketing methodologies to grow your online business a great deal. There are some obvious offline strategies that you can use for growing your Internet based business.

One of the important strategies you can use in growing your online business is mouth to mouth publicity. When a friend or colleague provides feedback on a product they have bought, this can prompt you to also use product from that company. There is a great possibility of your friend having interest in the things you sell online and this curiosity may lead to some purchasing. If you can increase the number of acquaintances for your online business, it will be possible to increase the number of visits to your website and augment the company's sales for their online products or services.

One idea is to liaise with a newspaper distribution agent to help you in distribution of 'flyers' or hand printed brochures for example, with newspapers. It will ensure that anyone who purchases those newspapers will be informed about your website and the businesses being offered through your website. You can make use of these advertisements specifically for any local services as it will ensure a wider reach for your online business.

So, to conclude, don't dismiss traditional off-line marketing as a thing of the past and confine yourself to the effective but lonely world of only on-line marketing. Not only is off-line marketing an effective way of boosting your online marketing, but it also provides you with a way of actually maintaining personal contact with your clients, and this is a really important point too. So much marketing and commerce is performed solely online these days that the good old tradition of actually knowing your customers is fast disappearing.

There are some lessons to be learned from traditional marketing, and that's not just the mediums used but the principles of interaction with clients, building relationships, reaching further across the mediums to direct a wider audience towards your website and building a credible reputation both online and in the real world. The personal touch is still important and in years to come there may well be papers written on the importance of developing an off-line strategy and the importance of getting to know your clients!