Grassroots Marketing

by Matt B

Posted: 12 years ago 21 replies

OFFLINE MARKETING

I'm trying to brainstorm low cost "grassroots" ways to market offline and drive subscribers to opt-in to text and email lists.

A few ideas that have already come to mind....

- Car door magnets or window decals with a text opt-in keyword & shortcode. Pay someone $20/week to have the magnet or decal on their car or truck. There would need to be a way to verify that people would actually be doing this. Maybe have them post a photo to Facebook of their vehicle with the sign on their car or truck. (More advertising)

- What about signs on telephone poles or traffic light poles? I'm pretty sure the legality is usually city or town jurisdiction which would require further research.

- Small giveaway items that local merchants could offer to their customers at point of sale. For example- a magnetic sports schedule for the local sports team, wallet calendars, calendar magnets, pens or notepads. Of course they would all have the text keyword & shortcode.

What other ideas do you have?

#grassroots #marketing

DanielMilstein 12 years ago

Matt, those are great ideas. But try to think of things that people want anyway that won't cost you anything. I would suggest keeping most of your marketing online because it won't like cost you anything if you make it digital. Think about creating an eBook on Kindle or an mp3 with audio tips or a Youtube video. Those don't cost anything to make and will get you better sales results.
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- Matt B 12 years ago
  
  I hear you Daniel, but I'm looking for offline methods.
  
  Maybe I should have titled the thread more appropriately, my mistake. But I mean different offline "gorilla" or "grassroots" types of marketing.
  
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  David Miller 12 years ago
  
  @Matt Considering that you're posting in the OFFLINE MARKETING forum, there's no need to further define your post title.
  
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ImDanHoward 12 years ago

Hey Matt B,

I think it mainly depends on the type of offer and market. A few ideas could be...

--Flyers around college campuses near you./QR codes/Text (or could post ads to hire college kids to do this all around their campus, they could send proof like pics or a video of them putting them up. You could track the results by setting up a unique auto responder campaign for each and if it does well, they could get a bonus.)

--Bandit signs at busy intersections (Yellow board-Hand Written-Black)

--Free Craigslist ads

--Find restaurants who still use paper place mats. Get some printed with multiple offers discounts and them give them to local restaurants for free. (You could even go to local businesses and ask if they would like to advertise on them for $50 or more depending on ad size.)

Just a few ideas.
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warrioradam

12 years ago

Who are you promoting. If your promoting small businesses something as easy as a sign up sheet could work

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businessmatt 12 years ago

Again, this one depends on your business, but door-to-door can work pretty well if you are presentable and have a good offer.
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Matt B

12 years ago

Originally Posted by David Miller

@Matt Considering that you're posting in the OFFLINE MARKETING forum, there's no need to further define your post title.

Thanks Dave.

Originally Posted by ImDanHoward

--Flyers around college campuses near you./QR codes/Text (or could post ads to hire college kids to do this all around their campus, they could send proof like pics or a video of them putting them up. You could track the results by setting up a unique auto responder campaign for each and if it does well, they could get a bonus.)

--Find restaurants who still use paper place mats. Get some printed with multiple offers discounts and them give them to local restaurants for free. (You could even go to local businesses and ask if they would like to advertise on them for $50 or more depending on ad size.)

I like both of these Dan. I'd heard of the paper place mat strategy before, but I'm glad you reminded me of it.

Originally Posted by warrioradam

Who are you promoting. If your promoting small businesses something as easy as a sign up sheet could work

I'm promoting an online company, but I'm merging their online promotions with offline methods as well. I'm seeking subscribers that "geo-targeted" to local cities and towns.

A signup sheet would work if a business owner were trying to collect information for themselves or their own campaigns, but if it's for another company or business, they probably wouldn't put much effort into collecting information. I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible for them, such as a small display in their store with a "Text to..." or something to that effect. For example, Maybe I could work out a small barter with the business owner if they allowed me to place that small sign at their register or point of purchase.

If you're ever read any posts by Midasman09 (I personally think most of his ideas are pure gold.) that's exactly the type of stuff I'm looking for.

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businessmatt

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Matt B

A signup sheet would work if a business owner were trying to collect information for themselves or their own campaigns, but if it's for another company or business, they probably wouldn't put much effort into collecting information. I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible for them, such as a small display in their store with a "Text to..." or something to that effect. For example, Maybe I could work out a small barter with the business owner if they allowed me to place that small sign at their register or point of purchase.

If you're ever read any posts by Midasman09 (I personally think most of his ideas are pure gold.) that's exactly the type of stuff I'm looking for.

In that case, how about run some sort of contest where they send you a text/email or fill out a form. You get their info, they get entered into a contest. Just make sure you are very clear that you will be contacting them with a business offer, and maybe give them the chance to opt out. You may need to watch out for any local laws too. You can gather a ton of names this way though. I ran a contest once and got several thousand names. All it cost me was the cost of the prize (mine was online)

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yeswetaginfo 12 years ago

hey Marketing innovation doesn't have to come at a high price. Sometimes all it takes is understanding who your customers are -- and what will make them laugh.......
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businessreviewkenya 12 years ago

It's a good idea. Give a try and let us see how far it goes. Good luck on your way.
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davidreese 12 years ago

Flyers with pull tabs. Can a bunch with you and every time you are somewhere and see a flyer up - post one of your own.

Have a strong headline that can be seen across the room or street. Have a solid offer to drive traffic or phone calls.

The flyers don't have to be fancy. You can print out a couple hundred for under $20.
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purpleseo 12 years ago

pay car owners min $ + cpa :?
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- los s 12 years ago
  
  whats your main goal you are trying to achieve?
  
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ruski

12 years ago

Handing out handy packs of tissues with your flyer inserted or printed on the packet. Saw this in asia once and nearly everyone took the small pack of tissues as it was of some use and had a value not to be thrown away. No doubt they looked at the flyer or ad at a later date when they opened the pack.

In stark contrast... On a trip to Las Vegas there were people flicking and then shoving a porno flyer in my face every 5 seconds. Needles to say I didn't see any people taking the cards and loads were thrown on the floor.

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FrankWellington

12 years ago

Road/Bandit Signs work extremely well
depending on your niche.

Ever wonder why politicians (like 'em/hate 'em)
flood the streets with signs every election?

They may work for your niche.

Much success,
Frank

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RRG

12 years ago

Originally Posted by FrankWellington

Who likes politicians?

What are the ramifications of posting bandit signs? Is there any risk of getting nailed by the local functionaries?

Thanks

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af7850 12 years ago

I think that there have been some decent ideas here to point, and you probably won't see anything better without giving us some insight into what kind of business you're promoting.

Posted from Warrior Forum Reader for Android
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- rhealy29 12 years ago
  
  It might be easier to come up with relevant ideas if you could let us know what industry the business is in.
  
  On one note, I'd question the value of the car magnets. Car advertising can work for brand impression, but realistically, the people who see ads on cars tend to be other people in cars, and the majority of the time that's going to mean another driver. In my experience, while people are perfectly willing to take a call or text while driving from a friend/family/coworker (despite danger and possible illegality), they generally aren't going to pull out their phone and take an action based on an advertisement they're seeing on another car.
  
  That's not to say there is no way it'll work, but if you're going to use signs, I feel like your money would be better spent with stationary signs in high visibility areas. Car magnets cost more to have made, and the fact that they're a moving target, generally being seen by other moving targets, makes them a little less practical for an action based ad (IMO).
  
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RonnieS Banned 12 years ago

I have de emphasised SMS marketing almost completely in my business. Most people have smartphones which means they have access to the internet.

I use QR code stickers that link to a moible optin page that has a coupon for something free as the incentive. Make sure to have a strong call to action on the QR code to get more people to scan.

I've had much higher ROI on getting email optins than getting SMS optins. SMS is very obnoxious to the end user compared to emails. We have seen a much much higher coupon redemption rates with email optins than with SMS optins...

I hope that helps

-Ronnie Sandlin
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FrankWellington 12 years ago

Hey Matt B,

Have you taken action?

Please share your awesome testimonial
with us.

Thanks,
Frank
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Michael Clough 12 years ago

Maybe try some direct mail post cards and Val-Pack, as well.
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