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Why Do You NOT Do "Offline Marketing"?

by Paul Hancox
64 replies
Hi Folks

I know some here DO market offline, so I'm really asking this question if you don't.

Why not?

What's the BIGGEST REASON stopping you?

Is it because you're not sure how to go about it? Not sure what to offer?
Does it sound like too much work?

Or is it something else?

I'm asking because, well... partly because I'm curious.

And I ask here because I think we could all benefit from knowing WHY
you're not using "offline marketing" methods at present.

Thanks!
#offline marketing
  • Profile picture of the author John Durham
    Because it requires human contact is the number one reason I believe. Not my self. I do participate, but I think most come here to learn how to make money from a monitor without having to deal with human contact.
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    • Profile picture of the author Tina Golden
      I have absolutely no interest in offline marketing. Part of that would be that it would curtail my freedom somewhat (have to keep business hours at least to a degree), I'd have to go back to dressing appropriately and I just plain don't care to meet with a bunch of strangers.

      Tina
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      • Profile picture of the author AndrewCavanagh
        Originally Posted by TMG Enterprises View Post

        I have absolutely no interest in offline marketing. Part of that would be that it would curtail my freedom somewhat (have to keep business hours at least to a degree), I'd have to go back to dressing appropriately and I just plain don't care to meet with a bunch of strangers.

        Tina

        That's interesting.

        Many of my clients when I started out were on the other side of the world and I usually only talked to them once or twice on the phone then after that it was email communication.

        So you certainly don't HAVE to keep regular business hours or dress in any special way.

        Kindest regards,
        Andrew Cavanagh
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    • Profile picture of the author Andrew Stevens
      This is an "Internet Marketing Forum".

      I looked into offline marketing such as:

      putting flyers on cars... got shut down

      putting flyers up at colleges... have to get approved

      putting business cards at businesses.... doesn't match what I sell

      postcard marketing... cost a lot

      soliciting businesses with face to face selling... most people are not into doing this

      Online marketing is easier for me, but if you have any good suggestions...
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      • Profile picture of the author Vagabond 007
        Originally Posted by A1Guru View Post

        This is an "Internet Marketing Forum".

        I looked into offline marketing such as:

        putting flyers on cars... got shut down

        putting flyers up at colleges... have to get approved

        putting business cards at businesses.... doesn't match what I sell
        One of the problems with this type of marketing is that it's not targeted. You are spending your time putting flyers on cars?! 99% of owners of those cars could care less about what you have to sell. And in fact, will get annoyed with your ad on their car. I know I just grab them and throw it away. Not to mention you could get fined when people throw your flyer on the ground and then there are hundreds of pieces of paper laying on the ground.

        Dan Kennedy talks about the 3M's. Message, market, media...the most important being market. You have to send the right message, to the right market, using the right media. You sent your message to the wrong market.

        postcard marketing... cost a lot

        soliciting businesses with face to face selling... most people are not into doing this

        Online marketing is easier for me, but if you have any good suggestions...
        Postcard marketing costs a lot?!?! If you know what you're doing, it is a goldmine! If you get a positive ROI then who cares how much it costs.

        Sadly, this is the mentality of lots of people....

        "I don't want to spend money on that ad again."

        "Why not?"

        "Because it costs me $5,000 a month"

        "How much does it make you?"

        "$10,000"




        If you walked down to your bank and deposited $5,000 and 2 weeks later they gave you $10,000 would that be ok with you?

        Are you sure saying it costs too much isn't an excuse for not trying it?
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    • Profile picture of the author Alan Petersen
      Are you writing about promoting your web properties with offline marketing strategies like postcards or doing consultant type work for offline clients?

      I believe you mean the latter... I'm not interested because I love creating info products and my micro niche sites. This is why I left the corporate world. I don't want to have meetings with clients/prospects. I don't want to be on the beckon call of clients. That's the main reason why I've stayed away from offline marketing.
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      • Profile picture of the author Matthew Duggan
        'Leverage', in a word.

        I can gain far greater leverage on a far larger market using online marketing. Offline marketing tends to take a lot more time and far more money to get started.

        Simple I guess, but that's my main reason. Plus I love the internet and the tools it provides.

        Matt
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        • Profile picture of the author John Durham
          Originally Posted by Matthew Duggan View Post

          'Leverage', in a word.

          I can gain far greater leverage on a far larger market using online marketing. Offline marketing tends to take a lot more time and far more money to get started.

          Simple I guess, but that's my main reason. Plus I love the internet and the tools it provides.

          Matt
          I disagree. I think offline marketing is alot more money faster. However not as passive as suggested by posts above. There is a level of accountability required which is not desirable by many.

          It is truly like a job, at least part time, only you make 10 times more money. Anyone getting into offline should, in all fairness know that.

          In fact; I have a client emailing me "this morning", because his work isnt done on time, so sadly , as much as I'd like to hang out here I have to get some other work done. Thats what I mean by accountability.

          Ps. While we are on that...

          On the positive side, this client was worth $900 on the front end and $29.00 per month for hopefully years to come, for a site that is fresh and has never recieved traffic nor generated income... Also I will no doubt sell him other services probably getting up into four figures by the end of the year... so, in all fairness (on the other side of the coin) that aint no 127.00 on flippa, or waiting for months for a site to start bringing in traffic so it will be worth reselling.

          I do not agree that it is slower and less money to market offline. It only took me 3 hours to land this client.
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          • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
            Cost and time.

            Cost is greater and it takes more time than online.

            I wouldn't even entertain the notion of marketing my products offline.
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            • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
              Like Alan said, it depends on what you mean by "offline marketing"...

              If a suitable opportunity is available to market a product using traditional offline methods (like post cards, traditional direct mail, media advertising), I'm open to the idea.

              If you're talking about doing consulting/service work, I did that for several years. It's actually how I got my start online, selling website design/hosting and maintenance packages to local businesses.

              I got out because I basically burned out. I was building a star shop with me as the star, rainmaker and janitor. I kept my first client for almost ten years. I started back into it when the whole 'offline gold' thing swept this place. It wasn't long until those old feelings started coming back and I wanted out.

              I did enjoy working with some of the clients, so I still open up a little time for doing defined projects and consultation by the day.

              But my main focus is building up a business that will allow me to live more flexibly, and will be an asset that I can sell if and when I ever decide to retire permanently.
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          • Profile picture of the author moneycometh
            Originally Posted by John Durham View Post

            I disagree. I think offline marketing is alot more money faster. However not as passive as suggested by posts above. There is a level of accountability required which is not desirable by many.

            It is truly like a job, at least part time, only you make 10 times more money. Anyone getting into offline should, in all fairness know that.

            In fact; I have a client emailing me "this morning", because his work isnt done on time, so sadly , as much as I'd like to hang out here I have to get some other work done. Thats what I mean by accountability.

            Ps. While we are on that...

            On the positive side, this client was worth $900 on the front end and $29.00 per month for hopefully years to come, for a site that is fresh and has never recieved traffic nor generated income... Also I will no doubt sell him other services probably getting up into four figures by the end of the year... so, in all fairness (on the other side of the coin) that aint no 127.00 on flippa, or waiting for months for a site to start bringing in traffic so it will be worth reselling.

            I do not agree that it is slower and less money to market offline. It only took me 3 hours to land this client.
            I'm leaning more and more to your way of thinking.

            By using your telemarketing methods (TheGreatTelemarketingReport) I discovered a potential client who has a dilemma and I'm not sure how to proceed?

            He paid $2000 to have his website created by a company in California
            His monthly auto-pay is $650 for web service
            His is paying $250 month for advertising in the local newspaper.

            He is coming up in organic search in the #1 spot for his keyword which is his domain name
            .
            He is #1 on Google map.

            What else can I check to determine why he is getting such poor results?

            He says that because the economy is bad his business is being influenced as well. Any ideas how I can best serve him and help him with this problem?

            Last month he only receive 15 hits on his website. His business is building decks.

            Any input you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

            ~Jackie
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            • Profile picture of the author Irish Intuition
              I like to work with localized offline businesses but reach
              them through online channels.

              I do like the face to face every now and again. It's almost like
              we can forget we are human sometimes
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            • Profile picture of the author DogScout
              Originally Posted by moneycometh View Post

              I'm leaning more and more to your way of thinking.

              By using your telemarketing methods (TheGreatTelemarketingReport) I discovered a potential client who has a dilemma and I'm not sure how to proceed?

              He paid $2000 to have his website created by a company in California
              His monthly auto-pay is $650 for web service
              His is paying $250 month for advertising in the local newspaper.

              He is coming up in organic search in the #1 spot for his keyword which is his domain name
              .
              He is #1 on Google map.

              What else can I check to determine why he is getting such poor results?

              He says that because the economy is bad his business is being influenced as well. Any ideas how I can best serve him and help him with this problem?

              Last month he only receive 15 hits on his website. His business is building decks.

              Any input you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

              ~Jackie
              Make sure he is selling every thing he offers. A deck is fine, does he make chairs? flower pots? anything to downsell? anything to upsell? roof? screen? total porch? Can he make benches that go inside the railing? can he email, call all previous clients and see if they want that upgrade? Does he do fences? Do all his previous clients know that? Etc.
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            • Profile picture of the author John Durham
              Originally Posted by Cathy Shelver View Post

              Because my SEO and web building skills are just not up to scratch yet, How can I sell to others when my own websites are still a shambles while I learn
              Outsource. This is something you can do too moneycometh. Outsource it. This is a valuable lead you are generating... find someone on WF to JV with and they can help you close the deal . I'll bet Jacer would slam that guy home for you and split the money!

              Originally Posted by moneycometh View Post

              I'm leaning more and more to your way of thinking.

              By using your telemarketing methods (TheGreatTelemarketingReport) I discovered a potential client who has a dilemma and I'm not sure how to proceed?

              He paid $2000 to have his website created by a company in California
              His monthly auto-pay is $650 for web service
              His is paying $250 month for advertising in the local newspaper.

              He is coming up in organic search in the #1 spot for his keyword which is his domain name
              .
              He is #1 on Google map.

              What else can I check to determine why he is getting such poor results?

              He says that because the economy is bad his business is being influenced as well. Any ideas how I can best serve him and help him with this problem?

              Last month he only receive 15 hits on his website. His business is building decks.

              Any input you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

              ~Jackie
              If you dont take the advice above then read below:

              Looks like he has good advertising... is the traffic coming? clicking onto his website? Also is his website built to convert? Is it clear what the customer is being asked to do when they hit his landing page? Does he have a form or a link directly to a form on every page?

              A: He isnt getting clicked on even though he is listed high (not likely)

              B: His site isnt converting , or delivering a clear call to action, or his sales copy sucks... or may not be relevant to the info people are actually looking for.

              He may need sales copy. He may also need follow up email systems... all kinds of stuff. Also in truth; his local market may not be big enough to send him a ton of customers based on "deck building"... that happens... what is the search volume like for his keywords?

              Another thing; it could be his "business model".

              If the local search volume isnt that high for his business then he should try to think of a couple more things he can build besides decks... does he do fences? Roofing? Other things?

              This gives him more keyword options.

              I might ask him to let me put up a squeeze page for him, to test and if you can give him better results in the next 30 days on a $500 budget, then tell him you can take care of ALL his needs for $500 per month if it works.

              You might just make a free report on how to build a deck or something and create a sales system for him that turns the readers into customers...

              Is he advertising a "free quote" does he have a form for that?

              Seriously, there lots of ways you can help this customer.

              If I were you I'd look up Jacer he's hot right now on the closes. This would be for him as simple as a "live transfer" which is what he is already doing with a virtual assistant.

              Thats a pretty decent account ($650 per month).


              I have noticed alot of readers of that report dont have any idea whatsoever about web design... they just want to know how to sell offline services...

              There is a better word than "outsource" thats much simpler and will work for you much more easily.

              It's called JV.

              If you just want to make sales and not have to be a programmer... and not have to design packages for clients, then here is what you do:

              A: Find a web company or designer who wants to grow, thats already established here on WF, and already has organized packages that they sell.

              B: Ask If you can represent those packages for them to your local market for 50% commission or something.

              c: There are alot of companies looking to outsource offline lead generation. make a deal with one to send them customers for a 50% commission and you just do the phone prospecting.

              I can recommend the guy I use. Check your PM


              Lots of answers. Be creative.
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              • Profile picture of the author Alfred Shelver
                I believe there is a huge market where I a live and therefore allot of potential... I have considered outsourcing but until I am clued up enough to feel comfortable with my clients I won't do it.

                Having said that You have made me feel far more comfortable and confident with your replies... So I am making more effort to have the skills by the end of the year and will take action.

                Thank you again.

                Originally Posted by John Durham View Post

                Outsource. This is something you can do too moneycometh. Outsource it. This is a valuable lead you are generating... find someone on WF to JV with and they can help you close the deal . I'll bet Jacer would slam that guy home for you and split the money!
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            • Profile picture of the author Black Hat Cat
              Banned
              Originally Posted by moneycometh View Post

              I discovered a potential client who has a dilemma and I'm not sure how to proceed?

              He paid $2000 to have his website created by a company in California
              His monthly auto-pay is $650 for web service
              His is paying $250 month for advertising in the local newspaper.

              He is coming up in organic search in the #1 spot for his keyword which is his domain name
              .
              He is #1 on Google map.

              What else can I check to determine why he is getting such poor results?

              He says that because the economy is bad his business is being influenced as well. Any ideas how I can best serve him and help him with this problem?

              Last month he only receive 15 hits on his website. His business is building decks.

              Any input you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

              ~Jackie
              This is why I don't do offline marketing....I don't like ripping people off.
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              • Profile picture of the author John Durham
                Originally Posted by Black Hat Cat View Post

                This is why I don't do offline marketing....I don't like ripping people off.
                Isnt ripping someone off or not a choice?
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                • Profile picture of the author AndrewCavanagh
                  I think you need to be more specific about what you mean by "offline marketing".

                  Do you mean selling your internet marketing services to brick and mortar businesses or do you mean using offline marketing methods like marketing with snail mail, telephone etc.?

                  Or did you have something else in mind?

                  Kindest regards,
                  Andrew Cavanagh
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                  • Profile picture of the author Hamish Jones
                    Originally Posted by AndrewCavanagh View Post

                    I think you need to be more specific about what you mean by "offline marketing".

                    Do you mean selling your internet marketing services to brick and mortar businesses or do you mean using offline marketing methods like marketing with snail mail, telephone etc.?

                    Or did you have something else in mind?

                    Kindest regards,
                    Andrew Cavanagh
                    Agreed. Offline marketing can mean many things to many people.

                    For example, I have many PR clients for whom I utilise a variety of online and offline techniques- sometimes online work leads to offline activity or vice-versa.
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            • Profile picture of the author Lance K
              Originally Posted by moneycometh View Post

              I'm leaning more and more to your way of thinking.

              By using your telemarketing methods (TheGreatTelemarketingReport) I discovered a potential client who has a dilemma and I'm not sure how to proceed?

              He paid $2000 to have his website created by a company in California
              His monthly auto-pay is $650 for web service
              His is paying $250 month for advertising in the local newspaper.

              He is coming up in organic search in the #1 spot for his keyword which is his domain name
              .
              He is #1 on Google map.

              What else can I check to determine why he is getting such poor results?

              He says that because the economy is bad his business is being influenced as well. Any ideas how I can best serve him and help him with this problem?

              Last month he only receive 15 hits on his website. His business is building decks.

              Any input you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

              ~Jackie
              While it's hard to tell how his online presence can be optimized without more details, I think it's important to remember that an online presence isn't the "holy grail" for all local businesses. I'd approach him more as an overall marketing consultant. Rather than as a "web presence optimizing" consultant.
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        • Profile picture of the author AndrewCavanagh
          Originally Posted by Matthew Duggan View Post

          'Leverage', in a word.

          I can gain far greater leverage on a far larger market using online marketing. Offline marketing tends to take a lot more time and far more money to get started.

          Simple I guess, but that's my main reason. Plus I love the internet and the tools it provides.

          Matt

          I think this post was made under the assumption that the original poster was talking about offline marketing methods like snail mail, retailing etc to sell products.

          If you're selling your services to local businesses then there is no real start up cost and you can get paid very quickly (some people get paid their first day talking to business owners).
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      • Profile picture of the author DreamShaper
        Originally Posted by Alan Petersen View Post

        Are you writing about promoting your web properties with offline marketing strategies like postcards or doing consultant type work for offline clients?

        I believe you mean the latter... I'm not interested because I love creating info products and my micro niche sites. This is why I left the corporate world. I don't want to have meetings with clients/prospects. I don't want to be on the beckon call of clients. That's the main reason why I've stayed away from offline marketing.

        Great answer. And great question.

        The reason why I got interested in internet marketing was to have a product and business that did NOT depend on my personal service and in-person selling.

        I had more than enough of customer facing contact in my life as a programmer/developer and IT consultant.

        And in so far as offline marketing puts me back in that frame I will stay away from it.
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  • Profile picture of the author RyanRobinson
    Totally agree with what others are saying. Time is crucial in this business and it can be very valuable to you. I also think some people's confidence plays a role especially if they need to meet people face to face.
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  • Profile picture of the author Johstin
    At this point, I don't do any offline marketing because it is not a good use of my time. Using the internet has been a much better option for me. However, I'll probably do some offline marketing after building a profitable business online. It makes it so much easier to market to familiar/local businesses and potential clients after establishing success online first.
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  • Profile picture of the author George Wright
    That is what I first did to make good money.

    It got boring and I didn't like to do the work that came after the sale.

    However I'm looking into promoting things offline that have no followup work involved.

    George Wright
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  • Profile picture of the author Charles Washington
    I would love to get into it. To answer your question, the reason I do not do it is I cant figure out how to find clients.

    Any tips there John Durham?
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    • Profile picture of the author theory expert
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Charles Montgomery View Post

      I would love to get into it. To answer your question, the reason I do not do it is I cant figure out how to find clients.

      Any tips there John Durham?
      I know I am not John ,but, you could simply go to your downtown area with all the clustered mom and pop stores are. Also, if you have a chinatown in your area go to those stores, or any asian spanish establishments. Walk in and start talking about what you offer. I wouldn't be surprised if most of those stores don't even have a website.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jagged
      [QUOTE=Charles Montgomery;2506252]I would love to get into it. To answer your question, the reason I do not do it is I cant figure out how to find clients.[QUOTE]


      This one's for you Charles...

      Methods for locating potential clients...

      1. For Local SEO services, search google for any targeted local niche (chiropractors, dentists, hair salons etc.) look closely at the Google Places map.....click near the bottom for "more results"...scan over the next few pages...these are the businesses that no one sees in google places, they need help getting listed better.....(more than 95% of local searchers never go past the first page of a google places listing)

      1-A. For website services, While you have these potential clients pulled up, take a look at their websites...
      • look for listings that show "maps.google.com" where others have their websites listed...good chance these businesses do not have a business website yet...
      • if they do have websites....are they appealing to the eye?
      • do they show well for local organic searches?
      • how does their on-page optimization look?
      - do they have keyword targeted text & page titles?
      - do a "right click...view source"....look at the description meta tag (& others...)...are they making the best out of those so they are optimized or could they use a little help?
      - also look over use of any alt tags or h1 tags.
      - do they have a lot of images or maybe their entire page is an image? they need some help if it is...
      • does their website have a way to collect customer info to help build a marketable customer database?
      • are there any broken links? is there a site map?
      • maybe it just needs some updating (new images, update copyright, better logo, etc...)
      • go to builtwith.com...use this to look over a basic analysis of their SEO, print out some of the info to show your client...also find out who is hosting their site(s)...if you have a resellers program maybe you can offer a better deal...
      • Get some stats on local SEO, email marketing, social marketing, local business climates, etc... (I use sites like emarketer.com, kelseygroup.com, city-data.com...) (local business love statistics & graphs)
      Get the contact into for each business. Type up a personalized intro letter...include some of your findings & stats......ask to set up a meeting to discuss things...follow up with a phone call with-in 5 days...

      2. Use local mailing, valu-paks, weekly ad papers, magazines (these are businesses that are spending good money on trying to attract new customers...) don't forget the yellow pages too...look for many of the same things as above...then contact them...

      3. Local meetups...(meetup.com), local business networking luncheons, local chamber of commerce meeting, etc...

      4. craigslist, backpage.com......in craigslist look at the "Gigs / Computer" section as well as the "web / info design", "internet engineers" & "art / media / design" sections.....maybe you can swing some deals in the barter section...thats worked out well for me...

      5. talk personally to local businesses that you yourself do business with (restaurants, barber shops / hair salons, meat markets, auto repair shops, doctors, dentsits, other medical fields like eye care, plastic surgeons, veterinarians, etc....health clubs, landscapers, pool cleaners...it's literally endless...)

      6. Look into holding local seminars with a variety of topics. This is one of the best ways I know to get in front of a bunch of targeted local business owners....

      7. do local press releases for your business, do listings in online local / national directories (merchantcircle.com, local.com, etc...), optimize your own website, write articles, blog enties, squidoo, hub pages, etc....these all help in attracting clients...

      8. Once you get rolling, concentrate on referrals...I offer a "referral reward" to my existing clients for referring new to me...

      9. Postcards, cold calling have recently been discussed in length so I won't get into those...

      There are a lot more I'm sure....just wanted to show some of the more common, more effective ones...

      Go get em Charles...

      ~Ken
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  • Profile picture of the author Jay Lange
    Originally Posted by Paul Hancox View Post

    Hi Folks

    I know some here DO market offline, so I'm really asking this question if you don't.

    Why not?

    What's the BIGGEST REASON stopping you?

    Is it because you're not sure how to go about it? Not sure what to offer?
    Does it sound like too much work?

    Or is it something else?

    I'm asking because, well... partly because I'm curious.

    And I ask here because I think we could all benefit from knowing WHY
    you're not using "offline marketing" methods at present.

    Thanks!
    I stayed away from offline marketing for a long time because I didn't really have any good ideas on how to capitalize from it.

    I'll let you in on my little secret that has generated quite a nice income for me in a short amount of time.

    I find a niche within a niche. Like I start off with Baby Care then go deeper by offering only diapers. I then advertise the website through local search and town newspapers and pennysavers the same as you would a regular local retail store.

    I am able to save people money because I don't have all the expenses of a brick and mortar establishment which in this economy is a tremendous advantage.

    My sales and profits continue to grow steadily and I keep adding "deep niche" stores as often as possible.

    My experience...offline is a goldmine!
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  • Profile picture of the author theory expert
    Banned
    Yup it is the human contact factor. John hit the nail on the head. Some people aren't cut out to be out there smiling, looking happy, &, trying to seem like such a great person just to sell someone. I have entertained the thought because it is so lucrative and life changing, but, I am not much into convincing.

    Truth be told I am not too much into relationship marketing(even in blogging, twitter,etc). Ideally I would prefer direct response marketing through advertising, ppc,ppv, amazon, etc.

    P.S. I think the OP is speaking on consultive type work.
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  • Profile picture of the author John Durham
    Originally Posted by Charles Montgomery View Post

    I would love to get into it. To answer your question, the reason I do not do it is I cant figure out how to find clients.

    Any tips there John Durham?

    Lol. Alot of em...

    But you know another thing I thought is that alot of people dont do it because they are afraid they dont have any past clients to show for themselves...

    Here's what I did not when I found myself in a new town with no local clients to show... "Well like I said Shannon we are just getting started here, and trying to get some clientele under our belt to showcase to the community... so I'll tell you what, since I need some clients to show off, and you need a website... I'll go ahead and get started on building you a 5 page static site for $100.00"

    "Is that fair enough"?

    The ole "George Wright trick" is what I have been calling that. Anyway, it gives you a chance to "scratch the pad" as we used to say, and gets your blood pumping and gets you some traction.

    Then you will go on and sell the next for 300....$500...

    Thanks for the props Charles.
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    I started out with offline marketing. That's way more face to face customer service than I want to have for my local area. In addition, I've found that in my area of expertise, building websites, I can create sites to sell/flip without all the headaches of "working for someone else".

    Plus, I don't want to spend my time promoting other people's sites or even outsourcing it. Just don't want to be bothered with offline marketing.
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  • Profile picture of the author jim90677000
    Originally Posted by Paul Hancox View Post

    Hi Folks

    I know some here DO market offline, so I'm really asking this question if you don't.

    Why not?

    What's the BIGGEST REASON stopping you?

    Is it because you're not sure how to go about it? Not sure what to offer?
    Does it sound like too much work?

    Or is it something else?

    I'm asking because, well... partly because I'm curious.

    And I ask here because I think we could all benefit from knowing WHY
    you're not using "offline marketing" methods at present.

    Thanks!
    Be it online or offline marketing, so long the product can sell, that mode of marketing is considered effective.

    Different product/service has different more effective mode of marketing. Especially expensive items; people tend to buy if they can 'feel' them physically.
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    • Profile picture of the author Hesaidblissfully
      I think we should clarify the terminology, so everyone's on the same page.

      Do you mean marketing consulting for offline businesses?

      Or do you mean using offline methods (ie: direct mail, space ads in magazines, etc.) to market a product or service?

      When I hear "offline marketing", I assume the person is talking about the latter, but it seems like most people in the thread interpreted it as the former.
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul Hancox
    Yes, sorry about the lack of clarity in the original post. I meant "marketing consulting for offline businesses".

    And there have been some great comments so far.
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  • Profile picture of the author LondonPaladin
    95% of my monthly income comes from offline work now. It's just so easy to make a few K a month off each client. And it's completely scalable, as you get more clients you just hire more virtual VAs.
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  • Profile picture of the author Colin Palfrey
    I tried it here in Ireland, and at one point was making good money.

    The problem is that people here are still very suspicious of the internet, and one client cancelled when he started making sales because he thought he would get "caught."

    The natural assumption here is that if you are making money online, you must be scamming people. This seems to be so hammered into people's minds here that I simply gave up fighting the good fight, and instead turned online where people were more open-minded.

    Even now many people I know are convinced I am scamming people because I make my living online, and if I explain what I do they just wink, grin and think I am having them on.

    LOL As you may have guessed, this is a bit of a saw point for me.
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    • Profile picture of the author rushindo
      Originally Posted by Colin Palfrey View Post

      I tried it here in Ireland, and at one point was making good money.

      The problem is that people here are still very suspicious of the internet, and one client cancelled when he started making sales because he thought he would get "caught."
      Hilarious!!! LOL
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    • Profile picture of the author Optimist Cam
      Originally Posted by Colin Palfrey View Post

      The problem is that people here are still very suspicious of the internet, and one client cancelled when he started making sales because he thought he would get "caught."

      Lol. Sounds like one of those stereotypical business owners that just doesnt get it and never will. You can only do so much consulting and if they still dont understand move on to the next I say.


      The whole meeting clients face to face and dealing with enquiries I find to be rather appealing. Internet marketing makes me lazy. If im doing something for myself I can put it off till tomorrow but if I have a client to answer to I have no choice than to get on with whatever it is that needs to be done.
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  • Profile picture of the author Hugh
    Since I am semi-retired, my needs are less now.
    I build a website with good local SEO, get it on
    the first page of Google & Yahoo, then rent it
    out for $250 per month. Five page static site.
    Change the particulars to reflect my new tenant.
    Good residual income. Very few hassles.

    Hugh
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    "Some see private enterprise as a predatory target to be shot, others as a cow to be milked, but few are those who see it as a sturdy horse pulling the wagon." -- Winston Churchill

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  • Profile picture of the author Joe Benjamin
    Originally Posted by A1Guru View Post

    This is an "Internet Marketing Forum".

    I looked into offline marketing such as:

    putting flyers on cars... got shut down

    putting flyers up at colleges... have to get approved

    putting business cards at businesses.... doesn't match what I sell

    postcard marketing... cost a lot

    soliciting businesses with face to face selling... most people are not into doing this

    Online marketing is easier for me, but if you have any good suggestions...
    The biggest flaw with those methods is that it's often
    untargeted, unwanted solicitation -- with the ONLY
    exception being Direct Mail (postcars and letters).

    You can reach groups of people who already WANT
    what you have to offer and are open to buying what
    they already want from someone who will GIVE it to
    them.

    That's what I do. But, there IS a way you have to
    do it for it to work. A system. B/C blindly sending out
    postcards in hopes of sales will not work either. It's
    all in HOW you do it and work a system.

    Also, postcard marketing cost alot relative to YOUR
    mindset.

    It's extremely cheap and cost effective to me b/c I
    make 2x-3x my money back for every $500 I spend.

    Expensive? Yes. To the naked eye. But if work hard
    to figure out why people are willing to spend that
    kind of money in the first place, you would certainly
    not dismiss direct mail marketing.

    I've tried a few those things you listed above. I tried flyers, business
    cards, solicitation...none of which works BECAUSE it's RARELY targeted

    Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

    Like Alan said, it depends on what you mean by "offline marketing"...

    If a suitable opportunity is available to market a product using traditional offline methods (like post cards, traditional direct mail, media advertising), I'm open to the idea.

    If you're talking about doing consulting/service work, I did that for several years. It's actually how I got my start online, selling website design/hosting and maintenance packages to local businesses.

    I got out because I basically burned out. I was building a star shop with me as the star, rainmaker and janitor. I kept my first client for almost ten years. I started back into it when the whole 'offline gold' thing swept this place. It wasn't long until those old feelings started coming back and I wanted out.

    I did enjoy working with some of the clients, so I still open up a little time for doing defined projects and consultation by the day.

    But my main focus is building up a business that will allow me to live more flexibly, and will be an asset that I can sell if and when I ever decide to retire permanently.
    If a suitable opportunity is available to market a product using traditional offline methods (like post cards, traditional direct mail, media advertising), I'm open to the idea.

    And I would be more than happy to share with you the
    opportunity, system, and the man (multi-multi-millionaire)
    who uses postcards (and still does as I'm in a partnership
    with him) to make serious, real money.

    Since you ARE open to the idea of Direct Mail, you must
    also know you can't be afraid to spend the money to get
    the kind of returns that would make any business person
    blush.

    For every $1 you spend, you can make $2-$3 back. And,
    if you PM me, I will email you the ebook my mentor is
    giving away for free that details his system from start to
    finish.
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    • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
      Now that Paul qualified what he meant (I thought he meant marketing our
      products using offline methods) I will now qualify my answer.

      The answer is still no. I won't do it.

      Here are my reasons.

      1. I don't want to have to hop in my car and meet people. And make no
      mistake about it, if you want to do this right, you have to do it personally.
      I run a home business to stay home...period.

      2. It takes time to meet people offline. I value my time greatly these days.

      3. If I didn't do the personal route, then I have to spend money on
      offline advertising. Too expensive for my blood. Why bother when my online
      ads cost me less than $200 a month and make me enough to live off of
      comfortably?

      4. I don't want the hassles of having to provide a service for these people
      that, even if I don't do it personally (have it all outsourced) I then have
      to worry about the people I outsource it to dropping the ball on me.

      5. I have no street cred with off line businesses. I can show how I can
      make money selling digital products, but I have no cred to be able to
      show a brick and mortar business that I can bring them traffic that will
      bring them sales. IOW...why should they listen to me?

      6. Bottom line: I have no interest in it. I have a business model that works
      very well for me and don't want to add any more hours to my day for any
      amount of money.
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      • Profile picture of the author Jay Lange
        Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post

        Now that Paul qualified what he meant (I thought he meant marketing our
        products using offline methods) I will now qualify my answer.

        The answer is still no. I won't do it.

        Here are my reasons.

        1. I don't want to have to hop in my car and meet people. And make no
        mistake about it, if you want to do this right, you have to do it personally.
        I run a home business to stay home...period.

        2. It takes time to meet people offline. I value my time greatly these days.

        3. If I didn't do the personal route, then I have to spend money on
        offline advertising. Too expensive for my blood. Why bother when my online
        ads cost me less than $200 a month and make me enough to live off of
        comfortably?

        4. I don't want the hassles of having to provide a service for these people
        that, even if I don't do it personally (have it all outsourced) I then have
        to worry about the people I outsource it to dropping the ball on me.

        5. I have no street cred with off line businesses. I can show how I can
        make money selling digital products, but I have no cred to be able to
        show a brick and mortar business that I can bring them traffic that will
        bring them sales. IOW...why should they listen to me?

        6. Bottom line: I have no interest in it. I have a business model that works
        very well for me and don't want to add any more hours to my day for any
        amount of money.
        I think number six says it all.

        Unfortunately I don't think there are many marketers who have achieved your level of success. Therefore they continue to experiment and explore others avenues of this industry they feel may yield a better profit for them.

        Cheers to your success!
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  • Profile picture of the author Alfred Shelver
    Because my SEO and web building skills are just not up to scratch yet, How can I sell to others when my own websites are still a shambles while I learn
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  • Profile picture of the author DogScout
    The advantage is specializing in a niche, testing everything in that niche and creating a 'business in a box' for that niche from web-sites to social media to profit leak plugging. Then you have a million dollar product. (like Bill Glazer did with menswear stores or Seaside has done with spinal decompression or Chiromatrix has done with alternative medicine *massage, chiropractors, nutrition specialists, acupuncture, etc*), each person running those is a millionaire having been in a single niche, testing it completely and then selling the marketing to business people in that niche all over the country.) Bill went on to more general marketing, but the other two still are specialized. Seaside is a 2 man operation and Chiromatrix I believe is a 4 man team, but could be wrong.

    The downside is, it takes a year or more of hard work and time and testing, it requires a year or more of face-to-face and it requires selling which many are incapable of and even more don't enjoy. (marketing is what they would rather do, not sell marketing).

    If one does not enjoy selling, but thrive on marketing, then why not have a gig you like? This is a 'marketing' forum, after all.
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  • Profile picture of the author simmonsmike7
    I guess the biggest reason stopping me is that I'm too comfortable and enjoy everything technology has to offer - no need to go offline
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  • Profile picture of the author susiem
    My opinion why a lot of people dont promote offline is due to the inconvience of getting out of your home, dressing up, as well as meeting face to face with people.

    Offline marketing does have advantages to fall alongside with your online business. You can rake in more revenue by including it if you want to go the extra mile.

    If you research according to your area and its rules, you can get a bit more advertising accomplish for your business.

    Take for instance, flyers on doors, although make sure you dont hang them on the postal mailbox,its against the law.

    car flyers, this advertising is done quite a bit in my area, and lots of people do observe it.

    grocery stores and lots of other centers have areas to leave advertising and such, research around

    contacting businesses according to your market

    mailing inserts in advertising pages

    so much more,

    The point to consider is if you are willing to go the extra mile for offline marketing

    Susie
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  • Profile picture of the author RentItNow
    I really liked this thread. I have made money from both (much more offline) but the freedom I give up for that money is not worth it. As many said, the clients need too much hand holding, it attracts A LOT of opportunistic clients and the dedicated hours just do not meet my lifestyle. I wrote about this many times in my business blog example here: How to Start and Build a Business (and actually make money): Be Yourself In Business. Be Successful At What You Love.

    The main reason is I can now reach more of my ideal (must-have) clients as opposed to clients looking for a deal.
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    I have no agenda but to help those in the same situation. This I feel will pay the bills.
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  • Profile picture of the author 2stace
    I don't do offline marketing because it is harder for me to keep the person interested in learning about a review on the program.

    When someone is searching for some sort of information online, they already know what they are looking for and will research it, doing due dilligence. This allows them to find your page, as it is exactly what that person was looking for, and you're most likely to get your words read and make a sale or a lead.

    THE INTERNET IS YOUR FLOOD GATE TO SUCCESS.
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  • Profile picture of the author williamrs
    CPA is my business now. Since I live in Brazil, offline is not an option for me. However, if I lived in the US I wouldn't go offline anyway. I believe that's possible to make more money with less work online.

    However, there can be other models that offer good opportunities offline.


    William
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  • Profile picture of the author seoindiaforu
    Offline marketing is an important task to achieve.Its very important to maximize the profits associated with it.
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  • Profile picture of the author paulie888
    Offline marketing can be a real business where you build long-term relationships and many grateful customers over time, but it has to be approached with the right mindset. I avoided it like the plague until about 5 months ago as I felt like I'd be an ineffective marketer in person and over the phone, but I've been learning a lot about it since then (through on-the-job training, so to speak).

    I've broken out of my online 'rut', and find it to be tremendously rewarding especially when you can help your clients in really meaningful ways (believe me, there are MANY offline businesses out there that are literally crying out for help when it comes to internet marketing). I'm not saying that every client will be model clients, and there will inevitably be difficult ones who are just so demanding and unreasonable that you couldn't possibly continue doing business with them. I will definitely press on with this while still doing my online marketing, as I truly feel a sense of satisfaction doing offline marketing and being able to break out of my comfort zone (if you asked me one year ago if I'd ever do offline marketing, I'd have laughed at you!)
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  • Profile picture of the author netoctane
    Interesting to read that most people would never consider offline marketing. To be quite honest that's exactly how I felt about it.

    I've been marketing online since 2001 and heavily through CPA networks.

    "Offline doesn't make any sense" was my take on it.

    But then after meeting heavy hitters like Jim Fleck, having diner with Lee Collins of Repeatprofits.com and watching Steven Pierce unveil his numbers on DR mail campaigns, my eyes were opened.

    I've seen the cost of clicks for emails rise up steadily over the years. Email is not as simple as hitting the send button like it was back in the days.

    It's an art and a science to consistently maintain delivery.

    On the other hand - I've seen less and less consistently in my physical mail box.

    Thus the opportunity.

    The proper Direct Mail campaign yields greater conversion at a lower cost then email marketing.

    Check out this eye Opening or rather eye POPPING presentation by Stephen Pierce so you can gain a different perspective on it.

    Direct Mail Video

    He even provides templates of his most successful campaigns along with suppliers to handle the list rental & full mailings without you lifting a finger other then sending the masters.

    I hope this info will inspire you to venture into that channel and profit.

    To your success
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  • Profile picture of the author mattjay
    well at first it was not having anything to offer offline clients. now that i do, it still boils down to either the expense of advertising for clients, or cold calling them face to face. i just don't want to bother with it. so much easier to either market as an affiliate or advertise my service business online.
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  • Profile picture of the author Cash37
    Originally Posted by Paul Hancox View Post

    Hi Folks

    I know some here DO market offline, so I'm really asking this question if you don't.

    Why not?

    What's the BIGGEST REASON stopping you?

    Is it because you're not sure how to go about it? Not sure what to offer?
    Does it sound like too much work?

    Or is it something else?

    I'm asking because, well... partly because I'm curious.

    And I ask here because I think we could all benefit from knowing WHY
    you're not using "offline marketing" methods at present.

    Thanks!
    There's no point if the city you live in is too small....
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    • Profile picture of the author John Durham
      Originally Posted by Cash37 View Post

      There's no point if the city you live in is too small....
      Why not do it nationally?
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    • Profile picture of the author AndrewCavanagh
      Originally Posted by Cash37 View Post

      There's no point if the city you live in is too small....
      A lot of people think that way because most of the training talks about "businesses in your local area you can help".

      And yes businesses in your local area where you can talk to the owner face to face are likely to get your highest conversion rates.

      But when I started out many of my first paying clients were on the other side of the country or the other side of the world (I was in Cairns Australia and some of my first paying clients were in Vancouver Canada, Toronto Canada and Sydney Australia...the closest of those is over 1,500 miles away).

      One of the great things about internet marketing is you can help a business anywhere so your clients can be anywhere in the world.

      Even if you start locally you'll find you get referrals to people in different cities, different states and different countries.

      It's inevitable.

      So where you live is really not much of a barrier.

      Kindest regards,
      Andrew Cavanagh
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  • Profile picture of the author MRomeo09
    I only briefly flirted with online/affiliate marketing back in 2006, but was almost immediately sucked into offline marketing. I started marketing for my wife's business and quickly helped her go from a part-time $5-10k a year business into a part-time $50-60k business. And the hook was set. I think I made about $1,000 with affiliate marketing, and I had a seven figure mentor.

    I do almost exclusively continuity in Offline, and I only do things I get paid for again and again and again. I typically rent sites, license email campaigns, do lead gen, etc. The money can be pretty darn good. And you can do all kinds of funky things with it, like I have a few site rentals that fund my kids trust fund and college. Also when you sign long term rental agreements those have a monetary value. I've sold partial payments and entire rental contracts.

    Personally it's a heck of a lot easier. I don't have to worry about anything but making papa Google happy and I get paid.

    Works for me.

    Marcos
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  • Profile picture of the author Johnny Slater
    I wouldn't even consider offline marketing myself. The whole point of selling online is to get away from having a "job." With online marketing I work when I want, for as long or as short a time as I want, and never have anyone to tie up my time. I can at any time I want pick up and go visit family in another state and stay for a month or two if I feel like it.

    Online marketing gives a level of freedom that offline marketing does not give you. You can automate many things that you do in offline marketing, but in the end you are working for someone else, no matter how you look at it. When I left my last job in 2002 I swore I would never work another job again and in the last 8 years I have only spent 40 days working for someone else.

    My wife has a job and she is always tired and miserable at the end of the day. I work online and do my thing when I want, in between keeping the house in order and playing games or watching tv. I have a level of freedom that most, not all but most, people who do offline marketing do not have.
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  • Profile picture of the author thesweetspot
    In order to do both, you have to go to where the opportunity is.
    There are so many groups that meet offline for that human contact..are you have to do it be confident and turn into a lawyer meaning having those quick redirect questions towards others.

    So meet up at a group, analyze them, and then they will of course ask what you do..And then you say..I help people start their online businesses to make money..or you can say..I'm an internet consultant who specializes in helping people locally..

    My recommendation in order to convey this correctly is have a wordpress set up, make it look great..tell your friends you will help them with something related to the internet if they post a review about you in an email. this way when you have your local group meetings, people will check out your site and see other people are being helped by you.

    I know there are also business networking groups..I know I know we just want to get started and make it happen..But the thing about people offline is they are still scared or they only do what other people do. or they are constantly getting sold to.That is fine...
    Before I go any further I am going to release how to get local business owners to get internet marketing services for the average joe...

    This is seeming like everyone wants to know this..I will just add to it and possibly raise the price to the product that is in development...

    But what I say to leave off is...we have some business cards ready to go, get out of the houses, go to local businesses and local functions and find out what they are doing...and how to get into their circle...if you are not a person who likes to talk to people...my solution is to HIRE people to do this for us...like college students who talk to people everyday..clubs, restuarants..etc.

    If we are great at making money online..let's file a dba...get seller permit..hire local students...give them 1 week of training..rent a office space to look professional..bc college students will feel important they have an office...and then they get paid 10 dollars an hour or whatever..and then you collect the checks...and then you let them go after 1 month...this way they have experience in face to face marketing...or you keep them on and have them go to other zip codes and do the same things..And this way you do not have to waste your time with meeting people and still stay online..hehe...

    and you will also look at a town business man who creates jobs and you can then make this a make sustainable business model..
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    • Profile picture of the author Vagabond 007
      Oh boy, where to start?

      I think a big reason IM'ers don't get into offline is because that would mean actually talking to people. And depending on how you run the business, meet with them face to face.

      Another reason, you actually have to know how to sell. What do you say to potential clients? How do you get them interested? What do you say if they ask for references when you don't have any? How much do you charge them? Where do you even find them to begin with? What do you say when they have objections.

      And another reason, after reading this thread, ignorance. I see so many comments being posted that are clearly from people who have zero experience in direct sales, direct marketing, etc. No offense. It's just that a lot of the posts I am seeing are fears that are made up. They are opinions, not facts.

      If you do the things most people are doing, then sure, clients will eat up your time, call you at 2 am, not respect you, etc.

      But, if you position yourself properly then you eliminate most of those problems. You teach people how to treat you. With proper positioning, a lot of these preconceived fears members here are posting about, never become an issue.

      And another thing I keep seeing, just about everyone thinks "offline marketing" means SEO and building websites. Those are some of the last things you should focus on. There are plenty of other things to implement first that will help your clients business. Up sells, cross sell, raising prices, increasing value, selling to past customers, etc.

      It's a lot easier than you think. I guarantee I can walk into most businesses and increase their profits by 30% within days. Depending on the business (revenue, prices, traffic, etc), I can almost double their profits the very same day I walk in there. If I can't do it that day I can surely create a game plan for them that will do it in a few months.

      Of course you may be thinking that's easy for me, since I have experience, but it's really not that hard. Thing is, lots of businesses owners are clueless when it comes to effective marketing and advertising. They are blowing thousands on silly ads, not capturing contact info of customers/potential customers, not using up sells, etc.

      So if they are wasting money on ads while at the same time not optimizing purchases, there is TONS of money being left on the table.

      Most business owners spend most of their money on trying to get new customers and yet neglect their past customers. BIG mistake. Costly mistake.

      I could go on and on.
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  • Profile picture of the author sdentrepreneur
    Offline Marketing isn't for everyone. I enjoy and am very successful at it because I am a people person. I get most my leads from Business Mixers and Chamber Events. I will also speak to groups of 50+ about Internet Marketing and Social Media and get leads at end of the meeting.
    I think its a great way to offset your slower months with Affiliate and Network Marketing.
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  • Profile picture of the author JosephCosgrave
    Yeah, I think the John hit the nail on the head. To be honest, though, I don't mind the human contact factor, it's nice. When I have done offline marketing for clients in the past, the only thing that frustrated me was that clients demands would sometimes change making work you have completed in the past sometimes pointless.

    Things like having an obsession with ranking well in Bing because a rival is, while Google gets 90% of the traffic in their country is insanely frustrating!

    It's the unpredictable human element that frustrates me. When you are just looking at analytics, everything is so much easier, provided Google doesn't throw you any curve balls. Searchers don't suddenly migrate to Bing in one day, etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author John Durham
    That can be cured by having a ton of numbers (clients) then it doesnt matter if one wacks out on you once in awhile
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