Offline marketing can be something as simple as a sticker for people to put wherever they would like. Image: Flickr / chris_radcliffe / CC-BY-SA

There are times online marketing can feel repetitive. Sharing, tweeting, optimizing and link building, day in and day out without a break, can be effective, but it does get old. If you’re looking for a way to reinvigorate your marketing, try going offline.

Benefits of going offline

Going offline can do a lot of things for your marketing. First, it can help reinforce branding in a way that online marketing can’t. Second, offline marketing gives you an opportunity to interact with customers and potential customers in a more immediate way. Finally, going offline can help you target new demographics and new customers who don’t spend the majority of their time online.

Basics of an offline marketing strategy

If you’re running a web-based business, your offline marketing strategy needs to eventually drive users to your website. There are multiple ways to make sure this happens:

• Make use of QR codes to give the ability for individuals to respond instantly. QR codes are those little square bar code-like images that can be scanned by most smartphones and direct the phone’s browser to a link.
• Have an easy-to-remember domain name and brand name
• Be prepared with business cards and your elevator speech – a one-to-three minute speech that explains the selling points of what you do and your business goals.

Target your offline strategy

There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all marketing strategy, online or offline. You should decide who you intend to target with your offline marketing and what goals you have for a marketing push. Offline marketing doesn’t have to mean expensive purchases of advertising, but you will likely be spending some money. Targeting helps make sure that the money will be well-spent and that you can measure the success.

A few ideas to start

Offline marketing can cover a huge range of activities, but there are a few basic things you can start out with. Try out:

• Writing and distributing press releases
• Handing out stickers or fliers with your easy-to-remember domain name
• Attend networking events of local and trade organizations and talk about your products or services