Offline marketing is not dead. It may seem crazy that we say that as an online marketing agency, but we see the strength in the combination. We've already identified a trend in this area: in our blog post on trends for 2019. We are seeing a growing mix of online and offline content. But what is the power of offline besides online?
But what is the power of offline besides online?
Of course, we cannot get around the declining sales figures of paper newspapers. But that doesn't mean no one buys newspapers anymore. People still love to read a newspaper on the train or to sit on the couch in the evening with a Cosmopolitan. And don't forget those juicy novels you're taking on the plane. All offline media. What ways offline marketing still work?
Flyers and outdoor advertising
Not all flyers and billboards work. This depends heavily on your marketing skills and the quality of copywriting and design. But they can certainly still work. People move and then come into contact with outdoor advertising and flyers – consciously or unconsciously. Flyers and billboards are an accessible way to introduce someone to you and your company. No data is collected, they will not receive an e-mail later with "you left this in your shopping basket!" and there are no further obligations.
Events
An online webinar is not the same as a perfectly organized event in a beautiful property. The atmosphere of such an event is unmatchable. Although of course you also do marketing for the event, you can also see the event as marketing. Think of Fyre, the festival app for which a festival was organized, purely for promotion (the event flopped completely due to lack of organizational skills, but that aside). An event is the opportunity to show what you have in your house. If you don't organize it yourself, you can think of fairs where you rent a stand. Maybe you have an online demo, but those business cards and flyers really come from the printer. Or a congress where you're going to speak on behalf of your company. These are all ways of offline marketing, where you have face to face contact with your target audience. Immediately made a bridge to the next topic...
Face to face meetings
Yep, face to face meetings are the finest way to communicate. Yes, they are precious because it takes time and you need money to make a pleasant meeting space. But they're effective. Nothing tips on actually meeting your target audience or customer. With Skype, it feels less personal and serious. Maybe you're comfortable in your pajamas. You don't have to try with a face to face meeting. Such a meeting often comes after online contact. Someone fills out your contact form, you email over and over again and prick a date to discuss it in real life. Or someone calls you and you discuss a meeting that way. Or it's someone you met at your stand at the event. Either way, face to face meetings remain an essential part of marketing and sales.
Combine online and offline marketing
Now there are also a number of ways you can combine online and offline marketing. We were just talking about phoning or emailing in combination with face to face meetings. Another way is a QR code. Maybe the term doesn't tell you anything right away, but you've seen them anyway. It's those little boxes you can scan with your phone and then you come up with a link. Very chill if you don't want to type the whole URL over. You often see these codes on posters. So you see something offline and scan it with your phone, making it online.
All right, we've shown you that offline marketing isn't dead yet. It's just changing. Volkskrant readers now choose the online version. When the Metro is gone, you will be asked to use the app. The popularity of the e-reader and iPad skyrocketed. But offline marketing is still very important. Online marketing delivers faster results and results are also easier to follow; tools like Google Analytics show you with a few clicks exactly how many clicks your ad has been clicked, how many people have looked at it, where those people are from, et cetera. We don't have that information from people who view your flyer on the bulletin board. Nevertheless, it is about the long-term effect. Research shows that people only buy your product or purchase your service after they've seen it seven times. Seven times. So those six times they've driven past your billboard (3x up and down to work, for example), certainly helps.
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