subject: Do You Market Offline by:Cathy Lindsay [print this page] Some of you probably already use this strategy, but for the ones who do not or haven't thought about doing it (like me), I truly hope that the information in this article will benefit you greatly.
This type of marketing can be very beneficial to increasing visitors to your website. Think of all the people that you see everywhere you go. Like the grocery store, restaurants, gas station, just to name a few. You will also be able to reach the people that might not own a computer, or, maybe they own one and only use it for personal matters.
Think about the person that doesn't own a computer. More than likely he/she goes to the library or to a friends house where he/she will have access to the internet. Think of this person as a potential customer, has your flier or business card in hand, likes what he/she sees, needs/wants the product or service, goes to your website, signs up, and becomes a customer.
The person that only uses their computer for personal matters is also a potential customer. This person doesn't surf the internet. He/she takes care of business and gets off the computer or, maybe he/she is a gamer. Whatever the case, this person hasn't found a reason to surf the internet yet. Possibly a brilliant flier or business card could entice him/her.
We all know that everyone isn't going to become a customer, but, even if he/she doesn't need/want what you have to offer, chances are that they know someone who does and will pass on the information. Friends trust friends, and family trusts family. Another name for this strategy is "word of mouth". This is one of the oldest marketing strategies ever used and, believe it or not, is still pretty powerful.
Put your creative side to the test, create and print our own fliers and business cards. Not only will this help keep the costs down, it will also be fun and interesting. If you have a family you can involve them. Make it a family project. Think brilliance! Create them to capture someone's attention so intensely that they must read the entire flier/business card.
You will need to decide how you are going to get the fliers into circulation. You can pass them out yourself or you can hire someone. You can offer them so much a flier or a percentage of a sale. Whatever works best for you. I personally hired a person that was in need of work.
A good place to pass out fliers is in the parking lot of a mall. Have you ever found a flier on your windshield? And think of how many cars there are in a mall lot.
Distribute business cards everywhere you go. People like them and many collect them for future reference and, remember, word of mouth.
Keep in mind that any type of marketing or promotion requires, time, patience and work. And without persistency and consistency there will be no success.
