With today’s prevalence of digital media, it’s increasingly common for marketers to focus a majority of their efforts on digital marketing campaigns. In 2018, it’s rare to find someone without a smartphone. We read the news, connect with friends and work on our digital devices so it makes sense to market on the same digital platforms. However, with so much oversaturation, the audience can become accustomed to simply ignoring your marketing efforts.
A 2016 Econsultancy survey found that only 22% of businesses were satisfied with the conversion rates they received from their online marketing. This suggests that there’s still a huge amount of power in offline old school marketing techniques. Here are the top old school marketing techniques that are still worth a try in the digital age.
Flyers
Flyers can be some of the most effective and efficient promotional materials out there. Cheap to make and easy to disperse, flyers can spread the word about special offers, sales, and events extremely fast. While some of them will end up in the bin, they’re much more likely to grab people eyes than online advertisements.
The key here is quantity. You can quickly and cheaply hand out flyers in the local area at, arguably, a much higher volume than anything digital. You can even set up a virtual number with a service like eVoice and track just how effective your flyer campaign is. Create colourful, eye-catching flyers with a simple call to action.
Branded Items
A great way to increase your brand awareness is to give away branded items to customers. It works well because you’re rewarding your customers, which they will always appreciate, but they will then hopefully promote your brand through using whatever it is you give them. Therefore, try to think of something that people will actually need and use.
Branded items can be almost anything. The trick is to try and create something people will be happy to use. In some instances, branded items have even become highly sought after.
Coupons
Who doesn’t like a coupon? Statistica reports that in 2016, 45% of surveyed shoppers used coupons ‘very often’ or ‘always’ when visiting the supermarket. If you’re interested in targeting a specific area, tap into the power of coupons.
While there are many online coupon sites you could sign your business up too, they can be expensive and your listings might not gain any traction. Providing real life, physical, coupons means your potential customers don’t have to download or print anything.
Loyalty Cards
Loyalty cards are one of the greatest business ideas of recent history. Not only do they foster loyal customers, encouraging them to come back, and back again, they also provide a way for you to reward the customers that do.
Commonly associated with food and drinks, loyalty cards can be used for a whole range of businesses. Get creative and think of ways you can make it work for your business. People are much more likely to use your business if they have your card on them.
Signs / Billboards
Signs are perhaps the oldest form of marketing. People have been using them ever since they started selling things, and today, they still do. Why? Because they still work! Granted, for a sign to catch the attention of customers today, it must be eye-catching and clever, but with a good sign, in a populated area, people that walk past the sign every day will constantly be reminded of your business.
It’s important to remember that the first time people see your sign will likely be the first time they see your business, so approach signs with caution. Make sure that you attract attention for the right reasons with the aim of building brand recognition. Don’t make your sign a target.
Radio Ads
From a marketing perspective, old media, like TV and print is getting riskier and riskier to invest in, with Netflix and online news taking viewers eyes away from such places. On the other hand, radio may still be more powerful than you think.
Many people still listen to the radio in their car and around their house, particularly older generations. This is a perfect medium to target commuters and these older generations. Again, this channel is fairly oversaturated so it’s important that your ad is creative. Radio stations give you an easy way to target specific demographics in regards to location and age group and work well if you have a catchy jingle.
Marketing has become somewhat complicated over the years. The increase in digital media saw a whole range of new marketing tactics come into play from SEO to social media ads. Compared to traditional marketing, these are new and exciting and definitely have their place in this digital world. At the same time, old-school marketing techniques can still prove effective. The best approach is to assess what marketing channels are best for you, old and new, and hone in on what will get you the results.
About the author: Ellie Saunders is a young mother who is passionate about digital businesses. She is currently enjoying her marketing role at eVoice, a place where businesses can get virtual and toll-free numbers.
