We hear so much now about how digital marketing and sales are the future of business, but we feel that there’s a great risk that businesses are ignoring or not valuing their offline sales. We’ll explore the importance of maintaining a great offline presence and how it can boost your business.
Local & National PR
There’s great importance of keeping a great local presence. These people are likely to be the most loyal customers you have, so keeping them interested, on-board and keeping your name on their radar will be great for real-world brand-awareness. No-one else is going to shout about what you do as a company, if you’re not. So, if you have a new product to launch, if you have secured a great contract/tender or if your staff have acheived something remarkable, then make sure the local newspapers & local radio stations know about it.
Trade Shows & Exhibitions
Take some time away from the office and exhibit or even just visit some trade shows. Exhibiting at a trade show will put your name infront of exactly the right people. The people who visit trade shows are there because they’re looking for new suppliers, new products and they’re really open to hearing about what you have to offer. Whilst these stands may be pricey, it may prove much more worthwhile than a targeted PPC campaign – face-to-face business enables you to build trust with your potential customers in a much greater way.
Direct Mail
People often talk about printed leaflets and flyers being ‘old hat’ – but we reckon there’s huge scope in the print world. The key is getting the target audience right. There’s no point printing thousands and thousands of leaflets and sending it to the wrong people. You need to work out who your customers are likely to be and create a targetting campaign accordingly.
Create a buzz within local community groups
Let’s say you sell baby products – why not give away some free products to the community groups to get their feedback and to write reviews about your products. The best feedback comes from customers and those who actually use your products, so by putting your products directly in the hands of your target market, you’re already one step ahead. Once you have introduced your brand and range, then you can continue to engage on other products and topics.
Run an open day
Invite your customers, local businesses, potential customers and industry members to your business. Opening your business up in such a way shows your target market how trustworthy you are and how you work. This is your opportunity to impress them with your staff, your operation and your future plans. Put on a free lunch buffet and you’re probably on to a winner!
Run workshops and seminars
Whilst this can also be done online, it’s also really important to have direct interaction with your audience. By running workshops, you’re asserting yourself as an authority on a subject. Potential clients always like to know that you’re really passionate about what you do and that the level of service is going to go above and beyond just the sale – by running these workshops, you’ll add that extra depth and trust that matters so much.
There are many more ways that you can grow your business without even switching your computer on, because in an age where everyone is competing online, there is still so much scope to be seen in the outside world, arguably in a better, more trustworthy way.
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