Common Offline Marketing Strategies That’ll Kickstart Your Startup

Salan Khalkho
Last Updated: 11 Sep, 2019

While online marketing is the best way to market your business, the fact is, not every target customer can still be reached through online marketing. Technologies are evolving at the pace of light, yet still there are people who don't have access to mobile or internet. Moreover, there are scores of other people who place greater trust on physical establishment and offline advertising.

If you are a Startup where physical establishment is extremely important, It is important that you  first introduced your business offline before you focus on online advertising. Here are some common  offline marketing strategies that will help your startup create awareness and brand visibility locally. 

Outdoor advertising

If you are mostly going to cater to locally available clients,  outdoor advertising is the most effective method to market your business. Everyday people move out of their houses to go to offices, or to shop  or for any other reason.  During this time when they are out and about,  they will easily notice your outdoor advertising and take notice of your business,  if it is of their interest.  Here are some standard type of outdoor advertising strategies:

Pop-up displays

This displays consist of light weight frames that can easily be folded.  These frames are covered with fabric, vinyl or plastic and are attached with the help of magnets or velcro tapes. When this frames are opened up,  they create curve for angled wall structure.  Pop-up displays are easy to setup,  easy to tear down and you can carry them around easy. 

Panel displays

This is a fabric covered rectangular section. Sections are connected to each other to make a wall. These are very flexible and can be adapted to different booth sizes and configurations. Being highly  portable,  they can be easily carried in luggage.  

Tabletop displays

This is not perfectly outdoor advertising option. Tabletop displays are inexpensive and lightweight. You can  place them on top of table during exhibition  or outdoor marketing activities. Tabletop display come with 3 panels that are attached with graphics with the help of velcro tape. Graphics can easily be changed and a fresh one can be used for new events. 

Pull-up displays 

These are lightweight and portable and are an excellent method to accent your booth or showroom. The functionality is unique and function like a window shade in reverse.

Billboards

These are  one of the most common  outdoor advertising solutions. These are excellent  at attracting customers in volume and in building brand  presence. 

Coupons, flyers and handouts 

Coupons, flyers and handouts  are  old school marketing techniques  but are still relevant today  in this age of digital marketing.  These methods present inexpensive ways of reaching out to  potential customers situated locally and introduce your products and services  to them. Everyone likes some discount on there purchase, That's the reason  why coupons, flyers and handouts  are so successful in generating leads and sales. Whether it is grocery shopping or merchandise,  people love to save some bucks using coupons.  This kind of marketing is proven model and widely used by business and companies of all sizes. Coupons, flyers and handouts  are efficient printed materials that visitors can read and carry with them. 

Newspaper ads

Newspaper advertisements are extremely  efficient  and popular means of offline marketing,  but are also very expensive. Small  startups and businesses  that have just started out may find newspaper advertising very expensive. But there are different categories of newspaper advertisement. You can utilise the low cost newspaper ads  section. This will cut down your marketing expenses and significantly increase  your  reach among your target  audiences. 

Business card

Regardless of whether you are running an offline business or an online,  you ought to have a business card to  facilitate effective networking. You can hand out your business  card to every potential customer  and people related to your industry. Business card  are highly effective if you know what you should incorporate in them. At bare minimum  a business should contain  the name of your business,  and contact details  such as, address of the physical location of your office,  phone numbers,  email addresses,  and your website address. 

Networking

Startup  need to spend  substantial amount of  their time in networking with business professional. Each additional member in your network  will contribute towards your business success. When you are networking with other  professionals,  think of ways in which you can collaborate and contribute to their success. Networking should be mutually beneficial to everyone.  To grow your network of business professional,  you can regular attend events,  shows and trade fair. These are some excellent places that give perfect opportunity  to meet targeted customers and business partners. When  you start to visit   these events regularly,  you will be surprised to see how many potential customers and actual buyers you find. 

Salan Khalkho
Salan Khalkho is the Content Head at InboundNation.com and a serial blogger who has helped several blogs achieve millions of traffic per month. He has over 8 years of content marketing experience and has led the content marketing strategy for 200+ companies. He also owns and runs several successful websites in a variety of niches.