Remember Your Offline Marketing

Written by Bruce Holmes Saturday, 30 April 2011 06:01

At one time offline marketing was marketing. Small business used billboards, bus bench ads, flyers, newspaper and magazine ads, cold calling, signs, direct mail, brochures; these were the ways you created a buzz. This was how you built customer awareness, how you built a brand. These were all common marketing techniques and it wasn't cheap.

At one time offline marketing was marketing. Small business used billboards, bus bench ads, flyers, newspaper and magazine ads, cold calling, signs, direct mail, brochures; these were the ways you created a buzz. This was how you built customer awareness, how you built a brand. These were all common marketing techniques and it wasn't cheap.

Now a day's small business has shifted focus to online marketing. They have done this with zest because they can reach a bigger and more targeted market at a lower cost. Companies now use targeted ads on Facebook and Google, they market to their email lists, and they use social media like Twitter and Facebook Fan pages. With these strategies they are better able to track their ROI, which allows them to determine whether or not to keep pouring their marketing dollars in the same place.

The question becomes does offline marketing really matter anymore? The short answer is yes. Most people are drawn to a face-to-face connection. This is why even online people post pictures and videos of themselves and their business, because they want people to connect with them when people visit their blog, follow them on Twitter and friend them on Facebook. The face-to-face connection is the best way to build trust; even today most people want to know whom they are dealing with.

A person's relationship with a business depends on how the person see's the value and trustworthiness of the business. If there is no offline connection a business runs the risk that the relationship with the customer will slow down or worse become lost in the online noise. Consider online dating, it is an efficient way to make an initial connection, but if you want to see if the relationship will develop into anything meaningful you have to make an offline connection.

Online marketing is the least expensive way to start a relationship, but to keep that relationship going you need to have an offline component. Pick up the telephone and call the client or customer, send a handwritten letter or card, set up a face-to-face meeting. It does not take a huge effort or a lot of money to make an impression offline. If you have already connected online then your offline efforts will have a foundation to rest on. You can keep to following up with online marketing, but now you have the strength of personal connection.