Module 8: Offline Marketing and Why It’s Still Important to Your Practice

The Internet makes it easy to market your products and services online, but traditional methods are still used offline because of their continued effectiveness. The best approach is to combine online and offline marketing to maximize your results.

Common Types of Offline Marketing

Offline marketing is basically any marketing you don’t do on a computer or other digital device.

These methods include:

Taking out ads in print and on TV or radio
Direct mail marketing campaigns
Getting new customers through referrals and incentives
Co-branding with other companies that share your market
Cold calling
Taking part in offline events

On the Internet, marketers find out where their target market hangs out (Facebook, online forums, etc.) and put their offer in front of them or draw them in through their content. The same goes for offline marketing but instead it’s done in print, on TV, at local events, and in the local community.

Should You Use Offline Marketing

Offline marketing works well together with online methods. For example, you may run an offline promotion in the local community to get people to your site. You may gather names and email addresses offline for your email marketing campaign.

One thing to consider, however, is budget. Online marketing can be generally done on a shoestring budget. Offline methods always cost a bit more in terms of money and resources.

The Pros and Cons of Offline Marketing

The biggest benefit of offline marketing is that it can be a much more personal approach, depending on the methods you use. There’s simply nothing you can do online that compares to meeting your prospects face to face. This personal contact is what many businesses lack today.

It also gives you a huge credibility boost. People are somewhat wary of businesses that only operate online. When you see them offline, people have a chance to see your services and expertise with their own eyes and not through a computer screen.

As mentioned above, the major drawback is the cost in terms of money, time, and resources. Offline marketing strategies are not feasible for many small local businesses due to the expense and their limited marketing budgets.

It’s also tougher to establish yourself as an expert offline. Online, you can do it quickly and easily through content marketing. This is where you provide valuable content to your target market that establishes your authority.

Finally, offline you can only reach a limited local audience. With the Internet, you’ve got a worldwide reach and you’re open for business 24 hours a day.

Why You Need to Learn Offline Marketing

Knowing the size of your budget can be very helpful when it comes down to knowing which offline marketing strategies are right for you. Start by seriously considering how much you are comfortable with spending on offline marketing.
If you are just starting off, it might be a good idea to focus on strategies that tend to take a fair amount of time but not much money. Cold calling isn’t for everyone but can be a great way to drum up business and refine your message. Just the act of creating and testing a cold calling script for yourself can be incredibly effective when it comes to getting your offline messaging into focus.
Got a larger budget to work with and ready to invest if the ROI is right? Take a coffee break to reach out to a couple television and/or radio stations to discuss pricing for different placement options. It’s a quick and easy step into some of the most important offline marketing platforms out there.

Action Steps

Knowing the size of your budget can be very helpful when it comes down to knowing which offline marketing strategies are right for you. Start by seriously considering how much you are comfortable with spending on offline marketing.
If you are just starting off, it might be a good idea to focus on strategies that tend to take a fair amount of time but not much money. Cold calling isn’t for everyone but can be a great way to drum up business and refine your message. Just the act of creating and testing a cold calling script for yourself can be incredibly effective when it comes to getting your offline messaging into focus.
Got a larger budget to work with and ready to invest if the ROI is right? Take a coffee break to reach out to a couple television and/or radio stations to discuss pricing for different placement options. It’s a quick and easy step into some of the most important offline marketing platforms out there.

Ready for a deeper dive? Explore the resources below!

When you are ready to really dig into this stuff, remember that there’s a real mix of marketing advice out there. Some of it’s awesome, some of it’s half-baked, lots of it is outdated, and a whole lot of it is designed to help sell products, not professionals services.

We’ve filtered through the best of what is available to provide you with actionable advice in our Deep Dive recommendations that are from the most trusted resources and are designed specifically to promote professional services like yours.

Referral Candy’s Definitive Guide to Referral Marketing

Focusing on referrals is one of the best fast tracks to success when it comes to offline marketing for professional practices. But it can take a while to get enough momentum to have a steady stream of referrals to depend upon, and there’s a bit of a learning curve when it comes to finding what motivates your network to promote you effectively.

Referral Candy’s Definitive Guide to Referral Marketing offers an excellent deep dive into what works and what doesn’t when it comes to leveraging this strategy. It’s a great place to start if you could use a step-by-step guide to generating referrals.

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