You don’t have to focus all of your branding efforts on the web, because offline marketing is still a potent way to get your name out there and earn the recognition and trust of huge audiences.
That sounds great in theory, but without the right strategies, offline brand-building can be difficult. To overcome this, here are a host of ideas that will make a difference to your business.
Produce merch to promote your brand
Merchandise which bears your business name and logo is a welcome branding opportunity for a number of reasons.
First, people love receiving free gifts, so if you can give away branded pens, hats, reusable water bottles, t-shirts and everything in between, you’ll ingratiate yourself with customers, clients and employees alike.
Next, there’s the effectiveness of branded merch from a marketing perspective. If the items are useful, then they’ll act as an advert for your company wherever they appear, and they will continue to do this good work for years. As such, offering promotional items that are suitable for your market niche is a no-brainer.
Run training programs
Spreading the word about your business through training programs and workshops is a tried and tested offline marketing method.
Obviously these initiatives must focus on whatever it is that your company does best, whether that’s producing artisanal carpentry, creating 3D printed components for the automotive industry, or anything else.
Even if your workshops are run intermittently, being able to promote an offline event that you host, rather than only building your brand intangibly online, will make a big difference.
Create logo sticks to give out at events and conferences
With logo stickers, your brand is easier to distribute and make memorable whenever you attend events hosted elsewhere. This could include industry-focused get-togethers, as well as broader trade shows and conferences, or even local events where you plan to have a presence.
Stickers are always in-fashion, and like branded merch they are likely to be applied and displayed by those who receive them for a long time.
Tossing a few stickers into a goody bag, along with branded merch and material that explains what your company does in detail, is a quick and impactful way to do a bit of low-level guerilla marketing.
Call prospects direct
Cold calling is becoming overlooked as a brand building technique now that digital methods for courting new customers have risen to prominence.
However, with the right approach you can still leverage the humble telephone to good use, and it’s great for lead generation and all-round relationship building.
Of course if you’ve got an established customer base that you want to re-engage with, then the phone is also one of the best ways to do this, especially if you are targeting older demographics.
Get your brand into print
Printed publications are still going strong, making claims about the death of this industry sound somewhat exaggerated.
For a more targeted approach, paying for ads in a print publication that’s related to your industry niche makes sense, and will also be comparatively affordable.
There are also local, regional and even national print media outlets that can assist with promoting your brand, so it’s simply a case of matching your choice to your budget and the scope of your operations.
Also remember that you can get media coverage by alerting reporters to things you have achieved or breakthroughs you have made, so don’t be afraid to speak loudly and proudly about your brand.
With all that in mind, your offline branding revolution can begin in earnest, and with a clear direction forward.
