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While it’s true that Americans are spending an increasing amount of time online — more than 23 hours a week according to some estimates — the bulk of most people’s daily lives still involves the real, not the virtual, world. Yes, we may be glued to our smartphones, laptops, and tablets more often than we or our loved ones care to admit, but we still drive to work, sit down to dinner, pick up our mail, and otherwise, engage with life in ways that are very pre-Internet.
For small-business owners looking to impact their bottom lines by marketing locally, that’s really good news, because marketing your business effectively doesn’t have to involve the Internet. Here is a look at seven ways to draw attention to your company or brand without an app or a Wi-Fi password.
1. Direct Mail
One of the old standbys of effective traditional marketing, direct mail is still a fantastic tool when used well. Unlike email and social media advertising, direct mail almost always ends up in the hands of the people you are trying to reach. Almost everyone picks up their mail and goes through it on a daily basis, which is one of the reasons why 56 percent of all direct mail is read, and, because more and more of your competition are making use of new media for marketing instead of traditional media, there’s less direct mail in people’s mailboxes, which means your campaign is more likely to get noticed.
2. Local Event Sponsorship
Sponsoring local events is a great way to support causes you believe in, while also promoting your business and brand. Whether you write a check to help cover the costs at a local music festival or you donate the food and service from one of your taco trucks to feed the volunteers helping out at a charity run, there are numerous opportunities where the business you run can be a great help, while also providing you with some much-needed marketing muscle.
3. Be a Part of the Welcome Wagon
Almost every city and region has a welcome wagon that greets new homeowners with a basket or box filled with small gifts, local samples, and information about area gyms, restaurants, doctors, and the like. Contact whoever is in charge of the welcome wagons in and around your town, and include brochures and coupons to attract newcomers to your business.
4. Teach
Regardless of what type of business you run, you’re probably an expert at something related to it. From graphic design and accounting to the ins and outs of Excel spreadsheets, take whatever your area of expertise is and offer to teach it at a local community college or community center. Not only will you be helping educate your community, but you’ll become better known as an authority at what you, which will lead to greater trust in you and your business.
5. Use Billboards
From the sides of interstates and the insides of bathroom stalls to the interiors of cabs and bus stops, billboards — regardless of whether they’re gigantic, small, print, or digital — still pack a hefty advertising punch. And, because there are so many different types of billboards, you’re bound to find something that fits your budget and reaches your demographic.
6. Business Associations
While online social networking continues to make headlines all over the Internet in regards to advertising and marketing opportunities, business associations were the original sources of social networking for small-business owners. From Business Network International (BNI) to the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA), find the business associations that meet in your town, pay the dues, and faithfully attend. You’ll gain new insight into the culture of work and business in your region, and you’ll almost definitely see a significant gain in business, too.
7. Value-Added Offerings
It almost goes without saying that your business’s most important customers are the ones you’ve already got. If you have faithful customers who come in for particular products or services on a regular basis, offer a reward and incentive for them to come back in for a different product or service. Value-added offerings can get regular customers to buy in even more to what you have to offer. Print coupons on the back of receipts. Hand out a flyer with information on select giveaways. However you do it, when your customer is making a regular purchase, entice them to come back for more with an offer they won’t want to refuse.
Marketing without the Internet used to be the only way the job got done. These days, online opportunities seem endless, but with these seven avenues of marketing, you can still market your small business effectively far from the lands online.
