In this article you will read how to use offline advertising methods in your target group as a power channel, and which mistakes should be avoided.
Recently I saw another whole page of advertising in a newspaper and asked myself the question: Does anyone read that at all? Does something like that still work offline?
I would like to know what this offline advertising is. Why do I need it, how does it actually work and how do I get the connection to the online channels in?
Especially in times when every provider markets his products and services almost exclusively online, it makes sense to swim against the current. In return, potential customers are not only online on their Customer Journey, but also on the move and receptive away from the Internet. This potential must be exploited and the company’s own online strategy supplemented by offline components.
In former times, in the “old” advertising world, the watering can was unpacked in this channel and the principle was “spray and pray”. With the connection to the online world, however, we have the opportunity to demonstrably convert potential customers.
The pure tactics from the offline world are only slightly adapted. Thus business cards, advertisements in the newspaper, flyers, perimeter advertising etc. are still used. Only with the twist that the success of the measure can be measured by fixed key figures.
Offline Ads facts and figures
According to a survey by Inc, around two-thirds of adults continue to trust their local newspapers.
More than half of all respondents said they tend to buy when they first learn about a product or service in an offline channel.
You forget to integrate offline into online
When the Internet connection fails you still can resort to what people did in the good old times, as if with the watering-can finding out everything about everyone. QR-Codes, Hash tags, incentive gifts by registering in a website are all examples of successful integration of ads between offline and online worlds.
You don’t have a strategy
Great, you’ve already arranged 2500 flyers and 4000 business cards printed. Now what? Only with a clear strategy you know exactly what you want to achieve, what measures to implement and how to estimate the outcome of your ad campaign.
You chose the wrong medium
If in the very beginning you haven‘t figured out what media your target group consumes, – a particular magazine or a newspaper, – you are risking burning away lots of money and not gaining any new customers and not getting anywhere.
You completely refuse from using text message
Yeah, there is an opinion that a proper picture can say more than a 1000 words. But this does not mean that your advertising message should be replaced by a bright eye catching picture. Undoubtedly, an attractive image will catch the eye of a potential consumer but a relevant and well-directed message will help you seal the actual deal.
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In the entire marketing funnel, the activities you carry out with offline advertising are usually located between the top of the funnel and the middle range.
The focus here is on measures that (potential) customers first become aware of you and your solutions and want to learn more about you.
Offline advertising typically does not have a strong immediate impulse to buy compared to sales.
The reverberation is strongly increasing over time due to the influence on other channels as soon as your content becomes understandable in a larger context.
When you compile your portfolio of channels and actions, offline advertising actions will typically have the function of acting as seeds in the minds of potential customers.
This channel therefore works best in combination with the extremely targeted spears and the networks to be ejected. Classification in the channel portfolio.
Use online analytics to estimate the effectiveness of your offline ads
Use the digital marketing opportunities to track the success rate of the offline ads campaign you have just carried out. It can be done through certain landing pages or URLs.
A/B testing for everything
It is close to impossible to predict what is going on in the heads of your potential customers. Therefore, it makes sense to test the effectiveness of two or more versions of your marketing measures to see a clear picture and make the best decision.
Keep it simple
Focus your message on one specific action that you want your customer to do, and communicate it clearly. Maybe brand awareness is your main focus? Then think carefully what message and association your offline ad should leave in the heads of your potential customers.
Integrate Call to Action
Make sure that you apply Call to Action technique in your offline ads. This can reflect clearly what happens offline and provide you with the information on where you should invest your time and energy.
The contact average
The average contact number shows how often a person who has got your advertisement actually proceeds to do something with it. As long as we are speaking about an average number here, it is important to analyze an accurate distribution of advertising intensity.
Net contact rate
Net reach shows the number of people targeted who have clicked on your advertising offer at least once. Multiple repeated contacts are not to be counted.
Cost per thousand
Cost per thousand (CPM) is a marketing term referring to the cost of a media campaign reaching 1,000 members of an audience. The formula for cost per thousand (CPM) is: CPM = (Cost of 1 Unit of a Media Program) / (Size of Media Program’s Audience) x 1,000.
Get going
The former watering can marketing in the offline area is over. If you want to complement your marketing portfolio in a meaningful way, because your target group is also regularly away from the Internet, then take a look at possible actions offline.
Don’t forget to embed the offline elements into your overall marketing strategy.
And now: Find out the media and consumer preferences of your target group outside the web, add to your strategy and get started.
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