Online marketing seems to be the most preferred form of marketing because of the outreach potential. However, there’s a grey area when it comes to marketing for small businesses because of its level of effectiveness compared to traditional marketing methods.
For small or local businesses, using embossed business cards can be a better way of converting clients than paying for banner space on a popular website. However, businesses operating on a larger budget are always advised to combine marketing strategies, mixing both digital and traditional marketing techniques.
Instead of focusing strictly on digital marketing tools to promote your business, combining it with some traditional methods to reach your target audience can be all you need to build a solid ground in your industry. The following are some effective traditional marketing strategies you can implement to build more audience for your brand.
Three Effective Traditional Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses
Although many traditional marketing strategies have gone obsolete over the years, a couple of them are still very effective in promoting businesses today.
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Develop a Local Presence for your Brand
In developing a local presence, you should do more than help out or sponsor community activities. While those are pretty effective, you should focus more on getting your business details out to the public.
While getting business cards and flyers, try to get other items branded with your business identity, especially items related to the sector you deal in.
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Build a Network with your Target Audience
This marketing strategy doesn’t only cut it as a cost-effective means of brand exposure; it’s also a very effective method to reach a convertible audience. You can start your network marketing plan online by creating profiles on professional platforms like LinkedIn. Additionally, you can also contact potential clients in person.
Of course, you’re not marching on every doorstep in your neighbourhood to look for potential buyers of your product or service. Instead, you‘re attending events where you’re guaranteed to see people who might be interested in purchasing what you’re offering. In these events, you could offer items like your business card or flyers that contain a brief explanation of your brand. That way, they’ve got something to look at in case they forget the discussions at the event.
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Let your Existing Clients do some of the Marketing
The conversion rate of word-of-mouth traffic is unbeatable, and it’s perhaps the most effective way to build a loyal client base. Statistics on word-of-mouth marketing show that 90% of customers are likely to trust recommended products other than a direct advertisement.
Leveraging this strategy gives you favourable odds with other competitors regardless of the nature of the industry. Aside from making sure your products are top-notch, you can also set up referral campaigns to encourage current clients to persuade their friends to patronize your brand.
Conclusion
While most businesses are switching to digital marketing these days, it doesn’t stop a lot of traditional marketing techniques from being effective. Yes, you can reach a much larger audience with digital marketing techniques. However, some traditional marketing techniques have been proven to be more successful when it comes to conversion rates.
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