In today’s fast-paced life, digital marketing and social media have taken over the science of marketing. Not very long ago, businesses depended on networking and other platforms smaller things like leaflets and brochures to the big billboards and TV commercials and newspaper ads. Pacing up with the current times, brands have seen a vast shift in their content marketing strategies and spend being built around digital marketing, but there is more than 1 reason to establish the fact that offline marketing is still important:
1. Interpersonal Interaction
Nothing can replace a human connection and if your brand allows you to connect with people at a personal level, no marketing strategy can ever match that up. Online marketing strategies can definitely help you bring closer to your target audience, but the connection that a brand gets when a customer walks into the store, or how you meet someone at a networking or a sponsored event will always remain the most special. Also, in this case, the feedback, the experience of the customer with the brand is all first hand and immediate.
2. Word-of-Mouth Marketing
Since donkey years, we know that word of mouth by far is the most effective marketing. Nothing works better for a brand than a happy customer who recommends your brand. You should always keep a balance and strategize in such a way that you end up pleasing a customer, who would, in turn, help you create word of mouth publicity. And It’s free of cost too.
3. More Reach
While it may seem that today everyone is on the internet, but there is a large chunk of the audience that still doesn’t use the internet or use it very rarely. Focusing only on digital marketing will make you lose the interest of these audiences. Segments like children, or the senior citizens and housewives aren’t on the social media much and for this segment, the traditional media is still the best way to connect. So don’t go completely paperless yet and keep some budgets aside for those leaflets and paper ads. A door to door marketing also comes in as an effective medium to reach out to such a segment.
4. Strengthening Your Brand Identity
While brand building exercises online today cannot be ignored, but those in local businesses should focus on strengthening their business identity in more than one way. Offline creates many chances for a brand to build its identity and connect with its target audience. Choosing to sponsor local events, sports-based activities; supporting social causes etc. are some of the ways that a brand or a local business can carve its identity.
All these offline strategies offer more than one route to connect with your target audience and help your brand resonate with them. So though you must continue your focus on the current needs of the time and build on your digital marketing, do not ignore the benefits of offline marketing yet.
