Low Cost Offline Advertising Tips

While more businesses of all shapes and sized are increasing their spend on digital advertising, it’s easy to forget that traditional offline advertising still offers a vibrant avenue to get your message to the masses.

Here are some low cost offline advertising tips to help get your small business get well and truly noticed:

  • Use all outgoing documents as promotion tools – digital and physical. Your business card shouldn’t be the only handout your customers receive that advertises your product/service. Think of all your outgoing documents – from invoices to emails, and squeeze your business details, promotions and signature blurb in there. It costs nothing, and keeps your brand firmly in the minds of your clients.
  • The Yellow Pages. This seasoned favourite still has a huge following, especially with a certain age segment. Yes, times have changed and you need to be visible online – but that shouldn’t come at a cost of closing your door to an old school market segment that still searches for products and services the old fashioned way.
  • Direct mail/newspaper advertising. Over the years, offline advertising has not seen rampant inflation in the way that popular online advertising such as Adwords has. Additionally, direct mail can be a more personalized way of delivering your small business message which means it will be received far more favourably.
  • Magazine Advertising. If your product targets a specific niche, placing adverts in print publications that cater to that niche can be a powerful way of reaching the exact group of people you want.
  • Vehicle advertising. Pitching your business details on your car or van can reach a lot of people as you twist and turn your way through the city streets – and is completely free.
  • Radio and TV ads. While many TV ad spots might well be out of the marketing grasp of most small businesses, it’s possible to get perfectly affordable local radio advertising – this tactic is useful especially if your product is geo-targeted.
  • Cross promote your business with other local business owners. Approach several suitable businesses and offer to promote their products and ask they do the same for you. There are numerous possible cross promotion tactics and strategies that can work well for mutual benefit – offer some shop space to put ads/signs/posters up and dish out mutually exclusive discounts. One of the best benefits of cross promotion is that it’s completely free for both business owners.
  • Place ads on bus and train stops. According to the Transport For London’s own website, by 2016 the London Underground network is likely to ferry about 3.4 million people everyday. It’s possible to place advertisements in carriages, stations and even other public transport hotspots such as bus stations.
  • Get involved with trade shows. Your industry is likely to hold trade shows on a regular basis. These can be a splendid way to network with other business owners, and to get your name and your business out there.
  • Provide a free educational seminar or workshop. While this may not work for all types of business, it can be a great source of targeted leads for some. The idea is to provide enough high quality information to make the seminar worthwhile attending, while also pitching a big ticket core product/service at the end that is of high interest to the attendee.