Nowadays, businesses are much more than the product or service they offer. It is not enough to simply sell a quality product to differentiate the organisation from the competition. It is also very important to differentiate in other key areas that influence buying behaviour. This is why successful brands have opted to enhance their presence on social networks, as it allows ease of interaction with the customer and builds online communities of like-minded people or organisations. And yes, the truth is that the Internet is a powerful tool when it comes to increasing the visibility of the organisation beyond its geographical limits, creating customer loyalty or enhancing brand recognition, to name but a few advantages. But does this mean that online marketing is a panacea and the answer to all our marketing questions? Let’s explore this question.
Offline and online marketing: the perfect combination
Currently, the vast majority of businesses have a presence on social media and have a website, as these are a relatively simple way of always being accessible and visible. However, online is not sufficient on its own. It is incredibly important, but offline marketing is still essential for several reasons:
Demonstrate a commitment to making sure what is said is done
Through social media, a business shows much more than the products and services it offers. Previously, we mentioned the need to promote and highlight other areas beyond what is being sold; with social media, a brand can signal to the world its purpose, its values and what it believes in, its goals and ambitions and how it will achieve them. But just stating these factors does not convince the customer entirely. We must practice watch preach and put our words into action! This is where offline marketing is still so vital as it is often tangible. For example, not only do you say you care about your customer but you give them a free Car Air Freshener to prove it!
Is your audience online?
To start, depending on whether your business is B2B or B2C, you will probably need to strengthen your online marketing strategy in one way or another. Whether you are B2b or B2C a strong online presence brings credibility to your brand and demonstrates that you are open for business. However, does your target audience rely on social media or the internet to source the products or services it needs? If not, then it does not make much sense to focus exclusively on digital marketing. Far better to find a perfect blend of online and offline so that you reach all your customers and potential customers.
The other risk with B2B, of course, is that the “buyer” within the customer organisation may not visit your social media. It is not their marketing department that needs to see your post but the actual buyer!
Draw up an integrated strategy
It is often said that online content is the king. However, it has to be the right content. Far too often we see digital content and social media posts that are not focused effectively on what the business does or what it stands for or in fact what its customers are interested in. It really is the case of quality and not quantity. Poor quality, unfocused content actually drives customers away! That said, the same applies with offline promotional strategies: if the business runs campaigns or promotions that do not match its strategic goals, they will fail to engage the hearts and minds of those they are targetted and at worst damage the brand. So, at this point, what is the key? Quite simply, to integrate the online and offline strategy with the overall aims of the organisation and how it plans to achieve them. This needs careful thought and planning and an excellent understanding of what makes the customer tick.
OFFLINE MARKETING IDEAS FOR YOUR COMPANY
Do you have a car wash, a Valeting or Detailing business, a car dealership or a repair centre and MOT or even a hotel or parking at the airport? If you do, we want to highlight in our blog how offline marketing can help you grow your brand, impress your customers and differentiate your business from the competition. But also, show you how offline marketing strategies can contribute and complement your online presence.
Corporate stationery & signage
Corporate “stationery” includes all the visual elements of your organisation: business cards, invoices, letterheaded paper, leaflets and folders, email signatures, building signage, vehicle signs and even A-boards! Once again, consistency with your brand identity is essential. For example, you would ideally, use the same logo design, colour scheme, strap-line and font type wherever the branding appears. So this is why high-quality business cards remain just as popular for handing out at meetings or networking events – they are easy to use, convenient, helpful, and very visual – and have not been replaced by alternative digital methods. Your business card is something tangible the recipient can take away to use to add your contact details and brand message to their online systems! Also, when someone hands you a card, looking you in the eye, it is very difficult to refuse to accept it!
Sponsorship of cultural and sporting events
Undoubtedly, sponsorship is a very visible and ever-popular offline marketing approach. There are two types of sponsorship:
- Patronage: when a company sponsors a cultural event (e.g. ballet, theatre productions)
- Sponsorship: when a company sponsors a sporting event (e.g. a sports kit or even an arena!)
Although here the nature of the event may mean you are not necessarily targetting the individual people that are attending, what is important to consider is the symmetry between the event and your organisation’s values. Ideally, you want your brand associated with an event that shares the same ethical and cultural values and therefore signals to your target audience that you care. That you are socially responsible and willing to walk the talk which I mentioned earlier.
This is not just for big business! Think of all the small sports clubs up and down the UK that rely on local businesses buying their kit!!
Street Marketing
Street marketing is a creative way to reach your audience, in a very metaphorical way….the streets can be yours! Bus shelters, the sides of buildings, roundabout promotions, the list is endless! You can easily customise the different media with your brand to get the attention of users. However, it is very important that you ask permission before sticking your fliers and signs everywhere. This can be quite a complex and time-consuming process so, in the long run, it may not always prove economically viable. It is still worth considering though.
Hand out flyers
It is a good way to summarise information (highlighting the most valuable part of your brand’s message) and, with a good design, they are ideal for attracting a target audience. However, there are buildings that do not allow leaflets to dropped, and if they are just handed out on the street or put on people’s cars they risk being thrown away immediately. We don’t want to be criticised for creating a litter problem! However, include a leaflet in a corporate welcome pack, or distribute at exhibitions and conferences or in networking events, they remain very useful.
Promotional products and gifts: Custom air car fresheners
Giving a promotional gift to a customer or potential customer, even something quite simple and relatively inexpensive, will always be appreciated. If the promotional give away is something they are interested in and can use then they are even more effective at winning hearts and minds. Promotional products are a low-cost way of strengthening and building brand awareness. As we say with our personalised Car Air Freshener, they build brand awareness mile after mile!
We are obviously specialists with personalised promotional products and you would expect us to say they are a great idea. However, who doesn’t like to be given a Car Air Freshener for their car, a pen, wristband or coffee cup? All carrying your branding, contact details and key message!
Incredibly useful
Many organisations give away impractical objects that have little use and are most likely going to end up in some forgotten bottom drawer. However, if you are a hotel, car park, car wash or valeter or a car dealership and give away a personalised Car Air Fresheners for the customer’s vehicle, it is something that they are going to immediately use. Driving is an experience to enjoy with the five senses, and one of them is the smell. It is therefore much more pleasant to get in the car when it smells nice!
The consumer associates the smell with the brand
Every time your customer gets in their vehicle and smells that special fragrance, then even if subconsciously they will still be reminded of your business. That smell will always remind them of the day they visited your business and the excellent service they received!
The custom car air freshener as a promotional gift
Deciding to give personalised Car Air Fresheners is bound to be a great idea for your business. You can customise the design to your heart’s content and make sure that it is truly unique and distinctive and 100% you! On our website you can:
- Choose the type of custom Car Air Freshener: Economy, Premium, Luxury. Something for every budget.
- Choose the shape of the Car Air Freshener – we have literally thousands of templates to choose from or let us create one for you that is completely original.
- Choose the fragrance that is most likely to inspires your customers and change the colour to match your brand identity – just let us have your Pantone reference.
- Add a message that best suits your audience and using your chosen typeface. You can even use your own font that matches your brand.
- You can also insert your logo or brand design in your custom Car Air Freshener.
So, if you are curious about how to create your personalised Car Air Freshener to support your offline marketing strategy, then please visit our website and discover the wide range of options available and get an immediate quote. And to finish this post with a tip that will help you effectively combine offline and online actions – consider including your company’s web address, Instagram or Facebook profile on your personalised Car Air Freshener. What better way to link your offline and online marketing!