In an increasingly digital world, the relevance of offline marketing is routinely called into question. Although it’s easy to assume that digital marketing is enough to grow your business, studies have repeatedly shown that offline marketing still holds the key to success.

With a great ROI and advantages that digital options simply can’t match, offline marketing can elevate your business to the next level. If you want to increase your market share and increase your profitability, it’s time to reassess your offline marketing.

Before you can determine the importance of offline marketing for your business, it’s necessary to examine exactly what it constitutes. As the name suggests, offline marketing refers to any marketing activity that occurs in a real-world setting, as opposed to a digital one.

Examples of offline marketing include exhibiting at trade shows, roller banners, direct mail, TV advertisements, telemarketing, promotional gifts, print ads, guerrilla marketing, posters, radio ads, billboards, live demonstrations and networking.

These marketing methods can be highly effective when used in isolation. By combining various marketing activities, however, you can increase the efficacy of your campaigns and achieve better results. If you’re still not convinced that it’s worth increasing your offline marketing spend, take a look at five top reasons why you need to offline marketing to grow your business:

If you’re targeting local audiences, offline marketing offers extremely high rewards. When you advertise in a particular geographical region, you alert people to your location and presence. For local businesses that rely on face-to-face sales, increasing brand awareness amongst the local population is essential.

As well as using offline marketing to create brand awareness, it can have a practical impact too. With well-designed materials, such as posters or flyers, you can ensure that the local population know exactly where your premises are. This makes it easy for your target market to find you store, workshop, restaurant or office, which is the first step to making a sale.

Companies are eager to use targeted marketing because it enables them to focus their marketing efforts of small demographics and niche groups. Instead of marketing your products to the general population, you can streamline your efforts and reach the target audience that are most likely need or want what you’re offering.

Digital tools mean that online marketing can be highly targeted, but this doesn’t mean that offline marketing isn’t targeted. In fact, there are numerous ways to use targeted offline marketing techniques.

A billboard ad or poster can be placed in a specific location that is highly populated with members of your target audience, for example. Direct mail can be sent to recipients who are within your target demographic. Similarly, telemarketing campaigns can be restricted to people who fall within your intended audience. Even flyer handouts can be limited to people who appear to fit within a specific demographic and issued at a particular location.

Digital marketing methods are restricted to what users can see on a screen. In contrast, offline marketing gives you the opportunity to showcase your brand in a whole new way. When you send direct mail, for example, recipients get the opportunity to touch and feel your marketing materials. Thick, embossed paper may reflect the luxury nature of your products, while organic inks and natural substrates can be used to highlight your eco-friendly credentials.

Additionally, promotional gifts can be used to increase awareness of your brand and your core attributes. Top quality promotional giveaways highlight the exclusive nature of a company, for example, whereas fun, novelty items can be used to showcase your brand personality.

When you’re able to literally put your brand in the hands of your target market, you can engage with people in a more meaningful way. This increases the likelihood of them remembering your company name and branding, which is critical to long-term commercial success.

With so many businesses popping up online, consumers are wary of who to trust. The widespread problem of online scams means that an increasing number of people are wary about buying from new brands online.

When your business is well-known in the community, however, or is visible on TV, radio or in print, it increases the authenticity of your brand. As a result, it’s easier to build trust with your target audience.

People won’t do business with a firm they don’t trust, so laying the foundations of a B2C or B2B relationship is vital. Increasing your offline visibility is an effective way of doing this and can have an immediate impact on your bottom line.

As a business owner, you embody your brand. Similarly, your staff represent your company and should reflect its core values. When you attend exhibitions, trade shows or networking events, you’re marketing your company – whether you realise it or not.

While this may seem nerve-wracking at first, it gives you the opportunity to inject personality into your brand and leave people with a lasting memory. By allowing your target audience and business contacts to get to know the people behind the brand, you’ll find its far easier to foster meaningful engagement.

At IPW1, we know just how beneficial online marketing can be. Our professional print studio ensures you can access top-quality printing services at any time. What’s more – our short lead times and fast turnarounds mean you can get your offline marketing campaign underway quickly and efficiently.

Whether you’re planning to use flyers, posters, business cards, roller banners, stands or point of sale display, we’re on hand to provide the assistance you need. To talk to us about your offline marketing prints, contact IPW1 now on 020 7437 3200 or email us at hello@ipw1.co.uk