For some years now, digital business and consequently online advertising have been an integral part of our world. As a result, companies are increasingly focusing on online business and are more easily ignoring offline marketing. At least, that is what you would think. Because although digital marketing has become the way of marketing, offline marketing still has a much bigger impact than we might think and is therefore crucial for companies. We explain why.
What is offline marketing?
Offline marketing umbrella all campaigns, advertisements and promotions that are not conducted via the internet. Instead, they are shared with the general public through traditional channels such as print, radio and television. This form of marketing and advertising is one that – in some ways – has been used for decades, even centuries. Some companies prefer to advertise on the internet, while others prefer to campaign through offline channels, but generally an ideal mix between the two is chosen.
Types of offline marketing
Like online marketing, there are different types of offline marketing. Depending on the type of campaign you want to run, there are different options:
- Advertisements in trade, daily or monthly magazines and journals
- Advertorials in trade, daily or monthly magazines and journals
- Articles in trade journals, newspapers or magazines
- Door-to-door leaflets
- Brochures
- Television and radio advertising
- A trade fair stand
- Street advertising, including:
- Promo teams
- Façade advertising
- Billboard advertising
Pros and cons of offline marketing
As with any form of marketing, it is important to have your target audience clearly mapped out before you get started. But associated with that target group are also specific needs. So not every form of marketing is suitable for every target group. For that reason, every form of marketing has advantages and disadvantages. So does offline marketing.
1. Your brand awareness increases, and so does trust
The main purpose of marketing is to reach as many people as possible and make them familiar with your product, service or your company. Those who do offline marketing, and therefore provide a physical point of contact for potential customers, create brand awareness for themselves and consequently also create trust with potential customers.
2. Not everyone likes to constantly look at a screen
Although online marketing is gaining ground within general marketing, offline marketing is still important to reach those who do not like to look at a screen or are not present on social media. In addition, many are also annoyed by the abundance of digital advertising they are inundated with on online media and consequently do not scroll further. For this reason, the importance of offline marketing cannot be underestimated.
3. You can be seen on the streets
Offline marketing has a very big advantage: it increases your street presence. Billboards are often not yet digitised, let alone have algorithms or analytics attached to them. So the most well-known form of billboards are the poster billboards, which you come across in all sizes and shapes. These also stand out in the street scene, and consequently generate a lot of positive advertising.
4. You literally put something in people's hands
Brochures, leaflets and books are also a form of offline marketing. They are products you create to give along with customers or visitors at a trade fair stand, to put in mailboxes or put in shop outlets so that interested parties could take them with them. Those who are genuinely interested in your product or service will keep this paper form of marketing and not put it away. That way, they can look at it again at a later date.
The disadvantages of offline marketing
1. Online marketing is gaining ground
Whichever way you look at it, online marketing is gaining ground. Within the growth of online marketing in recent years, the COVID beast also played a big role. As consumers were no longer allowed to leave their doors, and thus no longer to be found on the streets, companies had to switch to online sales headlong. As a result, offline marketing took a heavy hit faster than anticipated.
2. Young target groups often do not pay attention to offline marketing
Depending on the target audience you want to reach, apply a different form of campaigning. For instance, an older audience will be easier to reach through radio, TV or print campaigns. The younger target group, on the other hand, is more active on the internet and social media, so they mainly see ads on their smartphone or computer. So for them, online marketing is a more effective form of campaigning.
3. Offline is temporary
In principle, an online marketing campaign can have an indefinite lifespan. You stop it whenever you want. Things are different with offline campaigns: billboards are put up by an external party and replaced at a certain time, which is completely out of your hands, and flyers and brochures end up in the bin after someone loses interest or cleans out their drawer.
4. Offline is difficult to measure
Because offline campaigns often involve ‘paper executions’ or video and radio spots from which direct leads come, it is very difficult to measure them and map their impact. Consequently, it is difficult to assess whether your campaign is now paying off effectively.
Offline and online marketing, the perfect combination
The vast majority of our marketing budget today goes to online ads. Just last year, more than €700 billion was spent on online ad spend worldwide. An insane amount of money. But where many companies make the mistake is that they only invest ad budgets in online ads.
However, research shows that more than 60% of people prefer to scroll past online ads as quickly as possible and don’t even look at them. Consequently, this also means that your ad does not stand out and is therefore ‘lost money’.
To reinforce your online ads, it is important to also create a physical point of contact with your customers. This is where offline marketing can come in handy. In addition to an online presence, make sure you are also visible on the streets.
So is offline marketing dead?
Offline marketing is not dead. On the contrary: we have known the form of marketing for decades and still use it quite avidly. Why? Offline marketing reduces the distance between your company and the consumer, precisely because there is a physical and familiar touch point with the discerning buyer. With online marketing, websites and web shops, there is a greater, unprecedented distance (read: you cannot put a face or a concrete image on it). So it’s best not to write off offline marketing.
Are you an expert in offline marketing, but don’t have a clue about online campaigns? At Immowi we are happy to help you.
