Using the web to promote your business is a great way to quickly and effectively reach thousands of people.

It lets you connect with people around the entire planet cheaply and easily from the comfort of your home. And generally creates promotional opportunities where they just wouldn’t have existed before.

But even today when technology is so ubiquitous, and the web is such a crucial part of our lives, people still tend to take more notice of promotions that are offline.

Think about it. If you see an advert online versus one on the television, which are you likely to pay more attention to? And if you see an advert in a magazine, how much more closely are you likely to inspect it than you would if you saw that same advert on a website?

Advertising in ‘the real world’ is generally more expensive and more difficult.

However, it also tends to have a more profound impact as a result.

But what if you could advertise your products offline just as easily as you promote them online? What if you could go online and use internet tools in order to market your work offline without leaving your seat?

Well, the good news is that this is actually perfectly possible and that’s especially true for a local business like a restaurant or a hotel looking into acquiring customers. Read on to discover how you can take your marketing into the real world from where you’re sitting using the wonders of the web.

Promotional Products

Promotional products are one ‘real world’ form of marketing that you can create on a computer.

Using a number of different sites on the web, it’s easy to select a number of products and have your branding printed across them and it’s then possible to sell these items directly from this website.

You don’t need to worry about delivery or about designing the products yourself. All you need to do is to choose the one you want to customize and then direct your customers there.

As a result, you’ll not only be able to sell some products for a profit, but you’ll also be able to get your logo out into the real world to be seen by potentially thousands of people.

This is fantastic for local businesses too. You can give away those items to your loyal customers and then they will be likely to wear their merchandise in the very area where you’re trying to find new leads!

Flyers and Leaflets

You can also promote your local business through printed materials in a similar way.

Thanks to digital printing agencies that can do everything from printing business cards and flyers to letting you self-publish entire booklets, you can create professional-quality materials without having to invest in your own printing press or learn publishing.

At the same time, you will find that there are many companies out there willing to handle even more of this process for you.

They will design you your own logo and fonts, print out leaflets and then post them through doors or hand them out in specific areas. All you need to do is explain what it is that you want to be done, and the rest is handled for you.

Again, this is ideal for a local business: it means you can now hand out your flyers around town in order to target local customers.

Direct Mail and Postcard Marketing

Business enterprises want to connect with customers using the most efficient and cost-effective ways. From the onset, companies have been using mail service to transmit printed advertisements to targeted and potential clients.

Direct mail delivers versatile marketing materials such as brochures, catalogs, newsletters, postcards and sales letters. Postcards are very effective marketing tools to generate traffic in websites and establish sales leads.

What is direct mail marketing?

Direct mail marketing also called advertising mail, is a type of marketing business that makes use of postal service to transmit printed material in order to promote products or services to target audience. Postal services include delivery of ads mail as part of their function.  

Direct mail marketing strategies include a wide array of services to include: advertising circulars, card applications for free trial pre-approved credit, catalogs, coupons, free newspapers, and free trial CDs.

What is postcard marketing?

Postcards are flexible, inexpensive and simple tools in direct mail marketing. The use of marketing postcards is really unlimited. Mailers used them to close sales, cultivate return to business, generate leads, or introduce new products.

Direct Mail/Postcard Marketing versus Email Marketing

Email marketing is a popular alternative to direct mail marketing. However, 37 states have adopted laws on unwanted junk email.

To maintain a positive reputation, companies used marketing email for only interested customers and direct mail for all others.

Direct mail is still the best way to connect with potential customers and the public. Studies and statistics are both substantiating that direct mail is still going strong as marketing channels. Postcards can be a better option to run a campaign.

Ads in a postcard cannot be sent to targeted mailing list through the internet.

Advantages of Direct Mail Marketing from other marketing channels

1. Direct contact with customers – Using a mailing list, with the right and updated targeted mailing list is the best way to contact people who are interested in your products or services. You can utilize some variables in demography and behavior in your selection.

2. Flexibility in spending – Campaigns through direct mail allow marketers to spend the amount based on your budgets. So this remains as the most cost-effective method to send brochures, letters or postcards into the hands of customers.

3. Connect with more customers – Some potential customers with small business out there may not be computer –smart or have not started a website. The only means that mailers can reach them is through direct mail.

4. Marketing stuff delivery anytime – During special events, offices are closed so messages through the internet are impossible. As long as there is post service, all marketing information will reach customers.

Benefits of postcards

• Mailing is at low cost.
• An excellent way to hit only targeted mailing list.
• Fast production and processing.
• Requires few days to get important information to your clients.
• Needs no extra equipment or special services.
• Professional design services are not a necessity.

10 tips for successful direct mail marketing:

• Create great headlines and copy
• Encourage action; be proactive
• Exclude “free money” claims in your ads
• Make it personal with your name
• Only quality materials
• Stay within budget
• Use appropriate contact list
• Utilize demography for potential customers
• Visual appeal attracts more than words
• Write only true ads; no promises or “fine prints”

Combining Strategies

The key is then to combine this with digital marketing.

You can do this by taking a two-pronged attack (having a local SEO or PPC campaign while also handing out flyers locally). Or by combining the two: maybe by selling your promotional items from your website for instance, or including AR codes in your fliers to link people to your site.