When done badly, billboards, flyers and coupons in the post can sometimes feel outdated, especially when you want to stand out from the competition. It can be tempting to stick to online marketing as it’s new, modern and exciting - but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the most effective.When done right, printed materials can make just as much of an impact as online campaigns.
By turning traditional marketing methods on their heads and getting creative, you can still attract customers and clients to your business and they may be even more receptive than your online audience. Here are eight offline marketing examples that intrigue buyers.
- Catch Their Eye with a Billboard Ad
- Do a Taste Test
- Seasonal Cards and Gifts
- Memorable Freebies
- Welcome With a Branded Gift
- Put Their Name on It
- Creative Window Displays
- A Classic Catalogue
1. Catch Their Eye with a Billboard Ad
Because we live in a digital era, many believe that billboard ads are an out-of-trend method. However, it’s important not to overlook this traditional marketing method, as it can be approached in a unique way that catches the eye of passersby.
Take a look at this billboard ad by The Economist.
Not only is it bold, but it’s also interactive. When people walk past it, the lightbulb turns on.
Creating a billboard like the one above may be out of your budget, but that doesn’t mean your billboard can’t have an impact. Just take a look at these statistics:
- 71% of consumers often look at the messages on roadside billboards.
- 98% of people see an outdoor advertisement every week.
- Nearly 26% of consumers visited a store after seeing and outdoor advertisement.
2. Do a Taste Test
Whether you offer delicious pastries, luxury gin or subscription-based products, taste tests and trials are a great way to entice more customers to your store. With taste tests, prospective customers can enjoy a sample of your food, embracing the smell, taste and texture of your produce. It’s a great way to show off your high quality produce while also getting any feedback from prospective customers.
For subscription-based services, offering a trial period gives customers a chance to see if your product meets their requirements. They’ll have the knowledge they need to decide whether or not to commit to subscribing for the long term. That way, you’ll have customers who really want the product, increasing customer satisfaction.
3. Send Out Seasonal Cards and Gifts
There are seasonal holidays, national holidays and your own special company milestones throughout the year that are ideal for reminding customers who you are and what you offer.
For seasonal and national holidays, sending out a card is a great way to celebrate with customers. And when you’re celebrating your company’s 10th, 15th or even 30th birthday, sending out gifts to your customers to thank them for their support will go a long way in making customers feel valued.
You could even accompany these cards and gifts with a discount code.
4. Memorable Freebies
Everybody loves getting something for free - even more so if it’s something they can use in their day-to-day life. By creating merchandise such as pens, pads, mugs or tote bags and offering these to prospective customers, they’ll become walking adverts for your business.
With a high-quality print on your branded travel mug, not only will the customer be reminded of your business on a regular basis, but people they interact with will be exposed to the merchandise too.
For example, here at B&B Press, we created some diamond inspired notebooks and merchandise to celebrate our 60th year. It was a great way to mark the occasion and everyone loved receiving their free gift.
5. Welcome With a Branded Gift
Got a new client? Show them you care with a creative welcoming gift, just like B&B Press did for the University of Salford.
It may seem quicker and cheaper to simply send out a welcoming email to your prospective client, but with the average inbox being filled with 50% spam emails, only 20% of emails are ever opened.
But by sending a welcoming gift in the post, you can almost guarantee that your new client will see it.
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The above project was created for potential students who had received an offer from the university. This eye-catching gesture was sent out in the post containing a lanyard and an information pack to help reinforce that the University of Salford is the right choice for them.
Here at B&B Press, we know consistency is key when it comes to strong branding. That’s why we completed this project on our LED UV press which keeps the colours bright, vibrant and consistent with the rest of their printed materials.
6. Put Their Name on It
Unique, one-of-a-kind, perfect-for-you - personalisation. In 2014, Coca-Cola kicked off its ‘Share a Coke’ campaign which was an instant success, particularly among millennials. The campaign consisted of Coca-Cola replacing its iconic brand name with the most popular names in America and around the world.
Around the world, people found a very special bottle of coke with their name written all over it. And for those who couldn’t find their name on a bottle, Coca-Cola invited people to customise a mini can for themselves.
This campaign prompted people to connect and share a coke with family and friends, driving up sales.
Personalisation is a powerful marketing and sales tool. In fact, a study by O2 found that adding personalisation experience to shopping could lift sales by 7.8%. Not only that but 56% of consumers say they would be more inclined to use a retailer if it offered a good personalised experience.
7. Creative Window Displays
Your window display should make passersby stop, take notice and come into your store.
If a person walks by your store every day and the display never changes, they’ll never take notice. But by updating your display every season, you’ll create an engaging, inviting, eye-catching display that makes people think “that’s new, I’ll just pop in to take a look.”
This window display perfectly captures the move from summer to autumn. Warm and inviting, the natural plant decorations are easy to replicate and are perfectly placed around items for sale so they don’t look out of place.
8. A Classic Catalogue
From furniture to clothes, printed catalogues provide a unique tangibility that’s just not possible with online marketing. With offline marketing, there are no ads, pop-ups or notifications. Your customers can immerse themselves in your catalogue and spend time flicking through pages, creating ‘dog ears’ on pages they want to return to and circle important information.
Take a look at this beautiful brochure we created for Nest.
Created with a deliberately minimal cover and finished with black foiling, this catalogue exudes style through its simplicity. Plus, not only is it a beautifully designed and printed brochure, but it’s also completely Carbon Balanced. This means the average CO2 created during the entire paper production and mill delivery have been offset.
At B&B Press, we have become renowned in the print industry for producing marketing materials for luxury brands of the highest quality. The below example from Revival Beds truly epitomises why LED UV is the print method of choice.
The wood effect area on the cover positioned down the spine looks so sharp it could be mistaken for actual wood, reflecting the quality woodwork in the Revival Beds workshops.
An interesting feature of this catalogue is the choice of stock. The first few pages introduce the company and its heritage and are printed on uncoated paper. Then, the stock changes to silk paper to showcase Revival Beds’ beautiful collection of handcrafted furniture, giving it a luxury feel.
Unlike online catalogues, these kinds of printed catalogues are kept by customers for extended periods of time, on their coffee table or bookshelf, ready to be perused ahead of another purchase.
Discover what else we can do for you by visiting our Job of the Week page.
Explore the Possibilities of Print
At B&B Press, we have over 60 years’ experience in helping our clients bring their print ideas to life and attract more customers. Whatever the industry you’re in - housing, education or retail - we’ve worked with clients across sectors and gained a wealth of expertise we’d like to share with you.
From litho printing and digital design to display print and mailing services, take a look at everything we’re capable of by heading to our Job of the Week page.
