Old-School Marketing Can ‘Spring’ Your Business Forward this season (and Beyond!)

Guest Blog Author: Sheila Johnson

Marketing is a constant challenge. Getting your name out there while standing out from the crowd — and doing so within budget — is a hurdle almost every business owner has had to jump at some point. You may be tempted to only look at today's "latest and greatest" marketing methods, such as personalized social media ads, email campaigns, and text messages. These evolving techniques have proven their effectiveness and are certainly worth your consideration.

However, there are plenty of traditional strategies that have stood the test of time and will propel your business forward. Now that we’re finally leaving winter, why not use these old-school marketing techniques to “spring” your business in the right direction as we head into warm weather and almost no Covid restrictions?

Flyers

Businesses that depend on local customers can benefit from using flyers. For a small cost, you can design, print, and post leaflets to raise awareness of your events and offers.

If you're designing flyers yourself, there are online design tools you can use, such as Google Docs, Canva, Libre Office, and Inkscape. Take time to think about a catchy slogan, keeping it simple and focusing on your target audience. Include what makes your brand special.

As you brainstorm promotions, consider free shipping, seasonal discounts, bundled products, or prepayment offers. According to experts, these are among customers' favorites.

Promotional Items

You can give out promotional items to customers who visit your business or attend trade shows, or you can sponsor a community event and distribute your items there.

Your logo can go on almost any product you can imagine, including:

• Shopping bags

• USB drives

• Drinkware

• Coolers

• Desk accessories

Direct Mail

Product catalogs and coupons still have their place in a marketing campaign. While a digital coupon is useful in conjunction with a smartphone, a printed voucher can end up on a customer's refrigerator, ready to be seen over and over again. Additionally, product catalogs are still popular. According to a study, 72% of responders said catalogs increased their interest in a company's products.

Old and New Techniques Combined

Traditional methods can work well on their own. You can also successfully combine them with a digital marketing strategy. Your flyers, for instance, can include a QR code that directs consumers to your website. Direct-mail pieces can include a promotional code for a product discount.

You can find professionals to help you reach your advertising goals, including marketing planners, graphic designers, and printers. When you send files to your marketing professionals, compressing your JPG files can make them easier to email. Keep in mind, though, that compressing a JPG may lower image quality. Try using a JPG-to-PDF converter instead to preserve file quality. This tool can also combine more than one JPG into a single PDF so that you won't need to send multiple images.

Other experts you can utilize to help you combine your traditional and digital campaign efforts include social media managers and content writers. To use influencers for your social media campaign, you may want to hire an influencer market agency. Look for influencer marketing agencies and others through online job platforms so that you can analyze rates and reviews.

The Best Ways To Reach Your Market

No matter what marketing strategies you use, it's always challenging to advertise to the people most likely to purchase your product. One way you can find your target market is to talk to current or potential customers. Ask them how they found your business and what made them shop there. The answers can help you decide where to focus your marketing endeavors.

Some advertising strategies have stood the test of time for a good reason: They work. Your next marketing campaign can incorporate old and new methods to help you reach your audience in effective ways.

If you want to network with other business owners in your area, consider signing up for a membership to Huddle Sharespace. Learn more about us by reading our FAQ.