In today’s digital world, when almost everybody has a smartphone in their pockets, all marketers have shifted their attention from offline marketing tools to virtual ones. Whether or not offline marketing is still valuable in a digital world is a very controversial debate. 

While some marketers believe that the benefits of online marketing should completely eliminate offline marketing from the scene, others disagree. On the other hand, others believe that the key to success in marketing is to 
effectively blend offline and online marketing to attract customers and increase brand awareness. Here is why offline marketing is still relevant and effective in today’s digitalized world. 

All businesses are in the online world

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially because today’s tech savvies consumers require it, but it leaves no more distinction option for brands. In today’s competitive business landscape, all brands have established their online presence in order to reach their customers. However, most of them have forgotten about the importance of connecting with customers in the real world too. 

Having a just as powerful offline presence as your online presence is can be a great competitive advantage. Most consumers have become tired of all very disruptive online marketing campaigns of businesses that only aim to make them purchase goods and services. However, creating a good customer experience means reaching out to your customers in real life just as much as you do in the virtual world. 

The power of the word-of-mouth

The word-of-mouth has the power to either make businesses successful either destroy them. People talk with each other and share their experiences. In fact, unsatisfied customers are more likely to share their bad experiences with a certain business than happy employees. Either way, 
the power of the word-of-mouth can have a huge impact on your business’s success. 

Why is offline word-of-mouth different from how it is in the online world? The main difference is that not everybody gets to see other people’s opinions. That can be very tricky. If a customer has something good to say about your business, you would want everybody to hear it. But, what about the negative reviews or comments? Those in the online world can destroy your business reputation within seconds. 

In the real world, while 
good recommendations from loyal and satisfied customers have a long-lasting impact on the purchasing decisions of others, negative feedback isn’t spread so fast and doesn’t have an impact as damaging as it would in the virtual world. 

Offline marketing relies on genuine connections

No matter how tech savvies your customers might be, they are most likely tired already to talk to a robotic voice or be bombarded by thousands of ads every day.  

Specialists in consumer behavior suggest that offline marketing is still extremely relevant for customers because it relies on real-life interactions. There is nothing more powerful in 
winning the heart of your customer than a genuine connection with them created by face-to-face interactions. 

Personal interactions trigger more empathy and appreciation in customers, more than any video or ad could ever do. Offline marketing can activate various senses of the customers which impacts them in a way that creates a more enriching experience with a business. 

When a business connects with its customers in the real world, the experiences created are something that virtual interactions can never trigger. Offline marketing events such as business meetings, corporate events or exhibitions create the right environment for businesses to connect with their customers face-to-face. Traditional marketing visual aids such as 
popup stands empower brands to establish a powerful and effective brand presence in the real world. 

Your offline marketing sends customers to the online

And vice versa! Most marketers wrongly consider that they need to rely their strategies on either offline or online marketing tools. However, even if our world relies on technological innovations, online and offline are still strongly interconnected. Thus, they have the power to send customers to each other. Using 
both online and offline marketing channels, you can deliver information to your customers that invite them to the other one to find out more information. 

For example, you can post on your social media accounts about an event that will take place at your business location. Even if your audience sees this information in the online world, their further actions will be taken in the real world. Also, while hosting a corporate event, you can ask your participants to access your website or social media pages. This is the most relevant example that shows why an efficient blending of online and offline marketing is essential to boost brand awareness and attract customers. 

Various methods of offline advertising

Similar to online marketing, offline advertising also offers businesses a multitude of methods to connect with their audience and increase brand awareness. Some 
marketing tactics can work better than others, but it all comes down to what business goals you are trying to achieve. Here are the most popular offline marketing methods: 

  • Newspaper ads

Yes, some people read newspapers even if they have a smartphone with an Internet connection in their pockets.  If your target audience is older people who don’t use technology as much as the young generation, a newspaper advertisement may be a thousand times more effective than a social media video. 

  • Radio advertising 

Nowadays, most people spend a lot of time in their cars commuting from their jobs to their homes and the other way around. What do you think it’s their favorite action while driving or being stuck in the traffic? That’s right, they listen to the radio. So, don’t hesitate to use this method to make all these commuters find out about your brand or your latest deal. 

  • Corporate events 

The best way to promote your business in the real world is to invite people to come to you. Organizing a corporate event and spreading the word about it to your audience will give you the opportunity to interact with your customers face-to-face. This will help you understand them a lot better than you would do from a few statistics from your online marketing campaign. 

It would be unfair to not offer digital marketing its credits. However, it is also unfair to say that offline marketing is dead in today’s digital world. Thus, the best marketing campaign is a balanced marriage between offline and digital marketing tools. 

Author's Bio: 

Cynthia Madison