20 Free and Paid Offline Marketing Ideas

Oftentimes, small and home-based business owners and work-at-home-moms (WAHMS) get so caught up in working their businesses online, that they forget about the potential for marketing it offline. Spend a little time focusing some of your business promotion efforts offline in order to maximize your profit. Here are 20 free and paid marketing ideas to get you started:

Free Offline Advertising
1. Post flyers in grocery stores, post offices, libraries, banks and anywhere that has a public bulletin board.
2. Leave brochures or catalogues with order forms in medical buildings or offices, such as the doctor's, dentist's, optometrist’s, etc., and in hospital waiting rooms and patient rooms.
3. Ask if you can post a flyer in the windows of local businesses.
4. If you have a favorite hairdresser’s, talk to the owner about setting up a table or leaving business cards.
5. If you travel, leave behind a brochure or catalogue in your hotel room with order forms, or leave behind samples.
6. Make tiny care packages to give away at events and include a flyer, business card, catalogue, order form, or coupon.
7. Fill a small plastic bag a few goodies like suckers and pencils along with a flyer and coupon. Staple your business card to the outside. Hand them out to people or leave them wherever you go.
8. Host an open house in your home to introduce people to your product and offer free coffee and desserts. Give guests a discount coupon to use on their first order and have a drawing for free products.
9. Cold call on people introducing your product. Offer a discount off their first order.
10. Talk to schools, day cares, nursery schools and other organizations about doing fundraisers. Offer them a percentage of each sale.

Paid Offline Advertising
11. Make flyers with a tear-off discount coupon and have your Post Office put them into PO boxes and mailboxes.
12. Place an ad in all your local papers.
13. Put an ad your local phone book under the appropriate category.
14. Set up a table at the fair or another event and show samples of your care packages. Provide brochures or catalogues. Hold a drawing for a free products or services. Hand out flyers with a discount coupon off a first order.
15. Local radio ad.
16. Magazine ads.
17. Hire someone to do cold calling for you.
18. Hire a student to deliver flyers, brochures or catalogues door-to-door.
19. Hire a student or adult to go door-to-door selling and taking orders.
20. Promote your product/services by giving away items such as caps, fridge magnets, mugs, coupons, samples, frequent user cards, etc.

Bonus Marketing Tip:
Be prepared for the unexpected and compile a marketing kit so that you always have business materials on hand. A good place to keep these kits is in your car so that you can easily distribute them while you are out, and you can avoid missing out on a new customer because you didn't have a catalogue or business card to give those who inquire.

Include the following promotional materials:
• Flyers
• Brochures
• Catalogues
• Business Cards
• Magnets
• Stickers
• Lollipops with tags
• Balloons
• Buttons
• Pens/pencils
• Goodie packs.
• Bumper Stickers
• Window Clings
• Mugs
• Newsletter
• Press Release
• Coupons
• Fax Cover Pages

Using these and other offline marketing methods will help you kick start your business or bring added growth to an existing business. Pick the ones that will work for you and start promoting your business offline today!

Article © 2007 Darlene "Dee" Bishop. All rights reserved worldwide.

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