The flow of business is always demanding. People in the marketing department of a new company must be vigilant in keeping abreast of rapidly changing marketing trends and consumer behavior. This needs to be backed up with creativity and lots of clever advertising tactics. Among a host of challenges a startup faces, competition from established counterparts and other new players entering the market can pose a threat. Thus, it becomes imperative for a startup to be more mindful of its marketing and advertising techniques.
A good online marketing strategy is essential for a brand to get noticed. However, digital marketing is not the only way to get customer attention. There are powerful offline advertising strategies that provide better brand recognition and better consumer response. If you haven’t considered going into offline marketing, give your startup a boost with the following five mantras:
1. Outdoor Advertising – Outdoor advertising is primarily intended to publicize your business. There are a number of touch points through which you can expose your business to the public, such as billboards, taxis and commercial vehicles, bus exteriors, etc. Of these, placing billboards in high-traffic areas of a city is an important way to gain attention. Digital billboards score even higher on the attention meter. While getting billboard space isn’t easy or reasonable, it’s worth it given the type of brand exposure it provides. Wander around your town and you’ll find McDonald’s, Subway, Pepsi, and telecommunication company ads shining on billboards.
2. Flyers, pamphlets, and catalogues: These seem to be pretty old advertisements. Yet they get results. What you have to take care of with them is not to lose creativity. Rather, try to put exceptional creativity into these print materials. The flyers should be in the form of informative infographics to grab the attention of the readers smoothly. Some marketing gurus underestimate this form of advertising in this internet age, but remember; there are people who happily receive and read “glossy papers” (as flyers and pamphlets are colloquially called). Flyers, pamphlets, and catalogs have a unique audience of their own and don’t bother much on the expense sheet. Cosmetic giants like Lakme and Oriflame use this form of advertising and profit from it.
3. Trade Shows – Participating in trade shows is another potential way to improve brand recognition and create leads. Trade shows offer a great platform to showcase your range of products, target a specific stratum of audience, sell the products and create leads within a few days. Discounts and free samples offered during the trade show will make people flock to your brand. Trade shows are also a great way to boost a business through word of mouth, as happy customers captured at a trade show are sure to talk about the brand/product with others in their social network.
4. Paper Cup Advertising – Paper cup advertising outperforms many other offline advertising techniques. This is probably the only form of offline advertising technique that offers undivided brand exposure. While other offline and even online advertisements have considerable chances of going unnoticed, this form of advertising promises high engagement from the target audience. A paper cup can be used to print an advertisement on it. This can include a company logo, contact number, website address, a clever joke, a call to action, sometimes accompanied by a discount coupon code for a product or service, etc. An easy-to-carry glass becomes an effective advertisement on the go, as it fits the essential part of the message that the company intends to convey.
Why does paper cup advertising promise full user engagement?
Paper cups are a common sight in corporate offices, restaurants, school and university canteens, small food outlets, etc. In every place where these mugs are used, people will surely spend time while consuming their beverages or even water. Everyone spends time having a cup of coffee or a cold drink. It’s not like that? So if a mug in your hand is adorned with bold graphics and sharp words that represent a company’s goal, it’s sure to turn heads. With paper cup advertising, the exposure time of a brand and its message is high. It is within this period of time that the advertisement on the paper cup plays its part.
How can a startup use it?
The printed paper cups can be distributed in popular places such as corporate offices, food outlets, restaurants, commercial stores, school and university canteens, etc. where they are likely to come into contact with many people to whom the ad is directed. However, it is recommended to consult an expert cup advertising team to run a successful campaign. Startups like Scripbox (investment advisers), NestAway (a company that provides houses for renters), Chillr (a money transfer app), etc. have consulted GingerCup to use paper cup advertising to their advantage.
5. Branded Merchandise – Away from the noise of other marketing techniques, a new business can make optimal use of branded merchandise. In that context, the company logo or a single line to increase its impact can be printed on small useful items such as pens, journals, mouse pads, etc. which could be distributed at charity events and can be donated to local organizations. By doing this, a company projects itself positively and reaps greater benefits in the long run.
Therefore, the advantages of offline advertising are manifold. Just get it going and get the ball rolling for your startup.
