What many bloggers don’t know is there are many offline methods you can use to drive enormous traffic to your blog. Several years back, the Internet didn’t exist and people relied on traditional ways to market their business and these strategies are still very effective. However, just like every marketing method, it’s important you stay focused and go through testing so you find exactly the right method that produces effective results. I’m also very happy to let you know we are reaching the end of this series with only one more part remaining. It’s been an awesome journey and I hope you were able to apply these methods in your blogging.
This is Part 24 and we’ll be exploring offline marketing methods to drive targeted traffic to your blog. Let’s get started…
What Offline Methods Work?
Here’s where things get tricky because when we refer to offline marketing methods, you have so many avenues you can follow. For example, you have the following: magazines, newspaper, flyers, postal mail, banners, commercials, etc., and some of these can get very expensive if NOT utilized the right way. I always recommend you know what you have as a budget to invest toward offline marketing methods. It’s also a great idea to know what the best options are and here’s a great way to decide what works. I usually like to see what section in offline marketing has the greatest following. What do I mean? Well…
I like to do some research and find out what method has the largest exposure with the audience in my niche. For example, if my niche is about wealth, then I should consider investing in magazines and newspapers because there are 10-15 awesome financial magazines I can think of right now. Next, newspapers are great because they all have a financial section dedicated to wealth so an advert will be a great choice. If my niche is about love, then magazines would be a great choice because each popular magazine always has a section about romance, etc.
You really have to sit down and explore the offline methods available to you because each niche I’ve noticed will have a particularly better marketing path compared to others. Lawyers should use billboards on highways or bus stops, but obviously, this, again, will depend on the type of lawyer you are.
It’s about the Location
Here’s something similar with online and offline marketing methods and it’s based on location of advertisement. Just like online marketing and how location will determine CTR, the same can be said for offline marketing methods for exposure. If you have a billboard on a main highway with thousands of cars passing through each day, then you know you’ll be able to get higher conversions. If you have a full page ad within a popular section of a magazine, then you’ll be able to convert a higher number of readers. I’m a true believer that you should invest more money for a better location because you’ll achieve a higher ROI. Here’s a simple way to find out about the optimal location for your marketing ad.
First, always pay attention to the section, making sure it is as relevant as possible. With some options, you won’t have to worry, but if you do have a choice, then it’s important you make the right one. Secondly, pay attention to your existing competition, which is EXACTLY the same strategy I’ve used when marketing online. You can learn a lot from your competition because some of them have been in the business for years and probably tested different avenues before settling. This means if you see your competition is marketing in a specific location, i.e., place or page, then make use of the same location. I would suggest researching a specific magazine for several weeks before committing to create a statistical chart of your competitors. You want to make sure they’ve been marketing in that spot for some time before you start doing the same.
What about Budget?
This is a good question and the answer really depends on your niche and method. It’s said marketing offline is more expensive because of the large overhead some of these magazines carry so it’s important you explore your options. Just like with online marketing, start slow and try “1†option at a time and pay close attention to your results. Once you have a good idea on what works, you can stick to that marketing method, but only if you’re getting a ROI.