With digital marketing at its peak, a lot of small business owners are starting to neglect traditional business promotion techniques that are still quite valid. Additionally, the sheer volume of ads, content and social media links that people are bombarded with on a daily basis has made them wary of many digital marketing tricks.
Needless to say, separating themselves physically from the person at the other end of the line doesn’t bode well for SMB and startup owners who can’t possibly hope to compete with their much larger counterparts. In order to overcome this obstacle and fight through a tough competition, here are the top five old school business promotion techniques that are still valid in 2018.
1. Face-to-face meetings
In the age where business is conducted over Skype conference call, you would be surprised just how impactful a face-to-face meeting can actually be. You see, while you are half a world away, it is easy for a potential client to ignore your offers or even downplay their value. After all, there is nothing to differentiate you from the rest of your competitors, so why shouldn’t they just look at your offer on paper and decide whether to do business with you? When meeting in person, on the other hand, you have a chance to persuade them with your body language, to sense where they are coming from and improvise to address the issues they are concerned with.
2. Telemarketing
Sure, a lot of people simply dread the idea of getting a call from a telemarketing agency, however, B2C communication is not the only thing you should focus on. When it comes to B2B engagements, telemarketing is still a valid strategy and as such, it needs to be treated with respect. Having a real human being to call and schedule a meeting or inquire about the requirements of your potential clients and partners is a persuasive technique that shouldn’t be neglected even in 2018.
3. Promotional materials
The basic principle of marketing is quite simple – you give something of value and you want something in return. The greatest problem with achieving this in the world of digital marketing is that you can never know when the piece of content you have created is valuable enough for your target demographic. On the other hand, with promotional methods like high-quality T-shirt printing, promotional umbrellas or hats with your logo on them, you can have a much easier time when it comes to achieving this.
4. Limited time offers
When your audience is looking at offers, a single dollar or even a cent of difference can be enough to make a difference. Luckily, humans are impulsive and this phenomenon of impulse buying can sometimes be used against them. By creating a limited time offer, you are creating a false sense of urgency in your clients, which, in turn, makes them want your products and services even more.
5. Networking
At last, B2B networking is one of the most important traditional marketing techniques that are often getting unjustly neglected in the present-day business world. You never know when you’ll need a contact you meet at an industry-related convention or a corporate event. You might meet your future business partner, a representative of a company that will outsource their excess work to you, or someone else of an equally important profile.
Conclusion
Finally, there is no reason to stop here. Postcards, word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing, radio advertising and many similar methods can still yield a surprisingly positive ROI. At the end of the day, what you need to keep in mind is that you are not forced to choose between old and new marketing. In fact, the best results are usually achieved by managing to find the perfect balance between these two seemingly contrasted yet incredibly familiar schools of thought.
