Why offline marketing shouldn’t be forgotten in today’s digital age

By Sromona Bhattacharyya

In a day and age where phone numbers have been replaced by twitter handles and email or DMs have taken the place of letters, it is very easy for anyone to get carried away. There is no denying that digital marketing has largely dominated the advertising field over the past few years, mostly because of its cost effective nature and its easy availability. Although the digital age brings with itself more pros than cons, there is something that is intrinsically absent in it.

​The power of an aesthetically pleasing flyer or the feel of a well-made and well-arranged business card can never be undermined. No matter how much technology advances, there is nothing that can take the place of traditional marketing.
Here are the four most important benefits of offline marketing.
Print advertisingThe death of print media is often over-exaggerated. Yes, with people becoming more environment conscious, the use of paper when it comes to advertising has reduced considerably, but it still remains a powerful medium. Through print advertising, targeting a specific category of people becomes very easy. More importantly, if the publication is well reputed, the chances of people responding and availing to the published ad increases.
Direct mailsThere is kind of old school. For business trying to get attention in a specific zone or a targeted locality, direct mails can prove to be an effective method. Those boring emails, more often than not, end up becoming ‘junk’, so why not print actual flyers and brochures that people wouldn’t be able to ignore? As they say, hard work never goes unnoticed, and a beautifully crafted flyer can seal the deal. The biggest pro of direct mails is that there is no spam filtering system – the potential customer has to pick it up and read it, and even it is for one time.
Business cardsBusiness cards can be a very cost-effective way of ensuring that an entrepreneur does not miss one single opportunity of business, wherever they go. The people who you give these out to can be anyone from a potential customer to a potential employee, investor or even a partner. A minimalistic design with great aesthetics can help you get what you want and also gives a very professional impression.
ConferencesFree seminars or conferences can be a form of offline marketing that can increase your businesses’ revenue. As an exhibitor, one can show off their products and services to others who are looking to avail them, and as an attendee, one can engage in networking with others to gain more knowledge of the potential customer base.
This is better than any online form of demo or presentation, in the sense that the potential customers can see, and maybe use, the product by themselves, something that is absent when it comes to  digital marketing.
Digital does not necessarily mean that one has to completely forget and ignore the traditional methods. In fact, it’s a good blend of the two that brings about perfect harmony.

Source:​https://yourstory.com/2017/01/offline-marketing-digital-age/