Stop Ruling Out Offline Advertising

“♪ Offline-ee and Online-ee, live together in perfect harmony…♫ (sung to the tune Ebony & Ivory, by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder, circa 1980s), try it, the lyrics work…

Anyway, there is a valid point and a case to be made for such a co-existence on the low extreme, to a symbiotic relationship on the other, both of which (and in-between too) are not being harnessed effectively by local businesses.

Rightful emphasis on online advertising

I would opine that’s it more about the free mileage than the fact that Trinis are very accessible online. And the fact that there are lots of free online tools and that Trinis are very accessible online makes it a no-brainer.

But it’s also the reason for poorly conceived (and executed worse) ‘strategies’ that include use of online marketing tools like Facebook (is there any other book?), Email Marketing, websites, videos etc.

When your money isn’t ‘jumping up’ the results are halfhearted attempts with the expectation that something would stick that would at least be satisfactory and worth the ‘effort’.

But even when money is jumping up, the Trini tendency is to do it himself instead of hiring an expert, again as a ‘strategy’,

If your strategy is ‘something is better than nothing’ then all power to you, keep doing what you’re doing, don’t mind me.

YES… exclusively online can work

No doubt that channeling all marketing efforts with online tools, regardless if the reason is a small budget, your personal preference, or because you’re plain damn cheap, will work. Some businesses do very well by it and have even perfected it. So if you do so choose, no argument from me. As a matter of fact, I do no offline advertising myself.

BUT…always be prepared for the traffic you’re seeking

This really frustrates me as I see it happening all the time. Everything looks nice in the window and when you go inside, ooh geeeed! I’m not going to elaborate on that as you all know you’re guilty of it and what you have to do.

Offline Advertising for online AND offline traffic

Your offline advertising may lead your customer directly to your store or directly to your website depending on the ad’s call to action. For example ‘SALE 50% off’ will bring customers into the store, but ‘50% off when you sign up to newsletter’ will send customers to your website.

There aren’t many online stores (yet) in Trinidad so offline advertising would bring in either foot traffic or finish a sale offline that was initiated from your Facebook page or website.

When to use offline advertising

Obviously, you would focus on the advertising medium that optimally reaches your target market. You’re not after raw numbers, but QUALIFIED TRAFFIC. A store in Arima reaching 98 people in Icacos and 2 in Arima shouldn’t pat themselves on the back for getting 100 sets of eyeballs.

No matter what, as a rule, you should absolutely be using the FREE ONLINE MARKETING tools ALL THE TIME without question for the obvious reason, then…

Complement with offline advertising if you have the funds

I never advise to rush out and pour money into paid offline advertising when so many free online tools are available. For the very least make a good plan and take it out for a spin first.

But don’t confuse taking it out for a spin with blowing in the wind. The best laid plans still need that feedback loop to refine any strategy and that’s what I’m referring to.

Only if you have the budget, and depending on the scale of your enterprise, then the online/offline combo as a comprehensive strategy could provide a stellar synergy.

If online isn’t optimally effective then consider offline

You may be wondering how that’s possible when Trinis are notoriously online. Yes 400K plus Trinis are, but how many are your qualified traffic? Your free or even paid online tools may be ineffective because of:

1. Dismal organic reach to your Facebook page or your website
2. Minimal ‘click throughs’, i.e limited numbers clicking your links to ‘Learn More’
3. Reaching larger numbers but they are unqualified traffic

Please note that I’m not explaining the reasons for the above in this article; among which may be poorly crafted Facebook ads, status posts, websites and calls to action in general. I’m assuming (for argument’s sake) that online advertising was optimal but not giving the desired results (and YES it is possible).

Offline depending on stage of ‘AIDA’ principle

Of the many marketing principles, I love AIDA the most: AWARENESS, INTEREST, DESIRE, ACTION. At any one time your entire market would be spread across these four stages and may be more receptive to offline promotion.

Your choice of offline medium and the crafting of your message/call to action depends on which stage you’re attempting to reach. I can’t tell you what would work as you would know your market better than I do.

If you think you know your market but still scratching your head wondering why your advertising isn’t working (both online and offline), then you need expert help.

Obviously, if you apply all you know and do your best without desired results, something is amiss and points to something you don’t know. NEWS FLASH: it’s okay to not know everything.

Offline advertising options in T&T

So how do you get through to these Trinis? They (we) ain’t easy because sometimes we work by ‘vaps’. The good news is that we don’t all work by ‘vaps’ at the same time so when we’re thinking clearly, you may reach out to us by:

The daily newspapers

I’m a good example for this because the nature of my business is that my life depends on online. But I read the newspaper EVERYDAY and it’s a ritual for me.

Call it ritual, routine or habit, Trini’s have their set ways of how they approach the newspaper. For me, unless I’m leaving for a client meeting early in the morning, I drop my kids to school at Princes Town and on my way home pick up the Express and then read it over my morning coffee- BEFORE I go to computer to ‘work’.

But again, you have to reach ‘qualified traffic’ and have an optimal message and call to action. So no matter what, marketing is a hell of thing as it’s not the medium as much as it is the message.

My opinion is that the number one offline advertising medium in Trinidad & Tobago is the daily newspaper.

Radio stations

Radio advertising would be my number two pick but which station(s) to choose is quite a task because there are so many locally and they all cater to specific audiences.

I listen to only one (Star 94.7) so if you’re choosing a single station you have to be absolutely sure your target will be reached, so you have to do your research.

I would stay away from special promoted time slots, the kind where you sponsor unless you’re absolutely sure you’ll get the ears of your market (which I doubt is possible). I would opt for radio ads spread throughout the day, perhaps the morning drive or evening drive, again depending on the listening habits of your market.

Local Television Stations

Despite the prevalence of cable TV, Trinis still love their local TV especially the news. There are a number of popular programs with huge local followings.

Television advertising is very expensive and not something I would advise à la carte, i.e. it must be in combination with other media. Again, the message and CALL TO ACTION is the critical factor.

Billboards

I’m of two minds to post this here because I HATE billboards with a passion. They are such an eyesore and waste of money in my opinion. The only reason why I mention it is that there is ONLY one time it might be okay to advertise on one, and that’s for awareness when you’re an absolute unknown, i.e. a new business nobody’s heard about.

Other than that, if you really want to advertise on billboards, save yourself the trouble and just flush your money down the toilet.

Other media for reaching large numbers

Newspaper, radio and TV form the big-three of mass marketing. No doubt you’ll all the eyeballs and eardrums you can eat. There are other media that may reach smaller numbers like printed matter- FLYERS, BROCHURES, CATALOGS, etc.

Unfortunately the conversion rates of such printed matter are very low, flyers especially (2%-3%).

What offline advertising gives that online doesn’t

When you see, hear or read about a Trini business over and over in the ‘papers’, radio, TV, you get something that you can’t be gained the same way online: CREDIBILITY. Whether you deserve it or not, Trinis tend to think you’re big and know what you’re doing.

Even if you can’t back it up, and until they find out the truth themselves. the more repeated your name, the more it’s imprinted in their minds, be it even a doubles bike on a specific corner.

But guess what? If your doubles taste like shoes the gig is up and no advertising, online or off will bring them back.

Bottom line, the point I want to drive home is that whatever the advertising, YOU HAVE TO BACK UP YOUR MESSAGE else you’re just wasting your money and time.

Conclusion

Personally, I don’t actively advertise at all, but solely use online marketing techniques via articles like these, SEO (because Forward Multimedia is a top returned result on Google search) and a optimally configured website just to be a living example of what I preach.

Given the nature of my business such a strategy makes sense. But before I could be found on search I advertised solely via a small classified ad in the Express under Website Services. I did so for months, and only until my search rank put me on the first page of Google.

Your business will be different, calling for a different set and mix of tools, and therein lies the rub. It takes some know-how, instinct, trial and error and a bit of luck to find a winning combination.

I believe if you’re a good, honest, ethical and can sleep well at night, satisfied that you didn’t lie, cheat or steal to make your dollar, you’ll be successful.