when you are developing With a digital marketing strategy or finding ways to improve your search engine results rankings, it’s easy to get bogged down in technical details, and one element of marketing that I often see businesses overlook is offline strategy.
Search engine optimization is a huge specialized field and there are so many different elements that can affect how your website ranks on search results pages that even a seasoned practitioner like me doesn’t know all of them are at play. Google’s algorithm is constantly changing, and its inner workings are kept secret, though we’re able to learn a lot about how it works through careful research and what’s been made public.
When thinking about digital marketing, many people only think of what can be done online. After all, it’s all about getting to the first page of search results, isn’t it?
Well, things are not that simple. There are many things you can do offline to influence your online success, such as building your reputation, earning backlinks, and helping you make connections. There are many components to your marketing strategy as a whole.
It’s fine to focus your marketing primarily online, as a lot of your leads or clients are likely to come from there, but you shouldn’t completely ignore offline strategies. Using offline digital marketing strategies that your competitors are not using can help you get the edge you need.
While there are many offline tactics you can incorporate into your marketing strategy, here are some of my favorites.
1. Write for publication.
Writing articles and submitting them to publications both online and offline is a great way to help you build your reputation and reach audiences beyond your regular organic traffic. It’s also a great way to establish yourself as an expert in your field and make connections.
You can start with smaller publications that are relevant to your industry. Chances are there are some well-known publications specific to your industry – you might even already subscribe to them. You can also write for larger trade publications and magazines to reach a wider audience. Keep articles focused on your expertise.
When writing for a publication, you should always read the submission guidelines and understand the types of articles they typically publish, then write to their specifications for the best chance of publication. It might take a while to gain some momentum, but the more you post, the easier it will become.
Whether or not that publication contains backlinks to your website, you will get more traffic and brand awareness, and Google’s algorithm will consider your publication as a positive point for your website along with a well-known magazine or website.
2. Sponsor local events.
Your local community is a great place to promote your business, especially if your business is in person.
Sponsoring a local event provides you with the opportunity to reach out to the local community and enhance your local reputation. It also creates opportunities for new backlinks and mentions of your business in the media if the event is covered by the local media. Plus, it gives you something to post on your website and social media to reach a local audience.
If you host a local event, you can create a press release prior to the event to encourage media coverage. If it does get covered by the media, that’s very valuable in the eyes of Google’s algorithm because news outlets have a high reputation and if they publish something about you, some of their brand goodwill will be associated with your business .
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3. Attend meetings.
Conferences are a great way to meet and network with other people in your field. You can introduce contacts to each other and find people who can collaborate and support each other through social media activity and sharing ideas.
Giving a presentation at a conference is also an excellent way to expand your reach. Not only will it help you connect with conference attendees, it will allow you to be featured on the conference website and social media, plus it will allow you to publish some content yourself.
4. Enter competitions and win prizes.
There are thousands of awards that can go into your business to win every year – it just takes a little effort to find them. The more you enter, the better your chances of winning some.
These awards can be specific to your industry, your region, or something you or your business do. Awards can enhance your reputation through the announcement of awards and your ability to post awards on your website. Awards occasionally attract media coverage.
5. Be different.
The best way to improve your offline marketing is excellence. You want people to talk about your business and what you do, and remember you. The way to do that is to be great.
When you do extraordinary things, your business becomes extraordinary. This means you need to stand out from your competitors by doing something different, and get people to notice and talk about what you are doing. Doing so can lead to better lead conversion rates, better word-of-mouth marketing, more repeat website visitors, and more media coverage.
When looking for ways to improve your company’s marketing strategy, don’t forget about all these offline tactics you can employ. Doing this will give you an edge over your competitors who don’t use these same tactics. Every part of marketing takes a lot of work, and it may take a while to see your efforts pay off, but these strategies can be very effective in growing your business or brand in the long run.