Offline Advertising Ideas

For Your Direct Sales or Network Marketing Biz

Here is a large list of Offline Advertising methods I have compiled from various sources on the internet.



Enjoy!

1. Sample Baggies: Have little zip close baggies with your business card, a flyer, and a sample or goodie in it and bring these where ever you go.

Give them to:
--People you meet in the grocery store who are shopping for products similar to those you market; strike up a conversation with them
--Servers at restaurants (put their tip inside the baggie too)
--Bank Tellers
--Hairdressers
--Postal employees


2. Flyers: Print off flyers with your contact info (website, phone number, may want to make the tear off strips) and your business opportunity and leave them at the following places: (ask permission where needed, bribe owners with free product if needed)
--Laundry mats
--Mobile home parks
--Apartment complexes
--Grocery store message boards
--Daycare centers (moms are always looking for ways to earn $$)
--COLLEGE CAMPUSES (this is HUGE) Drop off flyers and business cards at the College Student Center. College students are ALWAYS looking for ways to make more $$
--College Housing (off campus)
--Doctors Offices
--Public Library
--Backs of Taxi Cabs (inside the vehicle, like for magazines)


3. Craft Fairs: Contact local churches in your area and see if they have spring or fall craft fairs. Usually, you can get a booth at these types of events relatively inexpensively. This is one of the best offline advertising methods. Make sure you do a drawing for a free product.

On your drawing slip, make a little line that you can place a check mark beside that says “Yes! I’d like more information about starting a home based business!”

After your fair, make sure to put those who entered the drawing in your contact list, and call all those who were interested in the opportunity. The ones not interested in the opportunity can still be put on your mailing list for catalogs and new product releases.


4. Chamber of Commerce: Join your local Chamber of Commerce. Networking is HUGE in this business. Attend events regularly.


5. Welcome Wagon: Another excellent offline advertising method: Contact your local Welcome Wagon or Welcome Service Business. Find out about dropping off flyers and/or samples to the new members of your community.




6. New Mothers: Contact your local area hospitals and ask for the human resources department. Most hospitals hand out bags filled with products, samples and other stuff for new moms who just had a baby.


7. Donate Product: Donate a Product Basket to the following types of establishments for free advertising:
--Radio Stations
--Bingo Halls
--Local TV stations
--Churches
--Fundraisers (cancer society, red cross, schools, etc)


8. Job Fairs: Call your Chamber of Commerce (or look up your local convention center) and find out about local Job Fairs. Get a booth and set up info about your Business Opportunity. You may also contact local colleges for their employment fairs.


9. Car Dealerships: Contact local area car dealerships.

You may be able to give them sample packets to hand out to their customers for FREE for taking a test drive.


10. Gyms: Check out your local gyms and health clubs, even the YMCA.

See if you can set up a table during one of their health fairs if your product fits in.


11. Network: Network with others in your community who are in home business.

Find out what events and activities that they participate in.

Many will be able to help you get started networking in your community.


12. Commercials: Does your area TV cable company have a local information channel? Inquire about advertising! Sometimes these ads are reasonably priced, especially those that run late at night. It’s common to see business opportunities run for late night, sleepless viewers.


13. Newspaper Ads: If you have access to a small town newspaper, advertise here as they are less expensive and usually more effective than the big newspapers. Post a simple, enticing ad.


14. Banners: Get a low cost outdoor banner printed up with your website on it. You can usually get them done for well under $50 or so, check eBay.

Check into paying to have your banner displayed at various outdoor events such as children’s sports, concerts, carnivals, etc.


15. Coupon Packs: Community Clipper coupon booklets and other sales flyers can be a good inexpensive advertising source.

Offer freebies to those who contact you for more information.


16. Restaurants: Contact local area restaurants, sub shops, pizza places, diners, and coffee shops to ask them about advertising on their paper placemats.


17. Vehicle Signs: Get a vehicle vinyl sign made for your car.

They are very inexpensive and can list your website on it so that you can advertise wherever you drive. The best I have found is on eBay.

Be careful not to put your phone number or your name on your banner. You want to make sure you are taking Safety Precautions.


18. Vehicle Magnets: Another alternative is to get vehicle magnets made for the side of your car on eBay.

Again, make sure you are careful about what information you put on there. And do not put your picture on them; it is unprofessional and tacky.


19. Travel Guides: If your city has a travel guide for tourists, find out how you can advertise in it.


20. City Maps: Some city maps have ads in them. You may be able to get a small business ad printed on them for a good price.


21. Product Baskets: A great way to get some offline advertising, contact local area hotels, motels and bed & breakfast inns and ask them if you can do up a Product Basket and leave it in their Lobby.

How? You make up little offline advertising packs of info about your business & products and put them into a basket for their patrons to take. They usually have a pamphlet wall or area too with pamplets from local area attractions etc. If they dont have a lobby basket area, inquire about leaving your business info in their pamphlet area.

Need a quality printer? Check out Overnight Prints


22. Shirts: Buy company shirts and wear them EVERYWHERE! You will have curious strangers ask what your company is. Don’t have company shirts? Make your own at Cafe Press. Shop or Create What's On Your Mind at CafePress.com


23. Tote Bags: Get some canvas tote bags printed up with your business information printed on it. This is good to carry samples in. If someone asks about it, give them a sample. Shop or Create What's On Your Mind at CafePress.com


24. Buttons: Get a pin back button made and attach it to your purse for advertising wherever you go. Make sure it says something interesting!


25. Local Magazines: Does your city publish a City Magazine? If so, contact them about offline advertising.


26. Gifts: When you give gifts to family, friends, neighbors, co-workers etc. make sure you give them gifts from your company.

This saves you money as you are buying from yourself, and gives them a chance to experience the products you are raving about.

Dress up your package with Cello in a Box.


27. Party: Invite your spouse’s co-workers over to your home for a get together.

Have a potluck.

Make sure that you use your products and have them out for show, but do not make it seem like a demonstration. Just carry on your normal activities while subtly showing off your products.


28. Yearbooks: Maybe a form of offline advertising you haven’t thought of, see about placing a sponsoring ad in the back of your local high school yearbook. As high school graduates go off to college, they will need a great way to earn extra money.


29. Sports Programs: Put an ad for your business in local sport programs. These organizations are always looking for advertisers. You may even want to sponsor a team in your offline advertising efforts.


30. Theater Playbills: Do you have a local community theater? If so, get your business ad placed in their show programs!


31. Yard Sign: Either get a printed sign or a wooden sign and proudly display it in your front yard. We have a nice wooden one we bought for our RV on eBay.


32. Bus Stops: See how much it would cost you to do some offline advertising at bus stops. People takings buses are often living from paycheck-to-paycheck. They would be very interested in your business opportunity!


33. Mail: Stamp your business info to the outside of all outgoing postal mail. Include your business card on the inside. Do this for personal mail, business mail and for paying your bills.


34. Fillers: Exchange Fillers with other Home Party Consultant in a NON-Competing Business and place their filler in your bags & outgoing packages & have them do the same for you!


35. Temporary Employment Agencies: Temp agencies might be willing to refer some clients to you who may be interested in a Home Business. You could offer the staff FREE product for referrals.


36. Pass out Flyers: Print up some flyers and get permission from local shopping centers to see if you can leave them on car windshields. You may need a permit for this sort of offline advertising. Oh, and make sure that these are not the high gloss postcards. Someone left one of those on my windshield and my steering wheel blocked it. It rained, and now I have their ad permanently embossed on my car. Suffice it to say I was NOT going to do business with them!


37. Renter’s Guides: Contact your local free Renter’s Guide publishers to see about placing your business ad inside one. Many people rent as they move to a new area. Make sure they know that you are the local consultant ready to help them. Offer a welcome freebie.


38. Local Directories: Do a web search for you local county and surrounding areas. You should find several websites for your area with online business directories to get your website listed in. They may even be free. They may also have offline ads that you can advertise in. You may also find out about upcoming local community events to participate in.


39. Grand Openings: Is there a local business in your area holding a upcoming Grand Opening? If so, contact them! A lot of times they are giving away freebies to the first few hundred customers plus they do heavy advertising announcing their Grand Opening. Perfect Offline Advertising.


40. Bookmarks: Get your business info printed up on inexpensive bookmarks. Give them to:
--Customers
--Colleges
--Libraries
--Book stores


41. Goodie Bags: Put the word out to your friends, family and coworkers that you offer party freebies. Are they going to have a baby shower, bridal shower, or birthday party soon? Do they need goodies for their party bags? Offer to donate product samples to them.


42. Reorder Labels: Make sure you are sticking a small info sticker with your contact info on it on the back of all your products so that your customer can easily locate your information for placing reorders. This is a great offline advertising method! This is also important to do considering some customers purchase items from you to give as a gift, this way the person who received the gift will also know how to contact you.


43. Voicemail: Make sure your voicemail includes information about your business. You never know who will call you. This way, strangers and extended family will know about the company you represent.


44. Travel: When you travel, offline advertising can be done if you take numerous flyers, business cards etc. with you when you pack for your trip. Make up a separate tote bag just for these items. Leave your flyers and business cards ever where you go while on your trip. Such as:
--Train seats
--Cabs
--Airplane seats
--Restaurants
--Hotels
--Bulletin boards
--Truck stops


I hope these offline advertising ideas will help you think of new and creative ways to advertise your business!

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