Knowing where to invest your marketing budget can be tricky, and getting it wrong can be a setback for many small business owners, side hustlers, and freelancers.
But with so many marketing strategies available, how do youchoose?
While some traditional marketing techniques are declining, others are going strong, and a select few rule the marketing world.
Before you invest, you need to know the advantages each brings to your business, and even better, tips on how to use them.
We’ll take a look at 10 such traditional marketing techniques that are proven to produce results.
What Makes Traditional Marketing So Effective?
Traditional marketing still plays an essential role in the advertising world. Even though new marketing technologies are gaining ground, some classic advertising techniques continue to be effective.
Major corporations to mom-and-pop shops use these traditional marketing techniques to connect and build relationships with customers, and their popularity and value show no signs of decreasing.
What makes traditional marketing so effective? Simply put, it works. Here are some reasons why:
- It’s cost-effective and adaptable, so it suits all business sizes
- It has longevity
- It’s great for shaping brand identity and connecting with a wide audience
- It’s flexible — you can increase or decrease relative to your monthly budget
- It gets results (we’ll look at statistics that prove it)
A recent Oberlo article on marketing statistics showed that in 2021, traditional marketing accounted for 54% of all advertising revenue.
So, odds are, there’s a traditional marketing technique that’ll work for your business.
Let’s begin with one such technique that might surprise you:
1. Direct Mail
Direct mail refers to physical publications delivered to a potential customer’s mailbox.
It comes in 2 forms:
- Targeted mailing list: Delivered to a chosen demographic of society.
- Saturation mail: Delivered to every mailbox in a given neighborhood.
Many people think direct mail gets thrown straight in the trash, but statistics tell a very different story. 61% of direct mail recipients say that direct mail influences their purchasing decisions. And research shows that 70% of consumers trust direct mail more than digital marketing.
Surprising, right?
A recent U.S. Postal Service survey shows that 67% of consumers feel isolated since the pandemic, and 42% rely on mail because of social distancing guidelines.
Advantages of direct mail:
- Customizable for any business
- Personalized — you can use local knowledge to increase engagement rates
- Excellent targeting options because you choose where it goes
Direct mail marketing also helps new businesses build brand awareness, promote themselves, and form personal connections with prospective customers.
How to go about it?
- Create or purchase your mailing list
- Personalize your copy with an obvious purpose and benefit for the reader
- Choose a type: Postcard, letter, or brochure
- Track your response data and follow up
A 2019 study by Pebble Post reported that people like to receive promotional offers the most (everyone loves a deal) and newsletters the least, with catalogs, postcards, and brochures falling in the middle.
2. Cold Calling
Cold calling is a traditional marketing technique used in B2B sales (businesses selling to other businesses). These brands research others that could benefit from their products or services and contact them to establish a relationship and secure a sale.
And it’s effective! 80% of buyers take meetings with salespeople that reach out to them first. And a 2019 Forrester survey found that 84% of respondents said cold calling was crucial for their communication/sales strategy
Cold calling works for all types of businesses from big operations, to small businesses to one person shows. It allows you to speak one-on-one with future customers and explain what you’re selling and how it could benefit them.
Advantages of cold calling:
- It’s inexpensive, direct, and immediate compared to many other sales strategies
- You can use it to access an otherwise impenetrable market
- It enables you to create a more interactive and personal sales service
- It allows you to build a rapport with your customers
- It helps you explain technical issues more clearly
How to go about it?
- Research other businesses that might need what you’re selling
- Develop your call list
- Create a script that focuses on your customers’ needs
- Be clear, confident, concise, and friendly
- Motivate your prospects into taking immediate action
- Get their name, note their response, and follow up
I used cold calling when starting my first drop-shipping business. I quickly learned that if you want someone to take your call, know their name and how you can help them before you pick up the phone.
3. Business Cards
Check your wallet, desk, or that one drawer in the kitchen we all use for storing random things. Did you find any business cards?
I’ve got 9 in my wallet alone!
I have to admit, I like a well-designed business card and I’m not alone. An overwhelming 72% of people form an opinion about a company based on the quality of their business card.
There are other advantages to having a quality business card, as well.
Advantages of having a business card:
- Affordable
- Versatile and convenient—you can display and distribute them anywhere
- Great for making a quick first impression
- Gives a personal touch
- Provides visual reinforcement of your brand
- Makes your business referable
- They never stop working
While business cards are a more straightforward form of advertising, they still require a high level of design to become a successful direct marketing tool.
How to go about it?
- Choose your paper: Standard business cards are 14-16 Pt card stock
- Select your size: 3.5 × 2 in (88.9 × 50.8 mm) is the U.S. standard
- Add your logo: Use colors relevant to your niche
- Add necessary text: Keep it short and direct
- Choose your typography: Use 2 different fonts, one for your business name and another for your contact details
- Consider special finishes: Embossing, letter pressing, foil stamping, and UV coating all look great
- Pick your designer, or use an digital business cards service (like Tailor Brands!)
4. Handouts
You can’t find a much more traditional marketing technique than handouts.
Handouts include flyers, pamphlets, postcards, brochures, and any other printed material handed out for free for promotional purposes.
And they’re proven to grab people’s attention: Up to 78% of consumers glance at messages included in a flyer and 23% of people read them thoroughly.
Advantages of handouts:
- Instant turnaround: You can create them quickly
- Complement digital campaigns: Handout materials can help reinforce your digital marketing campaigns
- Measurable success rates: You can track specific URLs, QR codes, and response numbers, making your marketing measurable
- Local touchpoints: You can use areas popular with your ideal customers for repeat campaigns
Handouts work for all business types because they’re affordable and create brand awareness. Plus, it’s an excellent way to introduce yourself to your local community. (Fun fact: Malls are still the most popular location for distributing handouts).
How to go about it?
- Always invest in high-quality copy and design
- Distribute your handouts via delivery services or enroll some friends to help
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the distribution using customer feedback surveys
5. Print Advertisements
The saying “print is dead” is a myth. Trust me, print advertising is very much alive and kicking.
Check out these statistics:
- 82% of consumers say they trust print ads, making it the most trusted medium
- 27% of American internet users block ads, while 62% read print ads
Print advertisements mostly appear in newspapers, magazines, free local publications, and brochures. They enable you to reach a vast demographic in your local community and create brand awareness, especially for new businesses.
Print advertising provides a host of other benefits that might make it worth the investment.
Advantages of print advertising:
- Excellent for local reputation and relationship building
- You can reach multiple generations
- Ideal for local target marketing
- Proven to have high engagement rates
- Provides more visibility to small businesses
- You can craft your message to suit your audience
- Works well with other media advertising strategies
But before you press print, identify the publishing materials your target audience reads.
For example, real estate agents, designers, and furniture suppliers might advertise in a home décor magazine, while a county newspaper could be more suitable for local eateries, tradespeople, and services.
How to go about it?
- Research publications that match your target customer’s profile
- Promote the value you bring to your community
- Use a single message that unifies your campaign
- Use minimal text and high-quality images
6. Sweepstakes
Sweepstakes are marketing strategies that offer prizes to participants. You randomly choose the winner and no skills or activities are involved.
It’s a traditional marketing technique that creates a buzz around your brand and promotes your products while giving people the chance to win one.
The following statistics show why sweepstakes are investable:
- According to HubSpot, businesses that ran sweepstakes marketing campaigns gained around 34% new fans per contest
- 33% of contest participants say they’re open to receiving further information about the brand
- Almost 95% of participants share a promotion right after registering
Sweepstakes are unmatched in their ability to gain people’s attention because there’s “something in it” for the consumer, but there’s also something for you.
Advantages of sweepstakes:
- Powerful way to build a loyal community
- Provides many options for raising awareness about your business
- Can increase visitors to your business or website
- Encourage user-generated content — it gets people talking about your brand
- Proven to increase engagement rates and sales
So, if you want to engage your audience and encourage them to take action, running a sweepstake might be the perfect traditional marketing technique for you.
How to go about it?
- Establish your contest goals
- Develop your idea to suit your target market
- Select the prizes
- Set the rules
- Determine your start and end dates
- Pick your entry options
- Promote it via social channels
- Collect participant’s contact details
- Choose and announce your winners
- Follow up and keep selling
7. Referrals
Referrals involve encouraging your existing and past customers to tell others about your business and the benefits it provides.
Also known as word-of-mouth marketing, referrals are probably the best way of promoting your brand, and the following statistics back it up:
- 92% of people trust referrals from people they know
- 77% of people are more likely to purchase products when recommended by friends or family
- An Alignable.com survey found that 85% of business owners get customers through referrals
And the advantages don’t stop there.
Advantages of referrals:
- When people are happy with a brand, they’ll often promote it on their favorite social platforms
- Referrals are a great way to extend your marketing reach
- And are unparalleled in increasing your brand awareness
To encourage customers to refer your business to friends, family members, and online communities, you’ve got to give a little to gain a lot.
How to go about it?
- Create a customer loyalty program such as buy 4, get the 5th for free
- Provide special offers and discounts in return for referrals
- Offer existing customers a complimentary product
- Provide excellent customer service
8. Event-Specific Marketing
Event-specific marketing is a strategy where you interact face-to-face with your target audience, such as trade shows, seminars, and conferences.
But it can also suit small businesses and local sports events, tech talks, mini-festivals, or book clubs.
And people love them:
- A whopping 79% of U.S. marketers make sales using event-specific marketing
- 84% of people who visit events say they come away with a positive opinion about promoting the business, brand, service, or product
Advantages of event-specific marketing:
- Increases your brand and product exposure
- Provides local contacts for repeat brand messaging
- They’re great for collecting leads
- You can reach your target audience on a personal level
- You get to interact with your ideal customers
- Events generate business awareness, which can increase revenue
Every event is as unique as its target audience, so you must create and market your content to suit.
How to go about it?
- Determine why this event is important and what’s the key aim that will determine its success
- Figure out why people should people attend your event
- Next, outline your event goals and target audience
- Develop an event website/subdomain
- Create an invitation strategy (use social media channels)
- Collect attendee’s contact info and follow-up
9. Radio
Radio is my favorite traditional marketing techniquebecause you can tune in during your daily commute or at home.
Radio advertising consists of commercials between songs, news, and weather reports on AM, FM, and digital channels.
If you’re unsure whether you should invest in radio, check out these statistics:
- In 2020, 83% of Americans listened to the radio on average for 19 hours every week
- Research shows that radio is 20% more cost-effective for building a brand
- 64% of listeners respond to radio advertising
And businesses use radio for other reasons too. Here are several:
Advantages of radio:
- Radio has a vast demographic reach
- Enables you to use selective targeting
- It can be cost-effective
- Improves brand awareness
- It’s available to most people
- Provides measurable marketing results
- And you can use it with other marketing strategies
How to go about it?
Radio advertising falls into 4 categories:
- Live reads: When a radio DJ reads an advertisement live online.
- On-air personality: A broadcast announcer reads from scripted advertisement materials.
- Sponsorships: The station promotes a business that sponsors a radio segment, like traffic or weather.
- Produced spots: Incorporating dialogue, sound effects, background music, or a short, catchy jingle.
To choose the perfect time slot for advertising your business, contact a local radio station and ask for their audiences’ demographic data and media kit.
10. Transit Advertising
Another traditional marketing technique that never gets old is transit advertising.
It’s those advertisements you see on public transportation, such as trains, subways, buses, and taxis, or in public transport areas like bus stations and train platforms.
According to the American Public Transit Association (APTA), transit advertising reaches almost 83% of commuters on weekdays and 70% on weekends.
It works because you’ve got a captured audience, most of whom ride the same route daily. And the more they see your advertisements, the more familiar they’ll become with your brand.
Advantages of transit advertising:
- People can’t scroll past, change the channel, or block your advertisements like a digital or TV ad
- Unlike radio, transit advertising reaches passengers and drivers regardless of which station they listen to
- All demographics see your advertisements
- You have a variety of ad sizes, creatives, and locations to choose from
How to go about it?
- Start by selecting your transit advertising, such as on the side of a bus or in a taxi
- Choose your medium — you can use print or go digital, where people can scan your barcode to receive brand discounts and promotions
- Pick your advertising period (from when to when you want to run your ad)
- Contact a transit advertising agency
Interior ads vary from as little as $50-$120 per month per display, rising to $6,000 for larger advertisements on bus exteriors.
Conclusion
Marketing is an ever-changing entity that requires you to relearn and adapt.
Why not try some of these traditional (but very effective) marketing techniques and see which works best for you?
And remember: Review the results to ensure your marketing strategy generates tangible outcomes, increases sales, and maintains close-knit relationships with your customers.