Affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to earn money online, but online promotion can be a struggle, especially with so much competition from other marketers. If you’re trying to promote affiliate products but aren’t getting much success, it may be time to use some offline marketing strategies to maximize your profits. Following are some of the most common and effective ways to promote affiliate products offline.
- Business Cards
It’s one of the oldest methods of promotion, but business cards still have a place in today’s digital world. Getting business cards printed with your URL is also cheap and simple to achieve. Give them to people who may be interested in your products, or leave them at local businesses where your target market might be. It costs nothing but your time. Use a URL shortening service such as tinyurl.com or shorturl.comto simplify the web address.
2. Posters
Printing posters that feature your URL is relatively cheap. You can even print them at home if you have a good enough printer. Then it’s just a matter of placing the posters in the most advantageous locations, such as local community bulletin boards. This should get you a reasonable amount of Internet traffic from people who are more likely to buy.
3. Become a Member of a Local Business Association
Check with your local Chamber of Commerce to learn more about local organizations for businesses. After joining, you’ll have some great networking opportunities. You can build awareness of your affiliate marketing website and also strengthen your credibility.
4. Use Classified Ads in Local Newspapers
Classified ads in local newspapers have a wider audience than many online classified ad websites. Also try approaching specific industry publications that are relevant to the products and services you’re promoting. You’ll be targeting a more qualified audience from the outset, so you should be able to generate more quality leads. Include strong calls-to-action in your ad to maximize conversions.
5. Writing and Publishing Articles
Another offline promotion strategy that doesn’t require a website is article marketing. Approach local trade publications or national magazines connected to your niche business and offer to write an informative article based around your product or service. You can add your URL to the end of your article to gain even more qualified traffic.
6. Flyers
If you’re distributing flyers, try to ensure they look professional and attractive. If they reach the right people, you can get good conversions. If you’re on a tight budget, print the flyers at home. Try leaving them in stores, under windshield wipers, and on local bulletin boards. You could even hire people to distribute them in other areas of the country.
7. Promotional Merchandise
Make sure all of your offline marketing materials feature the specific URL you want to drive traffic to. The promotional items can include t-shirts, coffee mugs, mouse pads, bags, umbrellas, and stationery. It’s only really limited to your imagination. As well as distributing the merchandise at trade shows and conferences, you could even try a direct mail campaign, or give away prizes at a local event. Just be aware that the more useful and attractive the merchandise is, the more likely it is to be kept and used by the recipients.
8. QR Code Campaigns
QR codes – the black-and-white codes that people can scan with their smartphones – have fallen in popularity, but they can still be useful if you know where to use them. They also make it easier for consumers to check out your site, as people don’t have to type in a URL. To drive more traffic using QR codes, use posters in more populated areas of your community. You can even use them on promotional merchandise.
9. Your Car
Many people forget the free advertising space that is available every day on their car. You don’t have to have a large sign on the door; a small sticker placed in a prominent position with a few words and your URL is all it takes to attract potential customers. The best promotional spots are your back bumper, the front windshield, and next to your car’s brand name.
10. Talk to People
All of the previous strategies are used by marketing professionals every day all around the world because they’re relatively cheap and effective. One of the best and simplest ways to build awareness of your affiliate marketing program is to talk about your product to people you meet in everyday situations. Spread the word about your product and more people will talk about your product and recommend it to others.
The Bottom Line
The best offline advertising methods for affiliate marketing often come from more creative thinking. The more you experiment with different strategies, the more you’ll be able to see what works and what is a waste of time. In many ways though, it’s similar to online marketing – the key to success is finding the right prospects in the right place and at the right time. Essentially, it’s a numbers game – the more people you can drive to your URL, the more affiliate sales you’ll make. Just remember to track the results of each offline advertising method you use. This way, you can determine which methods give you the best return on your investment.
