Which Offline Marketing Methods Would You Recommend?

[Allegrif]

I'm a web designer. A lot of my clients are older sole traders who often don't even have a PC or smartphone, so obviously there's only so far I can go with online marketing. I tend to get these clients through word of mouth from clients I won online. Which offline methods would you recommend to catch these first time?

So far I've stocked up on business cards, dropped a few leaflets and took out a cheap ad in the local weekly paper, but I've seen little success from this. What else could I try?

 

[LucidCaledonia]

Direct contact with businesses that you know do not have a web presence. You can locate business then lookup to see if they have an existing website/social media profile etc.

 

[Steve Gibson]

It depends, what's your target market and how would hiring you benefit them, compared to hiring your competitors?

 

[St Rhenium]

Direct contact with businesses that you know do not have a web presence. You can locate business then lookup to see if they have an existing website/social media profile etc.

I second this. A lot of people don't like cold calling or dropping targeted leaflets etc, but sometimes it just has to be done. At the end of the day if you're providing a genuinely good service then a business you manage to win over will be glad to have found you anyway.

 

[saltire]

If your looking for ideas for marketing the map attached has been invaluable for me.

It's built like a London underground map and is amazing. It always gets me thinking about new ideas to try

Here's their web address as well >>> http://www.marketing-map.co.uk/

 

[MapleTree]

Word of mouth has been the best thing for my business. The only advice I can give is to get talking to people. Say you get talking to Gary the local pub owner and he says he knows of someone that could do with a website - the more you do that, the more the cycle just continues. I feel like there is always someone who knows someone that could do with the service you provide.

 

[Allegrif]

Word of mouth has been the best thing for my business. The only advice I can give is to get talking to people. Say you get talking to Gary the local pub owner and he says he knows of someone that could do with a website - the more you do that, the more the cycle just continues. I feel like there is always someone who knows someone that could do with the service you provide.

That's what separates a lot of successful business owners/sole traders from the unsuccessful. Charisma and confidence make up for a large proportion of a business' success in my opinion.

 

[MapleTree]

That's what separates a lot of successful business owners/sole traders from the unsuccessful. Charisma and confidence make up for a large proportion of a business' success in my opinion.

I completely agree. Confidence and charisma play a huge part in making a business successful.