We are all familiar with the myriad ways to market yourself
and your business online. We use forums,
advertising sites – free and paid, social networking, email, etc.
Sometimes we forget that prior to the internet, people
marketed their businesses in a variety of offline ways.
This weekend, I was a “vendor” at a bazaar. I set up an attractive table showing my
product – in my case, flyers and brochures, since I sell a service, not a
tangible item to display. I also had a
large, colorful tri-fold display board to attract attention of shoppers.
Network marketers who use this “old fashioned” way to market
their products usually do not expect to make sales at the event, but rather
they get prospective customers with whom they will follow up later or
distribute brochures and flyers to simply get their name and company name into
the community.
At this particular event, the organization holding it did
very little advertising, so attendance was very low. Even with the small number of shoppers,
several stopped at my table to ask questions and picked up brochures and
flyers.
Over the next few days or weeks, I expect a couple prospects
will contact me for additional information or to enroll in one of our
services. OR, they will pass the
brochure along to someone they know who might benefit by our service, and that
person will contact me.
Of course, I had hoped for better attendance, but I was not
very disappointed, because a few people will know Xpress Healthcare or my
name. Then in a month or two when they
get a toothache, they will remember that brochure they picked up. Then, they may join our dental plan.
I have also used another old-fashioned marketing
method. I have distributed flyers in
various places around my town. In fact,
a few weeks ago, a gentleman called me inquiring about my business
opportunity. He had found my flyer on a
grocery store bulletin board. That
gentleman is now on team.
We talk about “network marketing” all the time, but more
often than not, we are referring to doing so online. I recently joined a local organization of
home business owners – the group who hosted the event over the weekend. It is a group of nice people who help and
support one another in their business endeavors. If I know or meet someone who loves costume
jewelry, I know a woman in the group to whom I would refer them person. If I meet a man who loves grilling, I would
give them the name of a gentleman in the group who sells unique grilling tools
and marinades. I also expect that when
one of the other members thinks of someone who spends too much on their
prescriptions, they will contact me.
The more methods we use to “expose ourselves,” the more our
businesses will grow. Using the various
methods of online marketing, we certainly reach more people than we are likely
to reach offline. However, that does not
mean we should abandon the tried and true offline methods – business cards,
mailings, flyers and direct local selling.
They too have their place in today’s high-tech society.
