The business flow is always demanding. People in the marketing department of a new company must be vigilant to be aware of rapidly changing marketing trends and consumer behavior. This needs to be backed up with creativity and lots of clever advertising tactics. Among a number of challenges a startup faces, competition from established counterparts and other new players entering the market can pose a threat. Therefore, it is imperative that a startup is more considerate with its marketing and advertising techniques.

A decent online marketing strategy is essential for a brand to stand out. However, digital marketing is not the only way to attract customer attention. There are powerful offline advertising strategies that provide better brand recognition and consumer response. If you haven’t considered going offline, jumpstart your startup with the following five mantras:

1. Outdoor advertising: outdoor advertising is primarily intended to publicize your business. There are a number of contact points that you can expose your business to to the public, such as billboards, taxis and commercial vehicles, bus exteriors, etc. Of these, putting up billboards in high-traffic areas of a city is a significant way to attract attention. Digital billboards score even higher on the attention meter. While getting billboard space isn’t easy and reasonable, it’s worth it given the type of brand exposure it provides. Stroll around town and you’ll find McDonald’s, Subway, Pepsi, and telecommunications company advertisements shining on billboards.

2. Flyers, brochures and catalogs: They look like fairly old ads. Yet they get results. What you have to be careful with is not to lose creativity. Rather, try to put some exceptional creativity into these printed materials. Brochures should be in the form of informational infographics to seamlessly grab readers’ attention. Some marketing gurus underestimate this form of advertising in this internet age, but remember; there are people who greet with joy and read “glossy papers” (as they are colloquially called flyers and pamphlets). Brochures, brochures, and catalogs have a unique audience and don’t bother much on the expense sheet. Cosmetics giants such as Lakme and Oriflame use this form of advertising and profit from it.

3. Trade Shows: Participating in trade shows is another potential way to improve brand recognition and lead creation. Trade shows provide a great platform to showcase your product range, target a specific audience stratum, sell the products, and create leads in a few days. Discounts and free samples offered during the trade show will get people closer to your brand. Trade shows are also a great way to boost a business through word of mouth, as happy customers captured at a trade show are sure to talk about the brand / product with others on your social network.

4. Paper Cup Advertising: Paper cup advertising outperforms many other offline advertising techniques. This is probably the only form of offline advertising technique that offers undivided brand exposure. While other offline and even online ads have considerable chances of going unnoticed, this form of advertising promises high engagement from the target audience. A paper cup can be used to print an advertisement. This can include a company logo, contact number, website address, a key phrase, a call to action sometimes accompanied by a discount coupon code for a product or service, etc. An easy-to-carry mug becomes an effective advertisement on the go, as it is tailored to the essential part of the message a business intends to convey.

Why does paper cup advertising promise full user engagement?

Paper cups are common in corporate offices, restaurants, school and university cafeterias, small food establishments, etc. In all the places where these glasses are used, people are destined to spend time while consuming their drinks or maybe even water. Everyone spends their time having a cup of coffee or a cold drink. It is not like this? So if a mug in your hand is adorned with eye-catching graphics and sharp words that represent a company’s goal, it will surely be noticed. With paper cup advertising, the exposure time of a brand and its message is high. It is within this period of time that the advertisement on the paper cup actually plays its role.

How can a startup use it?

The printed paper cups can be distributed in popular places such as corporate offices, food places, restaurants, shopping stores, school and university canteens, etc. where they are likely to come in contact with many people the ad is targeting. However, it is recommended to consult an expert mug advertising team for a successful campaign. Startups like Scripbox (investment consultants), NestAway (a company that provides houses for tenants), Chillr (a money transfer app), etc. have consulted with GingerCup to take advantage of advertising on paper cups.

5. Branded merchandise: Away from the din of other marketing techniques, a startup can make optimal use of branded merchandise. In that context, the company logo or a liner to increase its impact can be printed on useful small products such as pens, newspapers, mouse pads, etc. that can be distributed at charity events and donated to local organizations. By doing this, a company projects itself in a positive light and reaps greater long-term benefits.

Therefore, the advantages of offline advertising are manifold. You just have to start it up and start the ball to start it up.