Promoting Social Media SME's Offline

The latest trend for Social Media SME's is to advertise their businesses online...yet there's a massive potential in advertising these firms offline...here's 5 ways to do so

1) Integrate your web presence into offline advertising

Jeweler Samuel Gordon ran this full-page magazine ad in a local publication. It includes the company Twitter account, Facebook Page, iPhone App and a QR code for its Android App.

The folks at Martin Flyer linked to their website with a QR code on their ad in InStyle Magazine. You can learn more about using QR codes for small business marketing here.

2) Make traditional business cards online-friendly

Maria Todd, the CEO of Mercury Healthcare, frequently speaks to associations and healthcare professionals. She includes a special tracer code on her business cards and Facebook Fan Page that gives those who use the code a 25% discount on future webinars, seminars and speaking engagements. In order to view her schedule, you need to visit her Facebook Fan Page.

Social media-friendly business cards give others more options for connecting with you. At appbistro, employees add Twitter handles to their business cards. “It’s simple, but when people want to reconnect with you, it’s always there as a reminder,” says Heath Black, the owner of this card.

3)  Use your vehicle as a billboard

BumperTwit will help you turn your car into a billboard for your Twitter account for $7.

Jay Ducote runs a blog called biteandbooze.com about food trucks in Baton Rouge. “The Baton Rouge food truck scene is emerging, and [trucks] heavily use social media to promote where they are located at any given time,” he says. “In order to increase their social media following, they all promote their social media accounts on their trucks.”

4) Integrate online components into offline events

BestSmallBizHelp.com invited small business owners to come together to blog about each others’ companies. It named the shindig a “blog party.” For details on how to start your own, see its website.

H20 Audio took photos and short videos of people using its waterproof headphones at a promotional event. They posted the images in a Facebook gallery and then directed everyone at the event to the brand’s Facebook Page to vote for favorites. People who were out of town could also submit photos online.

5) Get creative

To promote his reflective bike tape business, Brent Thomas sends postcards with a QR code that may link to videos, pictures or his website.

Thomas also organized a scavenger hunt to promote his product. He announced the hunt on his blog, hid free BikeWrappers all around the city, and disclosed their locations over Twitter. The first one was found 20 minutes after the first Tweet.

ItsMyURLs.com co-founder Mukhtar Mohamed wore some hi-tech bling (yes, that’s an iPad) to demo the profile aggregator website in Harvard Square, Mass.

So what do you think? Any other suggestions on offline advertising for SME's? Do let us know