Offline Advertising: Why eLearning Needs It?
Some mistakenly believe that eLearning businesses, because they are “online”, can get all their new students exclusively via digital marketing methods. This belief couldn't be further from the truth. To profit as an eLearning business, you'll need to find targeted prospects and traditional offline advertising methods excel in this area. Let's look at online and offline advertising strategies.
Don't Neglect Business Banners And Signs
Signs and banners never go out of style because they're useful for businesses. Signs and banners appeal to people's innate sense of curiosity. eLearning companies attract informational contacts combining online with your offline marketing strategies, especially in areas where potential students exist in large numbers.
Business banners and signs are affordable and easily customizable. You can have just about whatever message you want to be printed on them, so branding is a must. In fact, eLearning businesses benefit greatly from branding in the right places using this traditional tactic.
Vinyl banner printing remains a stalwart for eLearning businesses because of its efficient. These banners have the added advantage of mobility. eLearning companies use vinyl banners when they travel to trade shows and recruiting opportunities. Having a booth at an established venue with attractive vinyl banners in place raises the right kind of attention.
Offline Advertising Methods Still Have Merit
Good old-fashioned offline advertising methods like newspaper ads or radio and TV spots still have the potential for delivering prospects. Over the years, as the popularity of digital marketing options soared, many organizations learned to neglect these areas of their marketing plan. That's a mistake because the targeting improved drastically. TV and radio advertising is no longer wasteful as it was during its heyday. Advertisers can quickly drill down to find the exact demographics they desire, which is ideal for an eLearning company looking for students.
These days, creating brand awareness is crucial and should involve offline and online advertising methods. In the last five years, the rise of social media has made combining online with your offline marketing strategies an absolute necessity. There're no signs that fact is about to change. In fact, the highest conversion rates are possible for those who effectively use omnichannel marketing across digital and traditional platforms consistently.
Discover Highly Targeted Leads
Targeted marketing done across the full spectrum of available media channels is highly efficient and affordable. As your campaigns go wider the blended cost per conversion for acquiring an eLearning student which is one of the highest costs you face decreases. Cast your net across all possible channels and you're more likely to capture prospects at a price you can afford. This fact may seem counterintuitive, but it explains why the largest companies advertise everywhere possible. When prospects see your message across more than one channel, like hearing a radio ad and then liking your Facebook page, you have multiple opportunities to close the sale.
Once you learn how to promote eLearning, you will never suffer from a shortage of new revenue. Smart marketers have a balanced view of the marketing opportunities available to them. They care mostly about acquiring new leads at a rate that makes sense. That almost always boils down to spreading the right message to the best prospects at the most opportune time. Accomplishing that takes a consistent omnichannel effort that uses available advertising resources including offline and local, mobile, and online.
The Benefits Of Expanding Your Marketing Horizons
1. The blended cost to acquire new students lowers as you extend your message across channels.
Acquiring new customers is always expensive. When you target ideal prospects across a variety of marketing platforms, your cost per lead reduces. Once you set a goal for how many new students you plan on bringing in, it's relatively easy to plot a consistent marketing strategy that gets you students at a price that meets your budget.
2. Your branding gains impact as you repeat your message.
If you target ideal students on several platforms, your brand will be much more recognizable to them. Branding is crucial when it comes time for them to select a provider. You have a unique opportunity to repeat and reinforce your message at the times when it has the most effect. Printed materials, like handouts or giveaway materials, are another way to keep your brand inexpensively in the mind of your prospects. Branding can happen online, but it's even easier to do with banners, signs, and various printed materials that people collect.
Final Thoughts
It takes an all-out effort to get your marketing mix right. You'll need to monitor and track your results every step of the way. Don't prejudge anything, either. Trust your data and follow the advice your conversion rate is giving you! Once you have all the pieces of the plan working together, you will make slight adjustments when they're needed.
There's no question that the rise of social media marketing means you'll need to master your social duties. However, there's no good reason to neglect any tried and proven methods for something new and shiny! Add all of the best elements of winning marketing into one cohesive, ongoing campaign and you'll never have a shortage of new students again. These are fantastic times for marketing, especially for an eLearning business.
