This is a guest post from Manon Ghadawala.
These days, business owners spend a lot of their time on the internet. Many do not have actual space for office and spend their time looking for digital marketing strategies and making digital products. You might feel like you are working in a void when you run an online store, even if the work is very rewarding. You may not ever talk to colleagues or even your consumers besides over the phone and through email. Does this imply that face to face marketing has no place in e-commerce marketing?
The answer is: no, it is not so. In fact, digital business owners can profit from face to face marketing as much as a business owner with a physical store can.
What is Face-to-Face Marketing and Why Does It Matter?
Face-to-face marketing applies to any situation where you sell your business to a group or an individual. You get to look at your customers in the eye as you offer your angle or connect with them on an individual level. For example, you may meet someone at a grocery store. They may ask what you do and you say that you create online photography classes for enthusiastic.
The conversation might change at this point. However, if the other person is into photography, they may ask questions about your online class. You can offer your website address or business card where that individual could discover more about your class. This is an instance of spontaneous face to face marketing. You get benefits of this opportunity to let them know about your store and the products you sell online.
So, how does face to face marketing matter? Think back to the time you last went to a retail store. You were unsure what you were looking for but you had a basic idea. You may experience more frequently when you buy electronics. They may know they have come here to buy a tablet, for example, but they don’t know what features will be most beneficial to them. In a brick-and-mortar store, you are checking the collection out, perusing the details of every product, and the price tag also. Eventually, a store representative shows up, asking if you need help.
You accept their offer gratefully and they explain what the tablet is all about and if it meets your demands. The representative might also suggest a few other models that could be suitable for you. You are grateful for their help and it helps you choose, and thus, more prone to buy that tablet right away.
Why does this happen? It is because a personal connection was established between you two. Maybe they shared a joke with you and answered all your questions. All of these things are face to face communication advantages. It just does not always have to happen in a physical store. Therefore, face-to-face marketing matters because it’s a totally diverse experience from digital marketing. You can meet prospects who otherwise would not have known about your online business, and you can address issues and pain points to boost the chances of a sale.
Now, let us look at some of the benefits of face-to-face marketing.
Benefits of Face-to-Face Marketing
Here are some of the benefits of face to face marketing.
- Produce Better ROI
Imagine you visit a restaurant for the first time and the food and wait staff impress you so much that when a friend later asks your recommendation for a restaurant, this one immediately comes to your mind. You recommend this restaurant because of the awesome experience you had. This is called word-of-mouth marketing. When someone likes a particular product or service, they are likely to tell everyone they know about it.
A similar concept works for face-to-face marketing for your online business. When you meet people, you can create an experience that leaves a positive impact on them. After the person becomes a consumer, you deliver an amazing digital product that meets their requirements. Then, awed by your service, they will talk about your product to other people.
- Event Causes Your Audience to Come You
You probably already know that online marketing becomes more challenging over time. It’s not a waste of time surely, but online business owners are finding it more difficult to find audiences organically. Face-to-face marketing takes away the scalability aspect that affects several small businesses. Events can bring you more customers directly than just waiting for customers to find you through customer referrals, search engines, and social media.
We can take the example of our photographer again. They can attend a convention or show for photographers. When they put themselves in those events, they expose themselves to many potential customers.
- Build Credibility and Relationships
Relationships are what make up a business. The best business owners know that generating relationships with their customers and prospects can enhance customer acquisition and retention. You can consider your own relationship with your local business. You may have been going to the same bakery for the last ten years and you can’t even think about going anywhere else because you’re very satisfied with their products and service. Developing similar relationships with customers online is possible.
- Make Yourself More Noticeable and Available
People prefer it when businesses make themselves accessible. The people you help also demand those things. If you are incapable to convey on their expectations, you’ll possibly lose a buyer. You can utilize face-to-face marketing to ease your prospects’ concerns. Tell them that you are both available and reliable so that they feel more relaxed buying your product or service. Face-to-face marketing makes you additionally more noticeable. This is particularly valid if you talk at an event or associate in its construction.
- Communicate More Efficiently
For many businesspeople, interacting in person proves far more comfortable than interacting online. When we communicate in person, we appear more sincere and more natural than when we communicate online, especially through text. They can see your body language, facial expression, and the way you present yourself. Moreover, listening to your voices makes them fully appreciate what you are saying based on delivery.
Summary
You can profit from face to face marketing in various ways. You can produce more ROI, profit from an identified audience, build relationships with potential and prevailing customers, increase your reliability, and interact more efficiently.
Manan Ghadawala is the founder of 21Twelve Interactive which is one of the best mobile app development company in India and the USA. He is an idealistic leader that thrives by raising the company’s growth with his talents. His company is also recognized by the Top Mobile App Development Companies. Follow him on Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn
