What Is Physical Marketing and Is It Right For Nonprofits?

Call it old school. Call it the good ole days of marketing. Call it what you want, but physical marketing refers to any type of marketing tactic in non-digital in the marketing world. The flyer to your social media post. The billboard to your website banner. The direct mail piece to your email campaign.

Somewhere along the way, as social media exploded and digital marketing found its place in the world, physical marketing became obsolete for many. Nonprofits thought it was no longer necessary, and since the cost of digital marketing (then) was almost zero, it was a win-win.

Until it wasn't.

The digital marketing world has become so saturated and as much of a pay-to-play game as everything else. So, it makes sense to see businesses (and nonprofits) jumping back into the physical marketing realm.

Is it right for nonprofits? I say yes. The most effective nonprofit marketing campaigns combine digital marketing and physical marketing cohesively and strategically. But how? 

Create Something Unique

Being unique has become crucial to modern marketers, with loads of organizations trying the same methods and making audiences bored. This means that you can gain a lot of ground by showing customers something they haven't seen before. 

Whether this is a flyer that has been cut in a unique way or a billboard that looks nothing like one they've seen before, working to build something that stands out like this can be a challenge. Looking at the work of other marketing designers can be a good way to help yourself through this process.

While it's in the for-profit space, the Domino's campaign of physical marketing that involved putting their logo on actual roads where potholes had been fixed was brilliant. It took a problem (messy pizzas being delivered), blamed nature (not the drivers), and launched a brilliant marketing campaign to fix the problem. 

Experiment With New Tactics

When we talk about flyers, brochures, posters, or gift bags, we tend to groan. Yet, we've likely all been a part of organizations that have boxes of these items tucked away in corners of the office, reminding us that sometimes creativity strikes out. 

When embracing a digital marketing strategy that includes physical marketing, it's critical to experiment with new tactics. This is one of the reasons I love (and preach constantly) about the importance of marketing audits. 

If you've forgotten what you tried a few years ago or never really measured the results of last year's efforts, how will you know when it's time to experiment with something new or stick it out and let the efforts have time to work? 

For instance, before you turn back to printing hundreds of flyers and posting them in your library or Panera, consider a billboard campaign. Billboard advertising is not reserved for lawyers or dentists! Create a creative campaign around your latest programs or services. Launch a testimonials drive to collect powerful stories and share those in a big way - literally. 

Products like Allvision billboards can make it very easy to turn your message into a landmark that people will remember and talk about with the people around them. 

Final Thoughts

Finding the right mix of digital and physical marketing can be challenging for any organization, let alone those like nonprofits who are likely more concerned with how they'll deliver programs and services to everyone who needs them than growing an audience. 

However, the most successful nonprofits prioritize consistent messaging, think creatively when it comes to growing an audience, and devote the resources to measuring the results, making adjustments, and experimenting with new ideas. 

Until next time,

Andrea

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One Nine Design is a digital marketing company helping nonprofits learn how to use their website and email list to grow their reach and make a bigger impact!