No matter what type of business you operate, branding is critical. Used to reflect your brand and differentiate your company from its competitors, effective branding is essential to your commercial success.

When branding is done well, it raises awareness of your business amongst your target audience and builds between existing customers and your organisation. With the right branding, people will automatically associate certain values, feelings and actions with your logo, custom typography, corporate colours and imagery.

While the internet provides some branding opportunities, offline marketing is one of the most effective ways to strengthen your brand. Whether you’re launching a new enterprise, growing your business or entering a new market; offline branding can help you to achieve your goals.

With this in mind, we’ve collated some of the most effective offline branding opportunities for you to try. If you want to expand your customer base and increase engagement, take a look at these offline branding opportunities now…

Trade shows offer a unique opportunity to showcase your brand to industry peers and your target market. As well as networking with other industry leaders, you can interact with your potential customer base directly.

At exhibitions, conferences and trade shows, you have a platform to display your company’s USPs. From the staff who represent your business to the products and services you’re highlighting; every aspect of your brand is on show.

Typically, trade shows and exhibitions give companies the opportunity to rent space. In order to maximise the impact of your presence, it’s important to use this space to reflect your brand. With roller banners, stands and displays, for example, you can convey the essence of your brand via design, imagery and typography.

If you’re looking for something high impact, projection mapping could be a great opportunity to get people talking about your brand. This involves projecting your artwork or designs on to a backdrop of your choice. To garner widespread attention, companies often use well-known buildings, monuments or edifices.

While projection mapping doesn’t create a long-term branding opportunity, it does have a significant impact on your audience. With custom artwork and clever placement, you’ll have people talking about your brand for months.

Many business owners don’t consider the potential impact speaking opportunities can have on their brand. Unless they’re directly approached by an event organiser, most entrepreneurs overlook the benefits that speaking in public can have on their business.

The majority of speaking opportunities arise at industry events, so you may not be engaging with your target customer base directly. However, this doesn’t minimise the branding opportunities available to you. By establishing yourself as a speaker, you gain credibility within your industry. This invariably reflects positively on your business and, as a result, your brand becomes seen as a reputable industry leader.

To make the most of the branding benefits at speaking opportunities, deliver your presentation in person and provide attendees with a physical copy to take away with them. The style and format of your presentations and binding will reflect your brand, while the content will inspire, motivate and engage readers.

Often seen as a traditional form of marketing, the impact of large format posters and billboards should never be overlooked. It’s estimated that at least 90% of the information we process is visual, which is partly why billboards and posters work so well. With the opportunity to reflect your brand on a large-scale, you can give your audience the critical brand information they need in the format they are most likely to retain it in.

While many people assume that large format posters and billboards don’t offer targeted marketing opportunities, this isn’t the case. By choosing strategic placements, you can use location-based targeting and even demographic targeting to maximise the impact of your offline advertising.

Fortunately, this type of branding is suitable for any company. From B2B firms and B2C enterprises; luxury brands and budget outlets; you’ll find there are valuable branding opportunities to be found on billboards and large format posters up and down the country.

The rise of email marketing has led many businesses to shy away from sending direct mail. Unfortunately, this means they’re missing out on the increased brand awareness, improved engagement and enhanced sales that direct mail offers.

When you send mail directly to your target audience, you’re giving them something that online marketing can never recreate; the opportunity to feel your brand. From the luxurious texture of linen substrates to tactile raised ink; direct mail connects you to your customer base like nothing else.

Foil embossing, gilded edges and ultraviolet varnish can give your marketing materials a custom quality and unique appearance. With innovative print methods, such as glow in the dark ink or embossing, you can capture your brand perfectly and convey your USPs with ease.

People sometimes assume that branding occurs when a business is first launched but this isn’t the case. While branding should certainly begin before your company starts trading, it doesn’t end when your enterprise is established. In fact, effective branding needs to occur on an ongoing basis.

To ensure your company continues to be associated with your bespoke qualities, values and identity, branding needs to be reinforced at every opportunity. From staff uniforms and on-site displays to promotional materials and guerrilla marketing tactics; you can increase the impact of your brand in a variety of different ways.

At IPW1, we understand the importance of successful branding, which is why we offer superior print services. With a wide range of promotional and marketing materials on hand, we can create the perfect branding tools for your business.

To find out more about the range of offline branding opportunities available, contact IPW1 today on 020 7437 3200.