Since the rise of technology, marketing has been digitised. Technologies such as e-commerce, online payments and artificial intelligence are being used to market and predict customer behaviour. If you are a small business, you can use traditional marketing methods to reach millions of people and save money.
Traditional marketing or ‘old school marketing’ is a form of marketing where the company’s interaction is directly between a company and its audience. In South Africa, the digital advertising sector is projected to grow up to $908,3 million by 2028.
As a small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) exploring old-school marketing techniques can help you stand out from the rest. In this article, we will explore the traditional marketing methods that you can explore for your business.
1. Business Cards
Business cards are a useful marketing tool even in today’s digital world. They are small and easy to carry around and contain all the information a customer needs on your business.
An advantage of business cards is that they are cheap to make. You can go to a printing shop and get them made or create your own using platforms like Canva.
You can also place your business cards in public areas and give them to potential customers. Additionally, you can add your social media accounts to the business card to grow your social media following.
2. Billboards
Billboards are everywhere. From highways to rural villages, you can find a billboard anywhere being used to advertise a business or a product. It’s estimated that in 2024, the Out-of-Home advertising sector is still a growing industry at R 2,9 million. This shows that advertisers are still seeing the value in this form of advertising.
As a small business, investing in billboard advertising can help showcase your business to many people at once. Billboard advertising costs between R10 000 to R90 000 per month.
A billboard in a highly populated area means that a vast amount of people see your business or products daily.
3. Flyers
Flyers are a great advertising tool because you can stick them almost anywhere. They are also relatively cheap to make and print.
As an SME you can utilise flyers to increase your brand awareness. If your business operates locally, you can hand out the flyers to potential customers. This makes it easier for people to associate your face with your business.
With the growth of digital marketing, flyers are a great way to advertise directly to people. This can give you an edge over the competition and increase customers and sales.
4. Taxi Branding
South Africa has over 250 000 taxis. Taxis carry about 15 million people per day. By branding a taxi with your business, you can advertise to many people at once.
Taxi branding, and other vehicle branding, is quite popular with small businesses. You can pay the taxi owner a fee and they will brand their taxis with your business logo, colours and details. Costs usually depend on how branded you want the taxi to be and the location you choose to advertise in.
Another advantage to taxi advertising is that you can stop advertising any time and you are guaranteed to get advertising worth your money.
5. Radio Advertising
Everyone is talking about podcasts but in South Africa, radio is still popular. More than 26,4 million South Africans listen to the radio a few times a week.
To advertise on radio, the costs are dependent on various factors like location, length and timeslot. For example, on IkweKwezi FM, a 30-seconds advert between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. (peak morning time) is R 2 730. It’s important to note that cheaper timeslots are available.
This is a cheap way to market and reach many people without spending a lot on advertising.
6. Giveaways
People love free stuff. By hosting a giveaway, you can pull customers into your store and attract new ones. Giveaways also increase sales because usually customers must buy something to get a free item.
As an SME, you might not be able to give away a lot of stock so you can make it a limited promotion. This is a great marketing tactic because it brings people into your store and makes them want to come back.
Additionally, giveaways provide your business with great publicity and positive word-of-mouth from existing customers to potential customers.
These are just a few examples of traditional marketing that work in South Africa. There are others including lamp post flyers, event marketing and direct mailing.
For more information on low-cost marketing, check out our article about Low-Cost Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses. You can also book an appointment with one of our experts via our advice page.
