Promote
Offline Promotion
Search engines and pay per click promotions may be the best way of generating visitors to your website but the cheapest and most effective is often overlooked - including your web address in all your real world promotions. The offline world has a lot of influence - why do you think so many TV ads include the web address of the company.
The bottom line is: every time someone sees your company name, they should also see your web address and contact details. So here’s a checklist of places to advertise your website offline.
- Company letterhead and branded envelopes. You can also include web addresses and links in the ‘signature’ of emails.
- Brochures about you and your company.
- Your own CV.
- Newspaper advertisements – you don’t need full page spreads. Depending on your business, inexpensive lineage ads that feature every week can pay for themselves many times over.
- Printed newsletters, sent to clients.
- Short ‘adverts’ at the end of voicemail or answering-machine messages: “Thanks for calling, and be sure to visit my website at www.yourbusiness.com!”
- Fax cover sheets (many people miss this one).
- Local bulletin boards in supermarkets, shopping centres, dry cleaners and so on. Take care to ensure your flyers look professional and catch the eye. Put your company’s name, a few words about what you do, and your web address, email address and phone number. Keep a supply of flyers in your car, so that if you pass a notice board you’ve got one handy.
- Magnetic car signs – most office supply companies will happily make these for you at very reasonable prices.
- Business/Free directories – A quarter page ad in a free monthly magazine can only say so much. Send interested readers to a specific page on your website. www.yourbusiness.com/specialoffers.htm
- Mousepads. Send clients branded mousepads, or include them as gifts when you send out Christmas or birthday cards.
- T-shirts, given away as gifts or freebies. It’s great to see your company name, logo and website walking around town! Plain t-shirts with a one-colour design aren’t very expensive, and it’s a terrific way to create brand awareness.
- Business cards – a classic and still relevant in today’s digital age!
- Premises – if people are passing your premises but don’t have time to drop in, make sure your web address and email details can be seen, so they can get in touch with you later.