Promoting Your Online Business Offline
You're probably already aware of the huge amount of marketing that goes into promoting your business on the internet. The focus naturally turns toward search engines, link exchanges and banner impressions, all in an effort to get your site noticed and drive traffic to your door. But you can't be online all the time, can you? To be successful in any type of business, you have to always be selling - whether its a sales business or a service business, always be selling either your product or your services, and that's 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your ad and link campaigns will work for you while you sleep, but there's another component of internet marketing that you may be missing out on - the offline promotions of online businesses.
There was a recent local website that launched pretty big and placed the little white signs at nearly every street corner in Fraser and Clinton Township. You couldn't miss them and you couldn't help your eyes being drawn to them as you sat at the light waiting to proceed. They were really simple signs with just their web address printed on bright white card stock, but their URL was burned into my brain for weeks after. At one point, they all disappeared, and then they would pop up again - I'm guessing that they violated some rule about advertising and they were ordered to remove them, but as dedicated guerilla marketers go, it was worth the risk because the impact the signs made in that short time, outweighed the risks, and whatever fees they may have had to pay was surely less than that amount of exposure would have cost them in the traditional methods of advertising. Now I'm certainly not advocating that anyone break the law, but I was impressed at how quickly they covered and concentrated their market, and that likely translated into hundreds of new customers.
Find out what your communities rules are regarding posting signs and consider having a batch of old fashioned flyers and yard signs made up that announce your online business. Make sure the words are clear and visible to a person passing by in a car, so that they don't have to squint to read it and risk an accident.
Business cards are still a most valuable marketing tool because you have the opportunity to market to everyone, not just those with a computer. Not only can you hand them to people you pass during the day, but you can stick them on bulletin boards, include them in mailers, and even drop them in bowls at restaurants and diners to win a free meal AND have your card prominently displayed for a week or two. Try to move beyond the plain, static black and white cards. There are so many options out there today, for business cards that will really wow your audience and reflect what your business is really about in its sheer presentation. Be creative, go for high impact color, even cartoons - and be sure to put your URL on the card. Don't let your card get tossed in a purse or a desk drawer, make it a card that people want to read and keep around and share with others.
Think about how many hours per day you spend in your car - how many people do you think read your license plate in one day? It's a natural habit of drivers to read your plate when they're behind you on the road, but that information doesn't stick, its just their eyes automatically scanning the back of your car and taking in that little bit of useless data. I found the coolest product to take advantage of that advertising space on the back of your car - they're called I.D. It! Plates, and they're sleek gold or chrome letters that read your name and/or website across the back of your car. Very classy and sophisticated looking, and less gaudy than those magnetic vinyl signs that look like you're driving a company car. I love the mystery of these that emblazon your website in the viewer's mind and then they've got to get to a computer to see who and what it all means. Check out I.D. It! Plates - they're under $50 and delivery is FREE.
Another tip for offline promotions is to be aware of opportunities to donate within your community - its a great way to assist and at the same time, get a little bit of publicity for your company. Be on the alert for schools or churches seeking donations for projects - usually they will ask for either money or items purchased in the form of gift cards, or toy drives, etc. They will publish the names of the donors and there you have achieved a double bonus of goodwill and exposure, at very little cost and sometimes free.
These are just a few of the ways you can create buzz for your online business by working it offline. I'm sure you will be able to pinpoint many more once you are tuned into this way of thinking.
For more great tips on marketing and promotion, visit www.brokeentrepreneurs.com.
Return to Articles list