Getting traffic to visit your website is always at the top of the ‘importance’ list for any website owner. Traffic means business, and business means money in your pocket. Web owners, though, tend to have a limited scope of vision when it comes to their website. Many times web owners think that generating traffic is only done through the internet. There are other methods, however, of getting your website noticed and getting visitors to your website—other than through internet marketing. These are off-line advertising methods.
Using business cards to promote your business off-line is an old, tried-and-true method of advertising your website. It is very inexpensive to print up business cards, and being a webmaster you can probably do this yourself. Of course, include the name of your web business and what it is about, making sure your website address s prominently featured on the card. Then hand them out to everyone-family, friends, and anyone you meet. Post them on bulletin boards. Post them in newspaper ads. Put them in ‘salesmen’s jars’ on business counters. Give them away freely and generously. The more people that see you have a web business and know your address means better word-of-mouth advertising that could result in more traffic to your website and more sales for you.
Another easy way to promote your web business off-line is through flyers. Again being a webmaster and using a simple art program you can probably make-up and design your own advertising flyers. Again make sure your website address is prominently displayed. You can pay to have your flyers inserted in newspaper hand-outs. You can post the flyers on bulletin boards. You can give flyers out at home shows. You can pay a child to deliver flyers around your city. There are many ways to use flyer advertising to get your web business noticed.
You can use promotional products to get your website address in front of people too. How about getting some pens with your web address printed on them? Pens are cheap and tend to pass from hand to hand quite often. You can get your web address printed on t-shirts or ball caps. Wear them about town and relish the questions that people will ask you about your website. Or offer them as give-away prizes for hockey team tournaments or other charity functions. You can have a magnetic sign printed with your web business and address on it, and stick it to your car as you drive about town.
The best way to promote your website off-line is to talk, talk, talk. Word-of-mouth has always been known to be the best form of advertising. Spread the word about your new website to everyone you meet—friends, family, acquaintances, the guy you meet at the coffee counter, the cop who stops you for speeding, the librarian at your local library—literally anyone you meet. The word is sure to get around. Who cares if you are known as someone who goes “off” at the mouth about your business? You will get your website noticed and be known for your passion about it.
No website can ever be successful without website traffic to bring about business. As a website owner you need to use every method you can to get visitors to your website. Using off-line marketing methods is one more way to help your website business become successful.
