There are a number of ways that you can market your business online, that's for sure; but have you ever considered using offline methods as well? When used in a certain way, you can get lots of visitors to your site without a lot of extra work involved.
Offline marketing does not only involve advertising in newspapers, the Yellow Pages TV and radio. There are a lot of other avenues you can explore that don't involve a lot of expense, or a lot of hassle.
If you can find some time during the weekend while you are doing your regular errands to get some flyers and business cards printed up, you will be set for the next step, which involves merely posting them in high traffic areas as you go about your business.
Here are some ideas for places you can put these advertisements to increase traffic to your website.
Offline Marketing Idea # 1: Leave Business Cards in Grocery Stores.
Most grocery stores have a bulletin board where you can hang up your flyer, or a special business card rack where you can put your card. There are many advertisements put there, and people do actually read them.
These are great high traffic area to promote your business because a lot of people have to wait for a taxi or some type of pickup after they have finished shopping for their groceries. These boards are usually placed in an area where people will linger waiting for their pickup, and if they are bored they will glance at what you have to offer.
Everybody needs to buy groceries, including you, so why not take one with you when you go shopping and stick it up on the board. It definitely won't hurt, and your next great customer may appear at your site by using this method.
Offline Marketing Idea # 2: Leave Business Cards in Medical Offices.
Medical offices are a great place to leave some material because almost anybody waiting reaches for something to read. You can put one of your business cards inside a magazine, and when somebody reads it, the card will probably come tumbling out. This means that the person actually has to physically touch the card and they will probably look at it to see what it has to say. If they're not interested, they'll either place it back in a magazine or put it back on the table for another potential customer to find.
If you have flyers, you can do the same thing with them. If you don't want to put them in a magazine, simply leave a few on the table for people to see. You're getting a lot of exposure this way, and a lot of these people may not frequent the Internet too often.
Offline Marketing Idea # 3: Stick Business Cards in Library Books.
The library is a great place to leave your business cards. You just need to wander over to the section that offers books on your specific topic and stick a few cards in. You will be hitting a target market this way.
If you don't go to libraries too often, you can probably find a friend or family member that does. This method only involves a few minutes of extra time, and can be quite effective at finding new customers.
This method does not reach as many people as the previous two methods listed above, but it is the targeting here that is important.
Offline Marketing Idea # 4: Make Up a Box of Promotional Materials.
If you want to go a bit further with this method, get some promotional materials ordered online, personalized with your site and logo. Promotional materials you could consider are pencils, magnets and stickers. Leave some of these hanging around as you do your day-to-day business and someone is sure to pick them up.
Offline Marketing Idea # 5: Decorate Your Car.
It doesn't cost much to get a small simple logo painted on your car, and if you can’t afford an expensive one you can get one of these cheap ones done while you're building up your business. It makes sense to advertise your site while you are driving around.
Just think about all the times you're stuck in traffic, looking around to keep yourself occupied and prevent yourself from falling asleep. The other drivers are doing this as well, and your site painted on your car will stand out to them. Why not pick up a few customers while you're waiting in traffic?
Another thing you can do is get a bumper sticker made. You can even do this with your own printer. If you don't want to do it yourself then you can ask your printer to make one up. Bumper stickers work best if they are done in bold colors and big print.
Sometimes online marketers forget that there is a whole other world out there involving people that don't use computers too often. Some of your potential customers aren't even aware that there are Internet sites specifically based on your topic.
You can use these ideas to help find new prospects in the offline world. Most of them are very easy to do, and don't require too much extra thought or activity on your part. Use them to your advantage and find some great new customers. |
