by Bruce David
If you read the gospel according to most online marketing gurus, you can best promote your online business through a variety of free webservices such as search engine submissions, free-for-all links,classified ad sites and so on. While there is a strong element of truth in those methods, they do not tell the whole story.What I taught as a marketing instructor at Cleveland State Universitya few years ago still holds true today - you need to create a consistent effort using a targeted media mix where each effort reinforces itself. The key phrase: "marketing mix." Or, put another way, Don't Put all Your Eggs Into One Basket. Online marketers have discovered they need traditional media in order to drive prospects to their sites. While many are relying on radio and television to support their marketing efforts;overlooking print outlets can be a mistake. Another key here is to always test whichever media you are using for its effectiveness with different groups you are targeting.
Radio, for instance, is a tough way to go for a few simple reasons. Radio is heard by the majority of people while driving to and from work each day. There is a lot of competition for the mind during that time (car phones, traffic, billboards, applying makeup) and unless you have a very simple web address or if it is an extension of an already well known brand name, it's darn hard to recall that address at a later time. Much of the same theory applies to television (how many of us watch TV with pen and paper in handwaiting to jot down web addresses)? While many national dot.com firms are using national newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal and USA Today, regional and local companies seem to forget the promotional opportunities presented by local newspapers. Newspapers have traditionally provided LOCALcontent (sports, weather, news, classifieds) that local people desire. Further, newspapers have a high degree of trust which has been fostered among its readers throughout the years.The National Newspaper Association recently issued a report that found Internet users are still twice as likely to read or use atraditional print classified ad than a similar ad online. It's been my experience and those I have interviewed that havingyour company profile featured in a newspaper or magazine story (especially when it includes your site address) can dramatically increase the number of hits your site receives. Nearly all newspapers and magazines now include regular columns devoted to "what's new on the net." Well placed news releases and/or advertisements can work traffic-generating wonders. There are also "PR" and ad placement services available which can identifyand research media outlets for you, distribute the materials, do the follow up legwork, all of which saves an immense amount of time. These same services can even place inexpensive classified ads in virtually every newspaper in the country for you at a substantial savings.
OTHER INEXPENSIVE PROMOTIONAL SOURCES
While the following isn't comprehensive, it will provide you with plenty of idea starters as to how you can promote your URL without choking your wallet.
Somewhat obvious: on your letterhead, brochure, business cards,company sales fliers, on your pre-printed invoices, envelopes, outgoing fax forms, advertising specialties, company signs (including trade show booth signs), all outgoing email, rack cards or the "free-take-one" dispensers, all house ads.* Piggy-backing: create inserts with your site address which canbe stuffed into your outgoing accounts payable, statement stuffers,retail bag stuffers, door knockers.
Create cross or joint promotions with your customers, vendors, trade groups, associations, chambers of commerce, your local ISP etc.
Distribute fliers at area libraries, health clubs, pertinent tradeshows, clubs, non-profit groups, churches, perhaps even flea markets!
Offer referral incentives to those who already access your site.
Make use of netcards (color postcards of your website on one side,contact data and/or offer on the other) which you can mail or physically distribute. Samples at:<www.yourwebsiteoffice.com/index.html>
Finally, don't forget to encourage word-of-mouth promotion among staff, customers and prospects (can be done via public speaking, contests, rewards, personalized caps and shirts, etc.).