Internet Promotion:
Off-Line Site Promotion

Many of us spend an incredible amount of time advertising our site all over the internet. We spend weeks trying to get our sites listed properly in the search engines, submit to directories, pay for clicks and get advertisements in ezines. As with everything in life, some of this is successful and some of it is not.

Most people actually spend some of their life away from their computers.

Well, remember that a very important component of your internet promotional scheme is off-internet advertising. Why is this important? Most people actually spend some of their life away from their computers. I know that sounds fantastic, but it's true! There is more to life than email, browsing and newsgroups, after all!

Be sure and coordinate your on-line and off-line advertising efforts. Include your web site address and email address in all of your printed materials. This includes the following, among others.

• Business cards - Business cards are very inexpensive. In fact, some internet companies have recently offered packs of 100 business cards for free to promote their printing services.
• Stationery - If you write letters and send them through the mails, remember to include your web site address on your letterhead.
  Envelopes - Printing your internet contact information on the back of envelops is a great idea.
• Post it notes - Post it notes are a little more expensive to print, but they make great give-aways at conventions and other similar places.
  Brochures - A printed brochure which you can distribute might be a great idea.
• T-Shirts - If you are looking for something to give away which advertises your site, try t-shirts. Anyone who wears the shirt is advertising your site for free.
• Print up a nice, good-looking flyer and hand it out whenever possible. When you can afford it, print up some brochures which tie back into your web site or internet business. Keep these handy for opportune moments.

Be Creative.

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Your advertising campaign can include many other areas.

• You can take out classifieds in magazines (tends to be expensive), newspapers or tabloids.
  
• Flyers are cheap and easy to hand out.
  
• Direct mail tends to be expensive, but if you have the right mailing lists the payoff can be very high.
  
• Go to conventions and other special events and pass out your business card and flyers.
  
• Make up refrigerator magnets, pencils or other small items with your credentials and pass them out.
  
• Get another business to include your flyer or promotional material in their packages.
  
• Teach a class and pass out your materials.
  
• Get mouse pads made up and give them away.

Be creative. There are hundreds and hundreds of other ways to advertise your business off the internet. And these can be extremely effective at building traffic and generating sales.

Conventions which pertain to your industry or group can be an exceptionally rich source of leads and new advertising. If you go to those events, remember your goal is to make contacts and spread the word about your site, products or services. Mill around, talk to people, and make sure they leave with your printed materials. In other words, network, network, network.

Small classified advertisements in magazines and newspapers can also be great sources of traffic to your site. Remember, however, to be very cautious and not spend much money on this form of promotion until you find a formula that works. In other words, place small, experimental ads here and there until you find the ones that produce the desired results.

Remember, there is more to life
than the internet!

Nothing beats getting a mention in a newspaper or magazine. In fact, the traffic created by a brief mention in a good-sized newspaper can be huge enough (although of very short duration) to overwhelm a site for a time.

In summary, remember there is more to life than the internet. Believe it or note, most people actually don't spend every waking moment in front of a computer screen. By cautiously taking advantage of this, you can get more people to your site than you might think.