Promoting Your Web Sites in the Dirt World
Author: John Calder
Internet entrepreneurs are familiar with all the ways you can
promote your web sites and your business online. Writing
articles, paid advertising, posting to forums, cross-promoting,
JVs with others, etc. Are there good ways to promote those same businesses in the offline world?
Chances are that no offline promotion will have the same reach,
for the money spent, as online promotions have. The Internet
offers a medium to target specific audiences very easily,
rivaled perhaps only by direct mail and specialty print
advertising. When measuring your promotion efforts, it's all
about the conversion rate. Generally, you want to convert a
higher percentage of a narrow audience, rather than a small
percentage of a 'blanket' audience. Unfortunately, most dirt
world promotion opportunities, including radio and newspaper,
tend to convey their message shotgun-style, covering a wide and
diverse marketplace.
A lot of your offline success will be determined by the type of
online business you operate. If you sell products and services
to other marketers, for example, you stand very little chance of
successful offline promotion, except perhaps at a marketing
seminar. However, if you run, for example, a computer parts
business online, it may make sense for you to team up with and
co-promote local computer user groups, electronics swap meets,
auctioneers, and even some computer retailers that don't offer
parts or service. That's a very natural blend of offerings,
among non-competing entities.
If you are fortunate enough to find such events, your main
concentration should be on building your own mailing list first,
or failing that, creating a shared list between you and your
offline partner. You can offer premiums, incentives, and
giveaways if you'd like, but don't just hand them out. Get a
name and email address in exchange. If you do this, be sure to
comply with CAN-SPAM and other applicable laws. About the author: John Calder is the owner/editor of The Ezine Dot Net. Subscribe
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