I have added the list of traditional ideas, just so that we don't forget some of the old tried and true ways of marketing and promotion. In recent years we have seen a huge increase in television advertising of dot com businesses and other companies who just want to promote their websites to large audiences: the reason they do so – it works!
Radio
Radio is great for many things but it is more difficult for promotion of websites. I have heard some very effective ads that simply repeat,
repeat and repeat the web address in the same ad. It
worked for me – I remembered the web address. In order for this to work, your web address will need to be easy to pronounce and easy to spell, or provide the listener with easy access to connect
to your site.
Television
The old reliable. Television provides a mass audience through mass exposure with a mass message. Many people don't realize that television can often be one of the most cost-effective
(notice I didn't say cheapest) forms of advertising. The advantage of television is that it has it all:audio, visual and audience. Just like the other media, make sure you confer with a salesperson to
find the best times and locations for your ads. They know what demography are watching which TV shows and can help you decide where to best spend your advertising dollars. Also, don't
forget community television stations. They are often looking for advertisers and can be more willing to accommodate advertisers because of a less rigid schedule.
Newspaper classifieds
This is becoming increasingly popular and it is a great way to target your clients for a reasonable cost. For example, if you want to promote an automobile dealership, consider placing newspaper
classified ads in the car section that simply promote your website.
Street signs
No, I don't recommend that you staple signs to power poles (that's illegal). What I do recommend is making sure your web address is clearly visible on your outdoor signage. There are
many businesses with websites, but you would never know this from their street signs. If you are in a high-volume foot or vehicle traffic area, you are missing out in a BIG way by not having
your website address printed on your storefront sign. If it is too costly to modify your street sign, try using outdoor banners. They will give the same effect, just make sure to have them cleaned
and refreshed periodically, there is nothing worse than seeing a tired banner that announces something "new" or "special". It loses all of its impact.
Send postcards to your existing clients
This doesn't cost much but is a very nice and personal way of letting new and existing clients know about your website. To be even more effective, try promoting a special price, product or
service in order to help drive people to your website. Contests or freebies also work well in conjunction with this form of promotion. The advantage of postcards is that they are reasonably
priced to produce. Depending on what you publish on them, they will keep for a long time. This means you could do one of these campaigns periodically and you will have a number of choices
of how they are delivered whether it be by post mail, postal promotional drops, or with any of the number of specialty promotion companies who do mail drops on a regular basis. To try and
ensure these items are kept for a longer time, think about getting something attractive printed, like something humorous, or something people may want to keep. It is very rewarding to see one
of your postcards posted on the bulletin board in the lunchroom. That's effective advertising.
Yellow Pages
This is another perennial promotion "must do." Yellow pages have become commonplace for people to locate specific business needs. It may be an advantage for you to be in multiple
sections, and don't forget yellow page directories in other cities. Again, conferring with a salesperson will help you target your business offerings by knowing where best to place your
advertising.
Brochures
These are a great way of advertising your business; if you print them for multi-use, they can even double as mail-out postcards. Depending on your business type, brochures may be very useful. If
you are in the travel or tourism industry, brochures are a must, and there are multitudes of places where they can be displayed. If you are in another type of industry it may be more difficult to find
locations for displaying brochures, except to use them in mail drops, handouts at trade shows and conventions, and for direct mailout to potential clients. If you are a manufacturer or supplier, you
will need provide brochures to your distribution network. Brochures are great but make sure they are a cost-effective use of your time and investment, and most of all if you produce brochures,
know ahead of time how and where you will distribute them.
FAX
Fax is tending to be a thing of the past with e-mail and e-mail attachments being so fast and cost effective; still, for some it is a means of letting people know about your website. We do not
condone or recommend Fax Spamming to promote your website. If the only thing this section is good for, it is to remind you how important it is that your fax cover page clearly shows your
website address. This is inexpensive and an easy way to promote your website.If you do engage in a FAX broadcast, make sure you are not contravening any local, regional or
national laws. Some people look very dimly on this form of advertising so be aware you could be doing huge disservice to your business by conducting a broadcast fax campaign.
