You probably already have a business card with your website address on it. Handing it out might get you a trickle of traffic, but there are several very powerful offline marketing methods you may simply have never considered yet. They might seem a bit radical at first, but when you realize how few of your competitors are using them, you’ll start to see the potential of these techniques to drive traffic to your website.

Consider utilizing a local marketing or PR firm in your area. Many of them are run by skilled single agents – and although good ones don’t come cheap, their services may not be as out of reach (or non-cost-effective) as you might think.

A local marketing consultant has his or her hands in many different networks. They know plenty of resources and probably have some creative ideas about where to promote you, often at low or no cost to you.

A basic rule of business is to expend your energy where your money-making skills lie. So you can be focusing on those areas, leaving your marketing or PR consultant free to do what they do best… promote you and drive people to your sites.

You also may be shocked to hear that you should consider advertising on local television stations. That may be because we’ve all been conditioned to believe that TV advertising is something only the Big Leagues can afford – and, in general, that’s certainly true.

But did you know that advertising with your local TV station can be surprisingly affordable? As well as building your visibility as a “celebrity” – and even in just your own home town, you’d be surprised how inexpensive it can actually be.

There’s another big advantage to local television. Local newspaper editors may be much more inclined to print your press releases if they know you’re also appearing on TV in your area.

Now this may not sound as exciting as your own local TV ad, or as easy as simply hiring a marketing consultant or local PR firm, but offering a workshop to your Community College is a long term status and traffic-building strategy every online business person should consider.

It can be quite easy to draw up a solid proposal, find out who to contact and make your pitch. Once you’re done, the audio and video recordings make a great new product for you to sell, and the transcripts can be chopped up into articles, free reports, and more.

Teaching provides another great opportunity to increase website traffic by sending out press releases – both to offline sources like local newspapers and trade magazines, and to online paid and free PR services.

Another great way to promote yourself: join your local Chamber of Commerce or Trade Association, and participate. Networking with other business operators is a great way to get your name known. In the course of conversations, you may develop leads. Some of these organizations will allow members to have a display promoting their businesses at meetings and special events. Take full advantage of these, they are usually free.

If your business could benefit from displays at trade shows, check out your local farmer’s markets or flea markets. Again, booths at these markets are usually relatively cheap.

The more offline promotions you do, and the more enthusiasm you put into them, the more you’ll notice benefits returning to you… So stay positive, stay proactive, make the most of every online and offline opportunity – and watch your credibility and business reputation grow.

Stay tuned for another marketing tip real soon, and good luck with your online marketing efforts!

To your online success,
Bill Brine
Home Small Business Coaching

P.S. Here’s another great resource I created to help you build your
business:

Techniques For Generating Huge Amounts Of Hungry Web Traffic