It's important that you realize that online
marketing will most likely be part of your business for many years
to come, and thus you should integrate it into every aspect of
your traditional marketing programs. Here are 21 suggestions for
doing that.
1) Put your Internet address and
email address on your letterhead, stationery and business cards
as quickly as possible.
2) Include your Internet address
and an invitation to visit your new online site in your next
brochure, sales letter, or even billing statement.
3) Use your next printed ad to announce
your new online presence to your existing customers, or at least
include the address in every new ad you run.
4) Send a special invitation postcard
to your current list of customers to invite them to visit your
online site and send you an email telling you what they think.
5) Place a table-talker display
at the reception desk or checkout counter of your business where
all customers who visit your physical location will see it.
6) Create a special "take one"
display with a business card including your email address and
Internet Web site address on it and place it in a high traffic
area of your physical location. Put a special offer on the card
that can only be redeemed at the online business.
7) Hold an Open House for all your
current customers to show them your new online business and
explain how it will help them save time, money or hassles when
they use it. Everybody loves a party or a grand opening gala.
8) Put your Internet address on
the signs in your windows and on the exterior of your business.
9) Add your Internet address to
your billboard advertising.
10) Mention or show your email or
Internet address in your radio and television advertising.
11) Put your Internet address and
email on your order forms and put an online order form on your
Web site!
12) Put your Internet address and
email on your product packaging.
13) Get vanity plates for your car
with your online business address, or put it on the license
plate frame. You won't believe how many people will ask about
it!
14) If you do a lot of your traditional
business in a small geographical are, do a mailing or hand out
door hangers with your new Internet address on it, and the benefits
a customer will get from using it.
15) Incorporate your next promotion
or contest into your online business. For example: "Find
the clues on our new Internet site."
16) Create coupon offers that are
only available on your Web site that people can print off and
bring into your store. It's a great foot traffic builder that's
easy to track - there's no doubt that your customer found the
coupon on the Internet.
17) Add your new Internet address
to the signs on your company vehicles. Set up an email hotline
and post that there too, if you're a plumber or electrician
or in any other business that responds to customers in a pinch.
18) Include your Internet and email
addresses in your next yellow pages ad. Use a different color
ink to draw even more attention.
19) If you have a roadside location
with lots of windows, paint your Internet address on the windows
facing traffic.
20) Print your Internet and email
addresses on your shipping labels.
21) Print your Internet and email
addresses on your checks.
Pick at least seven (7) of these tips for
using traditional marketing tools to promote your online business.
Integrate them into your marketing plans ASAP, and watch your
Internet business GROW!