Top 10 Ideas to Promote Your Website Offline

Offline interactions are an excellent opportunity to drive traffic to your website that should not be overlooked. Here are the Top 10 Ideas to Promote Your Website Offline.

Online marketing strategies can quickly become our focus when the aim is to increase website traffic. With so much of the modern marketer’s attention being directed online, it can be easy to forget to include offline marketing strategies. While they may be ‘old school’, offline interactions can still be a powerful way to reach your potential customers. Implementing several of the following ideas is the best way to see tangible results from your offline marketing efforts.

1. Feature your website address on your business cards

Your website should feature on every employee’s business card (and all of your business stationery, for that matter). It may seem obvious, but you would be surprised at how many people include their email addresses and forget their website URL when designing their business cards. Business cards containing your website address are essential when networking.

2. Promotional items

Whether t-shirts, golf umbrellas, custom-bottled water or branded pens, whatever you’ve got, people will take them! Ensuring your website is prominently displayed on your promotional material means that anyone who encounters your brand and wants to know more can find you.

3. Attend conferences, association meetings and trade shows

Nothing beats face-to-face interaction. Meeting your target audience in person is a massive opportunity for you to explain what your business offers in person. When you offer these prospects your website address, you will no doubt send your prospects to your website already instead than invested in your brand. (This is where #2 comes in very handy: a free promotional item, unlike a business card, is more likely to be kept than discarded or lost).

4. Speak at relevant events

Even better than attending conferences is being invited to speak at one! Speaking at relevant conferences is a great way to position your business as an authority on a given topic, and an opportunity for you to mention your website within your talk or highlight your web address on any PowerPoint slides or presentation materials.

5. Support local community organisations

Community events are another great way to get in front of your local prospects.  You may be able to pitch a presentation to relevant organisations in your area, or to their members.

If you have a local business, research local non-profit organisations and think about offering a sponsorship. Ensure your sponsorship will see your website prominently displayed at any events or fundraisers they may hold – it’s a great way to show your support for your local community while raising awareness of your brand.

6. Use your car as a moving billboard

A simple car magnet can convert your car into a moving billboard. Think of how long you sit in traffic (or how long your car spends parked in high-traffic areas); this is another opportunity to put your brand and website in front of potential customers.

7. Direct the traffic you’re missing

Use your after-hours telephone message and your office signage to direct people to your website for information when your bricks-and-mortar office is closed. Ensure your website offers is a simple, easy-to-use and easy to find “Contact Us” form so customers can reach you even when your physical doors are closed. Be sure to prioritise contacting the customers that are trying to reach you as soon as your office is open.

All of your marketing efforts – both online and offline – should either mention your website or direct traffic to your website cohesively. This leads us to point #8:

8. Advertising & PR

It’s probably a no-brainer but deserves mention. Your offline advertising from radio, newspaper, trade publications, TV commercials, flyers, brochures, transit ads, and billboards to your direct mail campaigns should all direct traffic straight to your website for more information.

Your website address should also be prominently included in every press release you do, from product launches to any sponsored community events. Why not generate some articles about your company’s products and services, awards, or other achievements, and send them to local newspapers and magazines? Always direct readers to your website for more information or as a way to contact your business.

9. Word of mouth

Okay, so this one may seem quite old-fashioned, but a solid recommendation of your business from a potential customer’s trusted source is hard to beat.

Word of mouth is great when your business is in the good books and can be disastrous when a customer is unhappy. Why not offer a discount code or special promotion to encourage your happy customers to give their friends an “offline review” of your business (and, hopefully, one with five stars)?

You can offer a discount to your existing customers as a ‘thank you’, and promote it as something to be shared with their family and friends. It can be as simple as when a friend purchases and uses the code, your recommending customer receives a discount off their next order (or a gift with their next purchase). The friend can receive the same discount (or promotional gift) with their first purchase.

10. Don’t miss the face-to-face opportunity

Your online and offline customer interactions should provide customers with a consistent experience with your brand. Staff should be uniformly informed of all marketing campaigns: staff dealing with offline enquiries need to know exactly what promotions are happening online – and vice versa.

Encourage staff in your bricks-and-mortar business to refer customers to your website if appropriate opportunities arise. Here are a few examples of when and how it can be done:

• If you offer Afterpay, customers utilising Afterpay in your shopfront should also be told by staff that Afterpay is available online.

• If a customer decides against a purchase – but seems unsure – your staff can remind them that they can purchase the item using your website if they change their mind. You can offer a free shipping code as an enticement.

• f a certain item is unavailable in-store (or the customer requires a different size or colour), your staff can assist them in purchasing from your online store. As a bonus, consider offering free shipping instead of click-and-collect

Conversely, you can offer your online customers free click-and-collect to drive them into your retail stores to collect a purchase made via your website.

All your marketing efforts should build and support your brand. When directing traffic to your website is a priority, every single marketing effort can be utilised to increase your traffic, and your offline marketing promotions should work hand-in-hand with your online efforts. A well-rounded marketing plan will include offline promotion for your website, as well as online promotion. Click here to read more about how to drive traffic to your website offline.

These are just a few tips on driving traffic to your website. Next, you will want to investigate our helpful tips on directing your visitors’ attention when they reach your website, you can do that here..

Pixelfish can help you check all the boxes regarding website promotion. Click here to connect and discover how we can help you today.

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