A major concern of all Home Based Business Entrepreneurs is to get Traffic to their websites. Most entrepreneurs endeavor to promote their business online but, unless the website is ranked high in the major search engines, traffic will be hard to come by. This problem becomes more frustrating and demoralizing especially if you are new to Internet Marketing and with a low marketing budget. Promoting your Internet Business Offline is a great way of getting over this problem and at the same time creating an image for yourself and your Home Based Business. Given below are Popular, Free and Inexpensive Offline methods that I have successfully tried out and can be followed by most entrepreneurs in promoting their businesses Offline. Word of Mouth: Word of mouth is one of the best forms of advertising your business. Pass the word around about your Home Business and your website. Let your friends, acquaintances, kith and kin get to know about it. It will not surprise me if you come across a few people who are prepared to go out of the way and help you in your efforts. Jeff Bezos the founder of Amazon.com and one of the most successful entrepreneurs of the Internet Marketing era places great importance to this mode of promotion and he should know. He says "If you do build a great experience, customers tell each other about that. Word of mouth is very powerful" Business Cards: Many entrepreneurs and especially those who are new to business do not realize the importance, significance and effectiveness of a business card. The card projects your business image and credibility. Seize the opportunity and pass the card on to friends and acquaintances at parties, seminars, conferences, clubs and other functions. A place to get started is Vistaprint who will supply you I00 cards free of charge if you contact them. Flyers: An inexpensive method of promoting your Home Business Offline is by distributing Flyers. This can be produced by you in the computer. Provide all the details of your home business and your URL as briefly as possible. This can be distributed door to door with the help of your family members. They can also be placed at community centers, bulletin boards, libraries, malls, super markets and other places where people gather. Brochures: A well designed brochure always captures the attention of people. This too can be done in the computer. If you are unable to design it yourself there are several sites in the internet that will help you design one yourself. One such site is http://www.mybrochure.com. Once it is ready, place them in clubs, bars, supermarkets and libraries. Automobiles: Another inexpensive way of promoting your internet business Offline is to place bumper stickers or magnetic signs on your vehicles. Have your website address, phone number and URL displayed clearly. This is a sure way of getting your website noticed by hundreds or even thousands of people everyday. Your friends could also assist you in this endeavor. Give them some of your products free as an incentive. Classified Ads and Write up: Placing Classified Ads in the local newspapers is a great way of promoting your Home Business and they do not cost much either. Place a few ads on a regular basis and then request the editor to give your Home Business a small write up in the newspaper. Editors are always on the look out for news and if you are lucky your request will be granted. This will without doubt give your Home Business a great boost. Novelties and Promotional Items: Everyone loves free gifts. Items such as pens, key chains, coffee mugs and fridge magnets are popular and inexpensive gift items. Imprint your business name and URL on these items and distribute them at conferences, seminars and community meetings. Promoting your Home Based Business Offline requires a certain amount of Effort, Public Relations and Organizational skills. Remaining Motivated and Dedicated is the secret of success here and the end result of all your endeavors will be a steady stream of Prospects, Loyal customers and Traffic to your Internet Marketing website. |
