Offline Website Marketing

It might be one of the great paradoxes that offline channels provide some of the best opportunities to market your website. But it's true: Today's marketers have found that offline website marketing represents one of the most lucrative strategies at your disposal. Here's how to leverage offline website marketing to drive targeted traffic to your website.

Why does offline website marketing work so well?

Before delving into what offline website marketing strategies work, you should first understand why they work so well. Compare online website marketing to offline website marketing. In the online environment, you can purchase advertising and ad placement to put your message in front of a targeted audience through ad networks or by purchasing specific spots on specific websites. In the offline environment, you can also do this through television commercials, newspaper and magazine advertisements, and direct-mail marketing. All of these methods are similar, yet they're all also different. Online advertising, television and radio commercials, and publication advertising will reach your target audience; but you will likely be up against competitors on the same or adjacent pages or commercial blocks. Only direct-mail marketing lets you put your website in front of your prospects with minimal to no competition. The other methods have direct distractions that detract from your message, but direct marketing offers a personal experience and engrosses the reader with your offer. You can launch an offline website marketing campaign to a highly targeted audience that is likely to buy what you sell; and leapfrog the competition by going where they don't - directly to your customers' mailboxes. For this reason, we'll focus on direct-mail marketing as the optimal choice for offline website marketing.

Postcard-to-website marketing

Postcard-to-website marketing has emerged as one of the best sales devices in today's marketplace. Postcard printing and mailing is simple and affordable; and postcards almost always get a look. Incorporate an attention-getting headline, highlight your benefits, create an incredible offer, and motivate with a call to action to get your prospects to log on. Work your offline website campaign in tandem with your online campaign. You can send a postcard that invites readers to visit your website for a free guide, trial product or service; then collect e-mail information so you can likewise market via e-mail.

Direct-mail catalogs

Several companies harness the power of direct-mail catalogs to boost online business. Case in point: Tiger Direct, the online electronics dealer. Tiger Direct routinely sends direct-mail product catalogs to entice prospects to order online. It's fair to speculate that most of Tiger Direct's sales are made on the company's website, but it's also fair to speculate that many of the company's customers were first exposed to the company through a direct mail-catalog. Catalogs aren't just vehicles for ordering; they're vehicles for driving traffic to your website. To save money, you don't have to include all of your products in your direct-mail catalog; you can even send a smaller booklet and simply ask customers to log on for more information.

Booklets

Informational booklets are a great way to boost online business. Awhile back, Microsoft realized that many businesses would like to advertise on its adCenter network, but didn't understand the system enough to give it a go. The company sent out direct-mail guides to pay-per-click marketing that walked customers through setting up an adCenter account, choosing the right keywords to market and setting advertising bid rates. The promotion even gave a way to contact an adCenter professional directly for help and advice. The guide represented a well-designed, strategic promotion for introducing new technology and help customers feel comfortable about using it to grow their businesses. Postcards, catalogs, and booklets aren't the only offline website marketing materials you can deploy. Newsletters are a good way to stay connected to your customers; while stickers can be placed just about anywhere. As stated, online and offline marketing efforts work in tandem to promote your website and bolster business. Take advantage of these offline website marketing strategies to grow your profit margin this year.