There is plenty of room for offline marketing for your business even if you are intent on Internet Marketing.

As an offline publisher, I can appreciate both medium.

It is a well-known fact that traditional forms of offline advertising can be very expensive. Anyone who has tried to place an ad in a newspaper or magazine knows that he has to pay thousands of dollars to reach x number of readers.

However, there are other ways you can employ offline publicity to build traffic to your site:

1.  Advertise in Classifieds in your national or local newspaper.

Classifieds in newspapers are generally read, which is something we can't really say for online classifieds. Try it once and see whether you will see an increase in your visitors. This is easy to monitor as newspapers are often discarded after its publication date.

2. Advertise in targeted magazines

If you have the budget, you can try advertising in a magazine that targets your intended online market. Make sure you advertise with a reputable publisher and ask for proof of circulation.

Just a tip:  In some countries, rate cards are not really cast in stone. Meaning, you can ask for discounts from the official rate especially if you intend to have your ad run more than once.

2.  Print flyers

Flyers are very inexpensive forms of advertising. You can print a few thousands and have them distributed in areas where your target market converge.

3.  Sponsor related events

Be on the look-out for small community events that you can sponsor. Sponsorship in some local events sometimes do not cost much. Make sure that in exchange for your sponsorship, you can distribute your marketing materials to participants aside from the usual mention in the event's marketing collaterals.

4.  Participate in trade fairs

This is another venue where there will be a high concentration of your target market per square meter. Study the fair and compare your costs versus the human traffic that you can possibly have access to.

5.  Submit articles to magazines

There are some magazines that actually solicit articles from readers. Mostly these are new magazines who are trying to gain ground with their readers by encouraging participation. Make sure that you include your site inside the article in case the editor decides to snip the resource box that contains your site name.

6.  Organize community talks.

This is definitely not for the faint-hearted.  However, if you have something really worthwhile to say, go Stand and Deliver.  Your talk, in fact, doesn't even have to be free. You can charge a nominal fee to cover your costs.

7. Post ads in community bulletin boards.

This can be a bit of hard work but it is inexpensive and can be an effective way to spread word about your site.  In some places such as community clubs, supermarkets, little postings are allowed. Be in constant look-out and take note of the places that accept free postings.

8. Write a real book

It's not as easy as it sounds. I know. But to some people, it does work. A real book, the one that people can touch and feel and buy from a legitimate bookstore confers an undeliable authority and prestige on the author.  It doesn't have to be a 300 pager. You can write and publish a small book and make sure your URL is prominently displayed. 

This takes a lot of hard work and time so you can put this in the back burner for now....

9. Submit press release

If you think your site is news-worthy, you can try submitting a press release to your local, or even national newspapers.  Reporters are always in the look-out for news and if your site is news, go ahead and give it a try.

The fastest way to go about it is to hire a PR person who has established contacts with publications.  However, this can be quite costly.  The good news is you can write and submit a press release yourself. Of course, there is no guarantee it will see print, but it is always worth a try.

Here's how to a DIY press campaign:

1. Contact the newspapers or magazines and ask how you can submit a press release.

Ask whether they prefer that you submit in print or by email.

2. Depending on their preference and procedure, craft your press release.  For guidelines on how to write a press release, click here.

3. Submit your press release.

4. Do not follow up. Reporters are a busy lot and they do not appreciate follow-ups.  

10.  Synchronize your collaterals

Your URL is now a part of you and your business, and it should look like it really belongs to the family.

What do I mean by this?  If you are running a business, you must have at least a business card, right? Or perhaps a letterhead or an envelope? Whatever marketing materials that you have offline, make sure that it has the same look and feel as your website.

To give you an example, here's a shot of my namecard for www.clixbiz.com:

Note that the card has the same look and feel as the site. This was achieved by the use of the same graphics, fonts and color scheme.  This is one way of building your brand: consistency in all your promotional efforts.

By the way, I designed these cards myself.(I have no design background). I use this software called Web Graphics Creator. It's the software I used for all the graphics that you see in this site. It is easy to use and has loads of features. (Previously, they had a problem with the manual but they have since resolved it.) You can even make e-covers for your ebooks with this software. To preview and download your trial copy, Click Here

For more Internet Marketing Techniques, click here.