You've launched your website and you're doing a bunch of work online to get visitors to your site. Sometimes, it’s easy to forget that you can also do things offline to get traffic to your online empire.
Here are nine ways to do just that:
1. Your Business Card
I am sure you have your website printed on your business card. That would be marketing 101. Most people forget that they need to provide something more to bring people along. Write the elevator pitch for your website on the back of your card. An effective elevator pitch should ideally be less than six words.
In the photo above, I have shown how my business card includes my elevator pitch – six words that show my passion and interests.
2. Community Notice Boards
Find community joints (coffee shops, bookstores, etc.) where your audience typically hangs out. If there is a community notice board, find out how you can post a notice there. Design something really cool to attract attention and offer some sort of promotion with a deadline in that notice (to create a sense of urgency).
3. Something Worth Printing
Create a poster with something super motivational that people would want to print. Include a link to your website. The advantage with this is that people get to see a sample of your work and it will introduce more curiosity on your other works.
4. Greeting Cards
Make greeting cards out of your work and sell them or give them away. Always include a link to your website on them.
5. Conversations
You have to weave them into your conversations. For me, I have created a "Resources" section on my website where I give away some content (eBooks, Audio and Video) mostly for free (at this point in time, except for one book, everything else there is FREE). That way, I can point people to that section without hesitation. Once people visit, I know that they will want to click and explore the rest of my site.
6. Your Car or Truck
Rather than putting those silly bumper stickers, you can put something related to your business. Again, just don't put your website link, tell people why they should go and visit that website.
7. Things People Use
Create simple, useful things that people can use (bookmarks, calendars etc.) and give them away as gifts.
8. Teaching
Seek out speaking engagements especially in places where you know there is a concentration of your audience. Leave behind a one-page summary of the talk along with a link back to a place where they can download something valuable for free.
9. A Book
Write a book on a topic that your audience can relate to. Sprinkle a website link where they can get additional material related to the book (for free). Self-publish and send out a physical copy of the book to enough number of influencers.
Bonus Idea:
A bit of cheating here - this is not entirely offline, but it is something all of us can do very easily.
10. Email Signature
Pick your best blog post and link from your email signature. Again, I know that you’ve probably included your website in your email signature, but a better option would be to write a catchy headline for one of your best blog posts and add the link.
Rajesh Setty is an entrepreneur, author and speaker based in Silicon Valley. You can follow him on his blog or on Twitter.