There are a million articles about how to drive traffic using the web: comment, promote, utilize the million social networks, make sure that SEO is effective, etc. But did you know that it can just as effective to promote your site offline? Beyond the popular word-of-mouth advice, here are 9 unique ways to promote your blog offline.
- Change your personal WiFi/Bluetooth names to your website URL. This is a simple, one-time change that will have a lasting impact. You never know who might be in the area and searching for a connection.
- Leave your card everywhere you go. Restaurants, public bathrooms, coffee shops, public pay stations. Everywhere. This sounds easy, but it’s actually really hard! If you’re like me, then your business cards become just another thing in your wallet/purse. I’m great at giving them to actual human beings and leaving them in bookstores, but have missed out on a lot of other opportunities (honestly, my Mom hands out more of my cards than I do – I highly recommend using your parents to drive traffic). Once I changed my mindset, I saw immediate results. Now, I leave my cards everywhere – random tables, grocery stores, outgoing mail, the clear advertising containers on top of gas pumps, coffee houses, the pet store. I think you catch my drift. So start keeping a stack of cards in your car and leaving them everywhere!
- Write your URL on every receipt you sign. This is another easy one that I never remember to do. Most of us sign a receipt daily, whether it’s at the grocery store, the bank, or a restaurant. So the next time you use your debit/credit card, write your URL at the bottom! (Bonus: most people who see you do this will also ask what your site is about, so it’s a great way to do some extra promoting).
- Buy an ad in a traditional newspaper. Disclosure: I haven’t done this yet because I don’t make enough money from my site yet, but I’ve heard great things. If you’re not a print person, you can always buy an ad for the online portion of your newspaper. Either way, the paper is read by hundreds to thousands of people a day and we oftentimes forget their importance.
- Get a sticker for your car that has your URL. Even better, put one on the back of your laptop, too. People are nosy. They check out the cars around them when sitting in traffic and oftentimes try to catch a glimpse of what other people are looking at on their computer. So why not capitalize on it? Just make sure that when you put the sticker on your laptop it’s facing the right way when you open it! If you’re URL isn’t self-explanatory, use a short tagline, too.
- Purchase some pens/keychains/frisbees with your logo on them and hand them out. This one requires a bit of an investment, but placing your logo on a simple product is one of the easiest way to create a brand recognition. Pick a relevant product (for me this would include bookmarks) and start handing them out. Bonus points if you tell people about your site when you hand out our product.
- Go to public computers and change the internet homepage to your blog. This one is an ethical call. I, personally, wouldn’t do this but I can understand why people would. It’s easy and effective, but chances are someone else with the same goal will change it.
- Get crafty. Set up a booth at a local craft fair and talk about your site. Hand out some free pens and keychains (or other relevant items). It’s a ton of fun and you’ll meet some great people.
- Simple flyers. This is another simple one. Create a flyer with tear-offs of your website and put them on community boards. Be sure to include your QR Code.