Advertising my site in the real world...

[bitesoftwarecom]

I would like to start off by advertising my site in the 'real' world as opposed to just on the internet. My past experiences of marketing my site have involved sitting down and pasting my link in as many forums and blogs I could find - the net result: crap.

So what I plan to do this time around is either hand out flyers in my local area, put up posters or drop leaflets in homes. The question is which one to go for?

I am leaning towards doing the house-to-house thing. However I am then wondering whether to print out flyers or maybe even business cards. My site is like a search engine for clothes and as it is regularly updated I want my marketing material to stand out - can I do that on a business card???

Basically I am trying to figure out how to get the most coverage - for the least money. Can anyone offer advice and their own experiences on what works/what doesn't.

Thanks.

[MrCat]

What is your site all about? IMO, doing offline campaigns are good also especially if you are targetting a local audience. Have you considered newspaper ads instead?

[bitesoftwarecom]

Yes I will certainly look into doing newspaper ads! I don't know how much this will cost so that is why I am looking to hand out flyers or drop them in peoples homes.

[fisicx]

My past experiences of marketing my site have involved sitting down and pasting my link in as many forums and blogs I could find - the net result: crap.

Could the reason be your site not your marketing? When you did your stats did you note the traffic sources, the time on site, number of pages, returning visitors? Why would I want to use your site - what incentives do you provide?

The key to getting noticed is to provide an interesting and informative website that people will want to visit. Example. I had one page that did well in the SERPs but visitors stayed only a few seconds. I changed the H1 and copy and added some inline links and now visitors not only stay but they investigate other pages.

Note also that posting all over the place can harm. People often visit more than one niche forum or blog and if they see your name appearing in them all with the same marketing message then it looks more like forum spam than a genuing attempt to interact with the online community. And if you never return to that forum you will not build up trust. Think how many people visit teneric, post an introduction and never return - would you use their services?

[bitesoftwarecom]

Fisicx you make some good points - maybe my site was just not good enough in the firstplace. I have learnt to make sure users know what my site does as soon as they come to it - I have the same problem with other sites where I see fancy design but have no idea what it does or how to use it!

The thing with advertising in the newspaper and via flyers is that since I have designed and coded my site alone and now I have to add the content alone, I want to break away from the computer and get 'into the real world', by which I mean I want to develop my marketing skills and reach out to people rather than just sit at the computer for another 6 months waiting for a response.

[pressingissues]

I would have to say Public Realations would be the most cost effective way of getting your name out there, rather than advertising.

Give me a call and we can talk about putting together a project. I'm sure we can come to an arangement on price, which will be much more cost effective than advertising!

Stephen Haining
Pressing Issues
0141 646 2722
07809593309

[bitesoftwarecom]

No thanks... you offered absolutely no idea of why you claim 'public relations is better than advertising'...

[Brandorama]

How about getting magnetic transfers for your car with your web address on? You could also have a suggestive sentance underneath to grab attention when driving to work, supermarket etc. (Go on have a peek.... or Please Visit Me).

Plus you could also enquire about advertising on the big billboards that drive around the cities, towns or even on the motorway. I can't remember if you said what business you are in. If you didn't maybe brainstorm and research your target market then decide of the best way of raising their interest. Plus it will tell you if the flyer drop would be beneficial in certain areas.

Hope this helps

Chris
Threerooms - Design & Branding
threerooms.com

[pressingissues]

Originally Posted by bitesoftwarecom

No thanks... you offered absolutely no idea of why you claim 'public relations is better than advertising'...

In fairness, I said PR was much more cost effective than advertising.

Advertising certainly has its place, and is very, very good in plenty of cases, but its expensive.

[bitesoftwarecom]

And just how expensive is PR? Give an example if you can...