You'd be surprised at the simple, inexpensive things you can do to make the public aware of your site. The first thing, of course, is to tell your friends and neighbors as well as the people you work with. Word of mouth advertising is nearly as fast as a telephone campaign! If each of ten people you know tells at least two people and they in turn tell two other people, in the space of two days there will be close to one thousand people that will know about your site, ready to spread the word through conversation and email!
Another simple way to promote your site is to carry business cards at all times. When you go to a restaurant, drop one in the "contest bowl" that usually sits at the check out counter. You may not win a free lunch but make sure that your website address shows through the glass! Leave a card along with the tip for your server-and don't skimp if the service was good! Wherever you go, leave one or two of your cards. Ask the businesses you patronize if you can leave a stack of them in an attractive holder at the front desk. You will get free publicity and probably get some advertising revenue once the business owner checks out your site!
Consider placing an ad in your local free community paper. Nearly every town and city has one of these, heavily supported by advertising but popular with readers because of the classifieds and the articles that are focused on local events that aren't covered in larger publications. Rates for these types of newspapers and tabloids are low and the readership, even if cut in half to account for those issues picked up but never read, is impressive.
Think about calling your local radio stations. If you live in a community that is built around a college or university, you probably have a public service radio station manned by communications students. Arrange for an interview to promote the benefits of your website for students and others in the community. While you won't reach the number of listeners that are enjoyed by the larger franchised stations, you'll be contacting your target audience-your community members! You can probably get a fifteen second spot on a larger station but that should be a last resort. Remember, you want cost effective advertising!
Make your community leaders aware of your site. Between local business owners and the public servants you contact, you should have an impressive traffic pattern by the end of your first few days of operations!
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