Of course, there are other ways to generate traffic to your website. You should never rely on the Web as your sole marketing strategy. Traditional advertising and marketing strategies are vital to getting traffic to your site and generating sales leads and revenue.
Advertising and marketing used to be broken into two simple categories: print and broadcast. With the advent of the web, the strategies now form a triad: print, broadcast and the Internet. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs forget the effectiveness of “old school” tactics in promoting their “new age” store. They spend all their time and money on the store and Internet marketing strategies, until they find out too late that this won’t drive sufficient traffic to your site to grow beyond a certain point.
Even the best known web-only retailers such as Amazon, Ebay, Orbitz, Priceline and Overstock run traditional ads in newspapers, send out direct mail pieces and advertise on TV and radio.
Marketing Resources:
1. Newsletters – At one time, newsletters looked like they were going to go the way of the Wooly Mammoth.
2. Direct Mail and Sales Letters – Cursed by some, read by many, direct mail continues to be one of the most effective methods for reaching specific prospects.
3. More Direct Mail and Sales Letters – Postal considerations, the offer, design and production tips and mailing lists.
4. Collateral – Your business cards, letterhead, envelopes and other marketing collateral say a lot about you and your business.
5. Importance of Solid Design – Whether you’re developing a newsletter, brochure, flyer, poster or corporate image materials such as letterhead, envelopes and business cards, it’s important to maintain high standards of design and layout.
6. Design Tips – Typography, photographs and more.
7. Design Tips Continued – Use of white space and color.
8. Television Advertising – The cost of producing an average TV spot for a national brand these days is about $150,000 to $200,000. For that amount of money some advertisers get great spots and some get real stinkers.
9. Filming A Commercial – Before you start calling production companies, talk to your local cable sales representative.
10. Process For Developing A Commercial – Steps to go through to develop your own television commercial.
11. Informercials – The market has become saturated with infomercials about everything from exercise bikes to acne medicine. But are they effective?
12. Radio Advertising – Often overlooked by small businesses, radio can be a very affordable way to market your business’ products, services and promotions.
13. Making A Radio Commercial – Tips on how to make a radio commercial.
14. News Releases – Getting media coverage – whether it’s just a short notice in the business section, coverage of your next event or promotion, or a full-blown feature about your service, product or business – usually begins with a well-written news release.
15. News Release Tips – Tips to ensure that your news release is a success.
16. Press Release Writing – How to write a press release.
17. Sample Press Release – Following is a sample press release in the correct format.
18. Sending Your News Release – Getting your release out on time and to the right person is just as important as writing it.
19. Public Service Announcements – Public Service Announcements, or PSAs, are useful for publicizing events the general public is invited to attend, such as dances, workshops, seminars, concerts and lectures.
20. Writing PSAs for Broadcast – For best results, send the PSA about two weeks before your event.
21. Example PSA – Following is an example of a PSA properly formatted.
22. Feature Articles – Let’s face it. Nothing will give your business a bigger boost than a nice feature article in the local newspaper.
23. Sample Pitch Letter – Here is a sample of a properly formatted pitch letter.
24. Media Interviews – Assuming you aren’t the director of a toxic waste dump or the state governor, television and radio interviews are pretty straightforward.
25. Using Events To Gain Exposure – The first step is taking enough time to plan your event or promotion.
26. Media Attention – Of course, an event or promotion is of little use unless your target audience knows about it.
27. Tradeshows – If you have a product or service to sell, tradeshows and exhibitions can be a great way to promote your business and generate a lot of sales leads from a single source.
28. Tradeshow Tips – Tips for success at your Tradeshow.
29. Tradeshow Success – Here are some more tips for tradeshow success.
30. Testimonials – Testimonials are one of the most often overlooked marketing strategies, yet one of the most effective.
