When it comes to marketing their website, most home business owners use banner ads, link exchanges, different search engines, newsletters, forums, ezines, free and paid classifieds. However, a good home based business must also consider offline marketing strategies and how to use them to generate more business. Remember that just because your business is online doesn’t mean you’re restricted to advertising online. There are millions of people who are not online enough to see your offer and will respond better to other methods.

First of all, the most important tip for offline promotion of your website is your URL. You want your URL to be easily remembered, so it’s important to be creative when creating your URL. Then, when you’ve decided on the perfect catchy URL, it’s even more important to make sure it gets distributed to the offline world. There are many ways to do this. First, your URL must be on all stationery, invoices, and all written communications must have your URL, even on the back of the envelopes you use to pay bills. This is important because the more people see your URL, the more likely they are to remember it.

Lots of people create billboards that have a big url and nothing else, this creates curiosity and people often go and check it out just to ease their curiosity. Also, large business magnets for the side of your vehicle are a good idea because they can easily list the web page address, in addition to any other information, and can be easily changed if there is a change in your business.

Television and radio are also options that can be used to promote your website offline. Many people are under the impression that advertising in these media can be incredibly expensive, and while it is possible, it can also be inexpensive. Talk to your local cable channels and local radio stations to get the word out that way, especially if your service or product is focused on a particular market. For example, if your website hosts Arizona real estate listings, you’ll want to advertise on local Arizona channels and radio stations. Advertising in this way significantly lowers the price and gets the word out to many people.

Also, contact your local newspaper and let the business editor know that you have a new business and website and what it offers. Local newspapers are frequently interested in featuring local entrepreneurs and their achievements. This is free advertising and should always be used.

When considering your website marketing and offline promotion strategies, be creative and constantly think of new ways to get the word out. Often the more creatively you advertise, the more likely people are to visit your site just to see what you’re all about. In this case, you’ll want to make sure you have a great site that will keep visitors there and influence them to buy. By the way, don’t forget to have plenty of business cards. Using business cards is another useful way to market your business online offline.