Tips for promoting your website

You’ve been handed the keys to your brand new website, and are ready to tell the world. But how exactly are you going to promote your website, and will it cost the earth? Consider these seven good ol’ fashioned tips.

1. Just tell ‘em

Ridiculously simple, this priceless tactic not only informs your client, but is a great conversation starter. Next time you’re with a client, an easy, ‘Hey Jude, did you know our website launched last week?’ is all it takes to start the process.

2. Add the URL to your email signature

Think of the amount of emails you send every day. Whilst there’s nothing worse than email signatures that you need to scroll to read, adding a short, sharp promo telling your recipients about your new or revamped site will increase your exposure and is a great way to promote your website.

While we’re on the subject of email signatures, think about what else you can add to make it easier for people to contact you or engage with you further. Think links to your social media presence (like LinkedIn, Twitter and your blog) or a way to sign up to your newsletter – but again, don’t get too carried away!

3. Update your voicemail

Although not suitable to every business type, many businesses can benefit from adding their website address to their voicemail message. Not only will you inform your callers of your new website, chances are your well designed and written website will answer their question for you. Everyone’s happy.

4. Revamp your uniform

If you have a uniform, having your website printed on it need not be garish. For less than twenty bucks a packet you can buy transfer paper to iron on to your gear with impressive results. Great for funky t-shirts (think café staff and tradies) and aprons (think bookstores and homewares).

For a more serious look, modern embroidery will do the trick.

Oh, and if you have a shop front or vehicle, don’t forget to brand it with your website. A URL is much easier to remember than a phone number if your potential clients are whizzing past.

5. Update anything printed

Make a list of every single piece of material you print, be it an invoice, envelope or after-dinner mint. Update each template, then simply make sure the new template is used in the next print run. Voila!

6. Send a postcard

When was the last time you sent a postcard to your clients? Use this opportunity to regain contact and let them know about your website. Better yet, handwrite the postcards for maximum impact – if you don’t have 2000 to send, that is.

7. Talk it up in your blog and newsletter

If you have a blog or a newsletter (either online or in print), create some hype around your website launch! Provide an incentive to visit your site and the ability to refer a friend, making sure you have enough lead time to create a buzz.

What old fashioned yet effective methods have you used to promote your website?

Amanda Gonzalez designs and copywrites simple, effective websites for small businesses - without the fluff or jargon.

17 Jun 09

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Great Ideas Amanda. I think that there are two additional ways by which one can generate traffic to the website :
(A) By commenting on relevant blogs and forums and introducing the website as a valuable resource
(B) By making profiles on social media like facebook, twitter etc and regularly posting information from the website as links.
Needless to say, the website needs to be resource rich before any of these things can be done. SEO Melbourne from Melbourne
WOW - a techie who talks simple, common sense! Great stuff, Amanda!! Grant Hyman from Sydney | Read my articles
Ok, so I didn't have time to read the article properly. But seriously, points one and two??
Clients and current customers are just as busy as you are, or probably busier. Let's save the idle chatter to a minimum!
Telling busineese that you already deal with that you have a website now, is akin to handing them your business card. You'd like to think they already have you on speed dial, if not know your phone number by heart.
2. Clients, or prospective clients needing a quote, presumably already know how what you do and how to find you. dERR.
3. If they already got your phone number, and they bothered to pick up the phone and call you and leave a message, you hardly need to be telling them your website address.
4. Uh-huh, yeah, and see if the bouncers will let you into the night-club wearing your uniform. So you can save on handing out businss cards to the laddies!
Personally too, with regard to signs on work vehicles, I have tried many many different signs and combinations thereof. And I've run a system of asking customers and quotes where they found us for many years now. Signs on vehicles are a virtual waste of time and effort. I know for a fact, I can count on one hand the number of jobs I have got from the signage on my vehicle, over five years. And yes, I've run the url for years as well as the phone number.
5. If you already sent them an invoice or with compliments slip, I don't think telling them your url is really all that important now.
6. Printers all over Australia would love this one. Why not print 20,000 leaflets too while you're at it.
7. One would presume that if they've found your blog they've already got your url for the website. Hmmm.
So all Australian sarcasm aside, who do you really need/want to promote your url to? Is Google Adwords and general search engine hits your main source of website traffic???
Surely there's an article in this. Then of course is the after-party. You are getting p-loads of hits on your site. Paying a motza to Google. Now how do you convert that to paying customers??! Which is ultimate purpose of it, after all. Ben from Sydney
Thank you for taking the time and effort to comment on my article, Ben. It is a shame you didn't read the article properly. I'm sorry you felt you had to use rudeness masked as Australian sarcasm to share your thoughts!
1. Your current clients can be your most powerful sales force. By letting them know about your website, you are making it that much easier for your clients to refer you. A simple link to your website paired with their glowing recommendation of you may just be the beginning of a long and prosperous relationship with a new client. Of course, for this to be a successful method, you must first offer a product/service worthy of referring positively.
2. Personally, ALL of my work for the past four months has been through word of mouth. Many have contacted me by phone or email, without them having looked at my website first. By telling them about my website on the phone and including the URL in my email signature, I am giving the client an opportunity to check out my work and find out more about me. So whilst this may not be the way you or I go about finding someone to move our home or build our website, we need to cater to those who do.
3. Leaving your website address on your voicemail message can be an effective marketing method. As I mentioned, this may not be suitable for all business types, but by giving your callers an incentive to visit your website, such as a 20% discount on their next meal or a free manicure with your cut and colour, this may be just what your client needs to turn them into a paying client from a website visitor.
4. I don't understand the relevance of your night club example to this article.
If done professionally, adding your URL to your shopfront or vehicle adds to your branding and can encourage website visitors. Our local restaurant strip is brimming with hairdressers, bookstores and homeware stores, all closed of an evening. If you pique the interest of the restaurant goers ambling past, with your URL clearly displayed on your shopfront, you may just have a prospective client ripe for conversion.
5. Again, not everyone may have checked out your website prior to buying from you. Your client may have purchased product A without even knowing product B was available. Your website can help you showcase exactly what you offer.
6. I'm a big fan of hand-written postcards. Firstly, you'll stand out from your competitors (chances are they don't send them) and secondly, whatever is hand written will be read first and with full attention. Why pass up this opportunity? Back to point one, your current clients will love the fact that you've taken the time to hand-write a postcard, increasing the chances of a referral.
7. For many reasons, many small business owners start with a blog before paying for a professional website. Why wouldn't you announce your website launch to your regular readers?
Internet marketing and SEO can be incredibly effective ways to promote your website. Both should play an important role in its promotion. This article is only meant to cover simple, common sense - and virtually cost-free - techniques to complement your website promotion arsenal. Amanda Jephtha from Coogee, New South Wales
Why, thank you, Grant. It can certainly be easy to wrap ourselves up with all things complicated and forget good ol' fashioned common sense! Amanda Jephtha from Coogee, New South Wales
I think another good for those businesses who sell their own products is to add it to the product packaging. When I find a product I like, I'll often look for a web address on it. Marnie Bergan from Central Coast, NSW

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