An effective eCommerce store marketing campaign requires both online and offline promotion. When you promote online, you generally get people who are already looking for your products or similar ones. Promoting offline can get your eCommerce store in front of people who may have never known they needed your products until seeing them.
You also strengthen your credibility because you have a presence outside of the internet. Finally, advertising within your own community can generate some of the most loyal customers you will find, because people like supporting local business even if it is on the World Wide Web.
1. Custom Flags
One of the most eye-catching ways to promote your eCommerce store offline is through custom flags with your website printed on them. Find a custom flag maker who will make your business pop with custom flags that wave in the wind and grab the attention of everyone who passes by.
A custom flag maker will work with you to help you create exactly what you are looking for so you can represent your eCommerce store wherever you go. If you have a brick-and-mortar store as well, you can hang a few custom flags around the shop or by your register. Take them with you to trade shows and community events, or give smaller flags away as part of a promotion.
2. Trade Shows
Pack up your custom flags, your business cards, and all your demo supplies, and head out to your nearest trade show. Get out there and make friends, shake hands, and get your website in front as many people as possible. In addition to getting the word out about your eCommerce store, trade shows are an excellent opportunity to network, so make sure you are ready to smile and be friendly when you go.
3. Direct Mail
Your success with direct mail may vary depending on who your target market is. Check your demographics to see if this is a good method of reaching them.
You could send out something as simple as a postcard with a greeting and your website listed, or you could go all out and send them a catalog of your items. Just make sure whatever you send looks interesting enough to actually look at so your money doesn’t go directly from the mailbox to the recycling.
4. Business Card Holders at Restaurants and Other Businesses
At first, you will need to use charisma to convince businesses to let you put your business cards or flyers at their cash registers, but after they say yes, all you have to do is make sure your supply stays stocked.
One advantage of having a presence in another business location is that people associate trust and identity with the business you are advertising in. Additionally, people generally do not just go around collecting business cards as they do at trade shows, so picking up your card likely means they are genuinely interested.
5. Buy Ads in Print Media
Believe it or not, people do still read the newspaper. Put an ad in your local paper, in coupon magazines, in circulars, wherever you can afford to put an ad. Having an ad in print gives your eCommerce store a greater image of legitimacy, and you may be able to find some very niche publications that will target your intended audience quite effectively.
6. Sponsor Something
Community sports teams always need money for uniforms and travel. Both youth and adult teams look for sponsors and will put your eCommerce shop name on their uniform with sponsorship. If paying for uniforms sounds a bit costly, you could also sponsor arts groups that will put an ad in their performance programs, community events that will include your logo in their promotional material, and even independent radio programming that will mention your shop during air-time.
7. Wrap Your Car
There are a couple of ways to go about this one actually. You could simply put a large car magnet or some bumper stickers on your car. If you want to really grab some serious attention, however, you could get a custom car wrap made for your vehicle.
There are even websites where you design the wrap, then have it sent to your local shop to have the work done. When you use a custom wrap, you are basically advertising any time you go anywhere, and you don’t even have to work at it. Just make sure you keep a lid on road rage while you are out representing.
8. Billboards
Billboards are an excellent way to conveniently get your business information out to a large number of people. This only really works, though, if your website address is not too complicated. Design your billboard to be eye-catching and simple so that drivers can easily determine what you are advertising, if they are interested, and how to find you.
