Why do I need to engage in offline promotion when I'm promoting an online business? The reason is simple. The concept of a paperless office is all very well, but your potential customers live in an offline world. To get their attention, you need to reach them where they live. Here's how:

STATIONERY

Every item of stationery that leaves your office is an opportunity to promote your website. Make sure your website address (URL) appears on every single piece of stationery including:

=> business cards => letterheads => envelopes => address labels => fax cover sheets => checks => invoices => receipts, and => reorder forms.

PROMOTIONAL ITEMS

Tangible promotional items that people see or use every day are a great way of keeping your name in front of your customers and prospective customers. Make sure your URL appears prominently and it will be a constant reminder to visit your website.

Promotional items that lend themselves well to this concept include:

=> coffee mugs => paper weights => pens => t-shirts => calendars => key chains => magnets => bumper stickers, and => car license plate frames.

PRINTED MATERIALS

Printed materials are a great way to generate (especially) repeat business when included with product orders. After all, your existing customers are already predisposed to deal with you so make sure you take opportunity to promote your entire line of products and/or services to give them a reason to return. Here's a few ways:

=> Coupons

Coupons are great to use as incentives for future purchases. Offer a range of coupons including percentage off orders (for example, "10% off your next order of $20 or more"), free shipping or free items (for example, "buy one, get one free" type offers).

Coupons can also be used to generate new business by making them freely available around traps. For example, if your business is educational software, make arrangements to have a supply of "30 day free trial" coupons made available at your local school.

=> Gift Certificates

Gift certificates are good because they allow your customer to share their discovery of your products and services with friends, family and colleagues. To be effective, especially in connection with services, a gift certificate needs to have a tangible dollar value to recipient rather than merely offering to redeem certificate for a particular service. This is because referral customer probably has no conception of dollar value of your service. The potential customer can, however, readily appreciate value of a "$30 toward your purchase of $60 or more" gift certificate.

=> Product Sheets

Product sheets are a way for you to make your existing customer aware of what *other* products and services you offer in addition to those they have recently purchased. This need not be any more elaborate than a one page price list but it can be as extravagant as a glossy product page replete with photos if your budget permits.

=> Brochures

Brochures are an effective way to create a professional image and promote your products and services at same time. Give them to prospective customers for a quick overview of your business and to give them a reason to visit your website for more information.

Usually businesses send out press releases to get their news to editors. But there is something many editors like even more: a media announcement.

Media announcements are short. They usually have a headline, a paragraph or two with more details, and contact information. That's it.

Here is an example:

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STARS OF "KIDS ALONE" CHOOSE ROTWORTH COOKIES AT LOCAL EVENT.

Marty and Melda, stars of hit movie "Kids Alone" will appear at Rotworth Cookies, 1010 State in Centerville, to explain why they insisted on Rotworth Cookies for movie. The treats are prominently featured in a key scene and are essential to film's plot.

Date: Saturday March 3. Time: 10 AM

Contact: Roger Smith, Rotworth Cookies 555-1213 email@rotworth.com http://rotworthcookies.com

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Try your hand writing your own media announcement. You can use my media announcement creator at http://InternetWriters.com/release.htm Simply enter your contact info and a few sentences about your business and--presto--your announcement is created and emailed to you.

Editors like short, simple, easy-to-grasp format. When you've got 100 press releases crossing your desk, a QUICK message is always welcome.

Use your headline and paragraph to focus on "juicy" part, as I like to call it. In example, stars from a hit movie appearing locally was juicy part. It's hook that an editor knows will interest many people in their audience.

That last point is key to getting press. It's not what YOU feel is important, it's what EDITOR thinks her audience is interested in that counts.

Most media people instinctively believe they can interest audience in only a few stories at a time. They know their best bet is to connect new stories to topics that already have public's attention.

Look for ways to connect your story with topics media covers frequently. Media love celebrities, scandals, community improvement, and politics. They love science and technology stories when they pertain to our health or scare people (I know, it's a cynical point, but a key factor, especially in TV news programming).

Media especially like local angles on a national or international story. If Congress is about to pass a controversial law affecting cookie production, Rotworth Cookies can get local coverage by explaining how law will impact its many employees, all who are local citizens known by many in audience.