If you run a blog, then you know how important readership is to the success of your blog. If you monetize your blog, then you rely on your blog’s success for your paycheck. That’s a big deal. Therefore, you owe it to yourself to make sure you are doing everything within your power to market your blog, and that means engaging in offline marketing. How do you market an online entity outside of the world-wide web? Here are some offline marketing methods for blog success:
Your URL. Put your blog’s URL everywhere, and on everything. It should be on your business cards, in the signature line of all your correspondence, on your stationary letterhead, and anything else you can think of that you use to communicate with people outside of the virtual world.
Networking. Attend blog events like the BlogWorld Expo, industry seminars and trade shows related to your blog’s niche, local business networking club events, and chamber of commerce meetings to meet people who may be interested in your blog. (By the way, networking with other blog owners, in particular, creates opportunities for you to guest blog and get linkbacks to your own blog, which is powerful marketing.) It doesn’t matter if you end up talking to someone from a staffing agency or your local dive restaurant. When you meet new people through these networking avenues, hand out your business card – you business card with your site’s URL. You’re always making valuable contacts.
Advertising. Take out advertisements in newspapers, and place ads with direct mailing companies, to spread the word about your blog to people in the offline world. You can use these advertisements to promote your blog by creating a call to action, like: “Subscribe to my blog and you will be entered for a chance to win a new baby giraffe” (Or something similar.)
Sponsor locally. No matter where you live, there is sure to be a number of local charities, clubs, and community events that you can sponsor in order to gain respect and increase your blog’s readership. For example, donate to your local high school’s football team to get your blog advertisement printed in the high school’s yearbook.
Free stuff. Everyone loves free stuff. Have your blog’s logo (and URL) printed on coffee mugs, t-shirts, refrigerator magnets, pens and more, and give the stuff away wherever you go. Bring your SWAG (Stuff We All Get) to all the networking events you attend to get some real attention.
As you can see, there are plenty of ways for you to market your blog in the offline world. Follow these suggestions to add another, highly-effective dimension to your blog marketing efforts to ensure your blog’s ongoing success.
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