Internet marketing, as is the Internet, is still in its infancy as it wasn’t so long ago that all marketing was offline. Just a few short years ago, entrepreneurs had to have face to face relationships with the people they did business with. They networked with others in their field, ran ads, put out flyers, handed out business cards, and had to pay for almost every form of advertising. Today, however, Internet marketers can capitalize on all kinds of free online advertising to market their products or services. That doesn’t mean, however, that you should ignore the power of offline marketing. On the contrary, you should take full advantage of all the marketing opportunities available to you.
Just as you want to establish yourself as an expert in your niche on the World Wide Web, you should strive to do the same in your own brick and mortar neighborhood. Suppose your expertise is in graphic design. If you’re affiliated with a church or a community group, these would be great places to volunteer your services. Then not only do you get to feel good about volunteering, but you benefit from the free exposure as well. You can also make free speeches at community meetings and then offer your paid services to anyone who might be interested. You might also consider giving lessons to others who would like to learn graphic design.
Business Cards, Flyers, and Ads
Every entrepreneur, whether online, offline, or both should have a business card ready to hand out to prospective customers. Your business card helps to brand you as the professional you are and it is much easier for prospective customers to keep up with than a piece of paper with your number scribbled on it. In addition, you should have your url printed on your business card so prospective customers can easily see samples of your work.
Flyers can be handed out and posted on community bulletin boards. You can also check out the possibility of having your local newspaper include your flyer among its Sunday inserts. In addition, most communities have papers like the Thrifty Nickel or the Pennysaver with far reaching audiences and relatively inexpensive ad prices. When you combine online and offline marketing techniques and networking opportunities, you will have no trouble establishing yourself as an expert in your niche and building up a loyal following of customers.
Become a Teacher
If you are already making a living as an Internet marketer, why not teach others in your community to do the same? Even if they don’t share the same talents as you do, your knowledge of basic Internet marketing skills could offer a wealth of information. In addition, people who are not particularly Internet savvy are leery of Internet scams and would appreciate learning from someone in their own community who has already found success. Besides, some people need to learn from someone in person rather than through an Internet course so you would be offering a valuable service.
