I was reading an article on Search Engine Journal on building links and it was a good reminder of how to build links offline. There is nothing immensely special about the tips but it is a great reminder to get off the computer and promote your business during the rest of your day.
You meet potential customers every day
The fact is we have lives outside our domaining, website development, ppc management, blog writing, drop list checking, hand regging – OK, maybe not much of a life! But when you are out in the real world, you interact with people (we hope) and many of these are potential customers or know a potential customer.
You have probably heard of the six degrees of Kevin Bacon where you try to connect actors in as few links as possible. Similarly you are probably connected to a potential customer within a few links.
Stimulate people’s curiosity
There are two strategies that have worked for me. The first is to use the novelty of the domaining concept. I tell someone in basic terms how domaining works and then it becomes an interesting topic for that person to bring up at the pub or at a tea party with others. Of course they don’t know enough to answer any questions on domaining, so they have to refer interested people back to you.
The second is to listen for opportunities to mention domain names. A neighbor told me one day that her nephew graduated college with a veterinary degree and was setting up a practice. I let her know that I might be able to give him some tips on setting up an online presence. I got a call about a week later and closed a deal.
Let the whole world know
Then there is the old marketing gimmicks but they are tried and tested and will work just as well for you. The key word is “free”. Any free giveaways such as pens, thumb drives, mints, notepaper and so on.I have been at medical conferences where wealthy doctors will line up to get free branded gifts, will stop in groups to compare their loot and make sure they did not miss out on whatever is perceived as the best free gift of the conference.
People are now wearing very expensive clothes with the designer’s brand on it and are proud to do so. You cannot beat this kind of free advertising. Tee-shirts are a cheap and easy way to do this.
For further ideas, read Building Links on Your Offline Time in Search Engine Journal
