Supporting Your Website With Non-Internet Advertising: First of all, let's review the benefits of the internet medium as an advertising tool: COST EFFECTIVE Internet advertising can be one of the most cost-effective components of an advertising campaign. In comparison to 4-color magazine ads, direct mail, billboards, radio & television spots, the cost of building a website is relatively low. GREATER MILEAGE The mileage of website content is much greater than a single print ad or airtime spot, it is a company's hardworking, 24 hour-a-day sales agent, ready at an instant to answer any question or provide information to customers worldwide or around the block. EVOLVING CONTENT Unlike print ads, websites can be updated to reflect new products, new services, changes of contact information or another company news or messages that arise. Sites can be updated daily, weekly, monthly, or once in a while...depending on the business' needs. Changing a radio or television spot to reflect new information can be very costly. Text updates and small graphic updates or additions to a company's website are much less expensive. HIGHER CUSTOMER READ TIME Visitors to a company's website may stay interested in their offerings far longer than they will read a magazine ad, or listen to a radio or TV spot. Television advertising has never recovered from the invention of the remote control; the ease of escaping those TV spots are a finger press away.   It is very important to regard internet advertising as one component of an advertising campaign. Perhaps the most important component for most companies today. I've personally seen countless companies, both large and small, throw away valuable opportunities for advertising their website through the other components of their campaign. These same companies often spend vast amounts of time, energy and money securing a high placement on all the search engines on the internet. Here are a few reminders of highly valuable opportunities for advertising your website: Promotional Items One of my clients distributes well-made pens with thief website address on it. Pens are a great promo item for advertising a website, as they sit all day on the desk, maybe in front of the computer! (keep in mind, when advertising a website, you don't need to put 'http://' anymore... some would argue that you don't need the 'www.' part either, but I think that's still a good safety.) If you are screen printing a T-shirt or any other wearable item, make sure the website address is on it. Underneath your logo, it will reinforce the logo recognition when they get to the site. Or print it on the back of the shirt. Key chains make another handy promo item, as it stays with the customer no matter where(or to what computer) they go. Maybe they'll even show your site to someone else... Radio & TV Spots I'll never understand how any company can afford to pay for television airtime without plugging their web address at least once. I personally run to my computer several times on average while taking in some television(Of course, having a continuous cable connection to the internet makes that easier). Regard the web address at least as important as your phone number. Direct Mail / Newsletters If you are sending monthly newsletters or periodic direct-mailings, that's a great opportunity to not only use the web address, but to promote news or newly added pages that may be of particular interest on the site. Newspaper / Magazine Advertising The more content you add to your website for customers, the less copy you need to put into your print ads. They don't necessarily have to get smaller, but cleaner is ALWAYS BETTER. Email Mailing lists Assuming you have an email database of potential customers (and use it responsibly, I hope), you can use periodic emails to provide small pieces of news, and links to the larger story on the site. When listing your site address in an email you DO want to use the 'http://www.' part, because many email programs will automatically translate that into a clickable link, so the recipient can visit your site with one click. - Eric Barao President, ESB Productions All website material ©2000 ESB Productions.