Promoting Offline Business Websites - How Do You Get CUSTOMERS?

This should do the trick for ya:
http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...thly-fees.html

Cheers,

~Dexx

Hi,

What kind of businesses are your target audience and who would you describe as your ideal customer for your website development services?

Answers to those 2 questions will help you plan and structure your marketing and action planning in the right direction and allow you to get better results.

If you take an approach that your target audience is everywhere and anywhere it'll be difficult to actually attract any customers and this is why this is an important first step to take.

You did mention YP and checking out businesses who don't have websites. Its an approach and again, the same rule of thumb has to apply. When leafing through the phone book or researching online, what type of business are you looking for?

Just a pointer that will help make your efforts more fruitful.

Regards

Bayo

My best advice when it comes to local marketing is to get your laptop and hit the streets. Go and visit those small businesses in your local area who you know probably would not have a website but you think would definitely benefit from having one.

Before you do this I would be inclined to find a couple of businesses in your local area to use as case studies. Offer to build them free websites in return for being able to show those websites to other potential clients.

The easiest way to make sales would be to concentrate on one type of business at a time and use that to your advantage. Eg/ make a list of all the chinese restaurants within 30 miles. Visit one or two of these restaurants and offer to build them a website free of charge. Once you have those websites built go and visit all the other Chinese restaurants in the area. Once they see that other Chinese Restaurants in their area have signed up and already got a website (they don't have to know they were free case studies) they will be a lot more inclined to jump on board and give it a go. No one likes to be behind their competition so use this to your advantage and you could have a winner on your hand.

I think the best businesses for me to target are Mom & Pop types with a steady flow in and out their doors, but not the means to pay a big firm (and therefore jumping at the opportunity for a simple, cheap website to represent their business).

You would likely have more luck dealing with larger companies that have a website that sucks. Show them how they can be making some actual money from their site (by getting customers) and maybe give one service away to get them. Introduce them to the idea of offering a free report with the top 3 questions their customers ask, making a squeeze page and running a cheap ad in a news advertiser. If your area is not used to this, your likely going to have to give a few away to prove it - just make them responsible for website space and autoresponded and content of that report.

I have had more luck just talking to owners of businesses that I frequent. They ask me what I do and I say, let me show u.

I think it is better you choose what kind of business you are targeting. For example, you may target restaurants, travel, lawyers, doctors , or flower vendors for example. Once you decide your niche, make a list from yellow pages and call them for appointments or give a door to door visit. It is just like traditional marketing type. One day you can meet 5 to 10 prospects.

Been reading through it, thank you ; )