Once your website is complete, it’s time to focus on marketing your website and getting people to your site. After all, they can’t hire you ($$$), buy from you ($$), or learn from you ($), or even sign up to receive your free stuff, if they never get to your website in the first place!
The old way of thinking, “If you build it, they will come.” Simply isn’t true.
There is so much competition on the internet these days that there are literally millions of other websites, opportunities, and distractions available that you have to complete with. If you just sit back and wait for people to find your website, you may be waiting a very, very long time. Instead, your responsibility as a website owner and business owner is to get the word out there and market the heck out of your website and business so those people who are looking for and need what you’re offering can find you.
If you don’t like to market, you don’t want to promote yourself, or you’re hesitant to get you name out there in a big way, think of it this way — if you don’t you’re actually hurting and stealing from other people. In a way, you’re robbing them of the opportunity to get to know you, to learn what you do, and to get the help and solutions they have been looking for.
With that in mind, here’s a list of all kinds of things you can do to market your website and get the word out about your business:
- Attend networking events
- Join the board/leadership for a networking group
- Start a new networking group
- Host a seminar, workshop, or event
- Referrals from past and current clients
- Speak at events for leads
- Referrals from centers of influence
- Speak at events for free and sell from the stage
- Build relationships with centers of influence
- Speak for a fee
- Host a teleclass or telesummit
- Sponsor events and have a booth
- Be a guest on a teleclass or telesummit
- Publish content regularly to your own blog
- Host a webinar or video training
- Make your blog available on the Kindle
- Be a guest on a webinar or video training
- Publish guest blog posts on other blogs
- Send targeted press releases to media
- Link and/or ad exchange with another blog
- Leverage online press release distribution
- Comment on other blogs of influence
- Respond to HARO requests
- Create a Smart Phone app for your site/blog
- Leave testimonials on other sites
- Start a podcast and publish on iTunes
- Participate in Joint Ventures
- Create strategic partnerships
- Join boards with other centers of influence
- Volunteer and get involved in your community
- Participate in online forums
- Publish a print newsletter
- Article submission to online directories
- Publish an online or email newsletter
- Article submission to print publications
- Host a contest or giveaway
- Consistently improve your website
- Add new, valuable resources to your site often
- Send direct mail to your list
- Publish videos on YouTube and other video sites
- Send direct mail to a purchased list
- Get listed in trade/industry directories
- Send a warm letter or referral letter
- Serve as expert faculty for a group/association
- Be a guest on BlogTalk radio shows
- Optimize your website and content
- Be a local or national radio show guest
- Print brochures and display at partner businesses
- Be a local or national TV show guest
- Distribute and/or mail flyers
- Host an internet TV show
- Write and book and get published
- Create and market an affiliate program
- Write and self publish your own book
- Wear branded t-shirts with your URL
- Give away branded t-shirts with your URL
- Advertise on Radio and Television
- Advertise in print publications
- Advertise with swag in event goody bags
- Advertise with Google AdWords
- Advertise on Craigslist and classified sites
- Advertise with Google Image/Banner ads
- Advertise on authority website
- Advertise with Facebook ads
- Create an active network on Facebook
- Create an active network on Twitter
- Create an active network on LinkedIn
- Create an active network on YouTube
- Participate in LinkedIn Groups/Discussions
- Create an active network on Google+
- Answer LinkedIn Questions
- Write and share case studies and success stories
- Apply for awards and industry recognition
- Get featured as a case study or success story
While this list is pretty extensive, this isn’t nearly all of the different ways you can market your website and get your name out there. All you need to do is get thinking, get creative, and get moving!
Just Remember: DO NOT try to implement a whole bunch of the marketing strategies listed above at the same time — that’s a recipe for overwhelm and burnout!
Instead pick one or two you know you can commit to and get started. Give yourself time to find your groove, get comfortable with the skills, and make them a habit. Then add another marketing strategy, find your groove, get comfortable, make it a habit, and repeat.
Marketing isn’t a single event, it’s an ongoing process. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. You’ve got to get started and keep going. So if you need to, start small and take baby steps — you can always add more marketing strategies to the mix later.