Do you think offline promotion is a good way to promote online services/products? What are the best ways to attract customers offline? To be specific, I want to promote a forum that is about mathematics problem solving. I know schools are my target but what should I do to get those students visit the forum and ask their questions about math.

I would recommend this approach: go where your clients are.

Local school newspapers
Tell local teachers and parents about it at a PTA meeting
etc.

Thanks for the input. I am already considering about that option about advertising through speaking to the students and parents. But I am thinking of a better promotion like some kind of freebies to the students and then they could see the site from there. Something like giving the students a free pen with the website written on the pen. Do you think that would attract my targeted clients?

A great source for offline advertising is in trade publications. There are unions, magazines, and other printed publications which sell to niches that offer advertising throughout their publications. While you may not be able to afford a full page colored ad, a small ad in the classfieds section may do just as much if you have a unique desireable product/service.

In addition to telling the parents/teachers about it and putting it in the local paper (and the school paper...most offer ad spaces to help fund their publication costs), you should also consider talking to the principal/superintendent. You may be able to get clearance to have flyers or business cards put in places like the guidance office or around the halls.

What grade level are you considering? If it's high school, you might have to jump through a few hoops and prove yourself to them to be a reliable source for students, but if you also include universities/colleges, then it's a lot easier to spread the word.

Thanks a lot for the great advices. Right now, I would like to cater to primary and secondary levels. When my forum is successful, I might to collegiate math problems which will need more time explaining or making solutions for the problems.

Also you can try out facebook.

How about some flyers in local libraries? Plenty of students gather there to study and might be glad an additional resource. If you talk nicely to the librarian you might be allowed to add a pile.

The handy thing about there too is a lot of libraries offer internet access, so it'd be easy for a student or parent to pick one up and go check out your site there and then.

If you have an internet cafe close at hand, that might be another option for placement.

I agree with Hannah on this one.

It would be ideal to have the flyers posted directly above the computers in the library, so that it's right in front of them the whole time.

The trick is making sure the service is something the library would see as a valuable resource to the general public. Then, they'd be more likely to give the okay.

Anywhere where people use the internet, etc, and wherever you niche market goes.

Sad but true, I did scribe my website name into the very thick dust of my boyfriends back window on his van. Instead of putting "wash me please" I traced through the dust and gave him a big fat dot com in his window, lol.

But a more sensible approach would be to offer some sort of freebie and have people sign up for it. You could generate a nice mailing list this way without really tricking anyone. There are still a few good seed webmasters out here and we need to let folks know this.

Print some business cards, flyers, or postcards, and place them on hotel desks or their brochure rack to get yourself somewhat exposed.

Sticking a sticker with my website on the monitor is a nice idea. But of course I need permission from the librarian to do that. I might try asking the librarian tomorrow and see if she will permit me to do so.

But internet cafe's, I think my site will not be visited often because most of the people using internet cafe service are mostly doing playing games, chatting or writing emails.

I highly doubt they're going to let you put stickers on the computers. Flyers on the wall behind the computer would be better.

Sounds like your website would be providing a unique service which most local papers would like. Try contacting the local editors or business editors. Many local papers also like to feature new businesses in their communities.

Sounds like there are a lot of great ideas here! A couple other things to consider:
In our area we have a family magazine which is free to the general public. It contains area information about current activities, classes for kids and family, etc. Throughout the magazine are many advertisements for things related to kids and family. Try checking for one of these types of magazines where you live.
Also, you may want to target home school groups in your area. If they like your "product" they may invite you in to a meeting someimte to introduce it to the homeschool families.

Offline promotion is any marketing that does not occur on the Internet. Traditional advertising such as magazines, radio/TV, mailers, store displays, etc. are all examples. Offline promotion has historically primarily promoted a company or product, only adding a URL tag as an afterthought. However, as the web has become more popular more ads are emphasizing promotion of the site and its features.

Promotion Types

* Mass marketing
Marketing to large segments of the population, i.e. TV, radio, magazines
* Press releases
Promotional articles published in mass media sources
* Direct Marketing
Advertising to focused customer segments, i.e. Telemarketing, direct mail, broadcast fax
* Collateral marketing
Adding a web site ad to brochures, business cards, presentations, etc.
* Networking promotion
Personal marketing through relationship building


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