Off-line Marketing

Michael Glueck, Mekong River Commission Secretariat/German Technical Cooperation
May 2001

In addition to IT-based promotion of your Web site and its contents, there is a whole range of more classic products and services to support your marketing efforts.

In general, you should select or combine three different areas to be marketed:

• your organization and its Web site as a whole;
• the information products on your site; and
• the services your organization offers through the site.

Sample marketing products

Posters, flyers, business cards (foldable) describing the Web site, mouse pads, note pads, pens, stickers, beer mats/coasters (if alcohol does not harm your reputation), TV spots, any other give-aways can be given to potential users as a reminder to log on to your site. Distribution points include:

• hand out during workshops and conferences, promotion campaigns;
• add to outgoing post of your organization (e.g., mailouts of your annual report; regular correspondence); and
• newspaper and magazine inserts

In general, all of your organization's documentation should also give your Web site's URL, together with a central statement explaining the objectives of the site.

Ways to promote the content of your site

• Use alternative media formats: Those organizations who offer information products (e.g., databases) through their site may use additional formats for promotion, including regular production and sales of CD-ROMs or diskettes, print catalogues, print directories.
• Display at pivotal events (UN Conferences), trade fairs and conferences.
• Present papers, together with site demonstrations, at conferences.
• Hold competitions for content generation.
• Integrate your content into partners' media.

Promote your services as well

If you offer services like Web design, Web hosting, database development, information needs assessments, etc., then you need promotional material (flyers, newspaper ads, even TV and radio spots) that provide the potential user with information about the service, costs and reasons why they should use your service.

In summary, the above listed approaches are normally mixed according to your organizational goals and respective target groups. It is not enough to focus on one exclusive approach, but also to find the appropriate mix of promotional events and products.

Of course what always helps to promote your site is an endorsement by a known and respected (by your target group) person or organization. Maybe you can convince Nelson Mandela to write a Web review for your site!

If you have a chance to participate in one of those services and events that award "stickers" to winning Web sites, go for it. This is certainly a way of boosting your reputation as long as you are not overdoing it by becoming a "sticker site."