Copyright (c) 2010 Thami Makhathini

Sure, putting your signiture link on your business card might have helped increase site traffic but there are 3 potent offline ways you may simply have never considered yet.

Using A Local Marketing PR Firm

Many of them are run by skilled single agents - and although good ones won't dance for a penny, their services may not be as out of reach (or non-cost-effective) as you might think.

A local Marketing Consultant has her pulse on all the buzz. She knows every resource, probably has ideas about where to promote you - and all that even you have remove your coat and ordered your coffe.

A basic rule of business is to expend your energy where your money-making skills lie. So you can be focusing on those areas, leaving your Marketing PR consultant free to do what she does best - promote you and drive people to your sites.

Consider Local TV

We've all been used to thinking of TV and glossy magazine advertising as something only the Big Leagues can afford - and, in general, that's certainly true.

But did you know that advertising with your local TV station can be surprisingly affordable? As well as building your visibility as a "celebrity" - and even in just your own home town, you'd be surprised how far that goes!

One advantage: Local newspaper editors are much more inclined to print your press releases, if they know you're seen on TV (and trust me, they know!)

And now there's been a press release stating that Google will act as an advertising broker between local TV and NBC. According to the terms of the deal, Google advertisers will be able to buy ads on 6 cable networks owned by NBC (including Oxygen, MSNBC, Sci-Fi and CNBC. (This is actually history - it's the first time Google has ever brokered ads via a television network!)

Offer A Weekend Workshop To Your Community College

Now this may not sound as exciting as your own local TV ad, or as workload-relieving as a simply hiring a Marketing Consultant or local PR firm - but offering a workshop to your Community College is a long term status and traffic increasing strategy every online business person should use!

Draw up a solid proposal, find out who to contact and make your pitch. (After all, you do that online every day, right?)

Yes, you'll put work into it, I guarantee - and you may not get immediate clients from your actual class. But I guarantee, you'll learn far more than you teach, and it will open you up to brilliant ideas for your market (providing your workshop subject was actually relevant!)

And it's another great opportunity to increase website traffic by sending out press releases - both to offline sources like local newspapers and trade magazines, and to online paid and free PR services (like PRWeb).

The thing about a little work: The more you do, and the more enthusiastically you put into it, the more you'll notice benefits returning to you... So stay positive and proactive, make the most of every online and offline opportunity - and watch your credibility and business repuatation grow.