Promote Your URL on All Communications

ROI Potential: Medium Return/Low Cost
Once you've invested time and effort to produce a great Web site for your company, don't forget to actively let your customers know it's there. Place your URL prominently on all your stationery, promotional materials, t-shirts, as well as on packaging, invoices, receipts—in other words, wherever you would print your company's name or telephone number.

If you have only a limited budget to promote your Web site, including the URL on all communications is one inexpensive way to increase traffic. If your potential customers know they can find out more about your products or services by visiting your Web site, many will do so.

On any business letters your company sends out before your letterhead has been reprinted with the web site URL, always type the URL and the company's main email address under the signature of the sender. There are three main areas to consider when you set out to promote your URL. Follow our checklists, and work through the various pieces as you reprint current material or design new advertising. If you can think of more, let us know!

Checklist for Developing Direct Marketing
Direct marketing materials, including direct-mail pieces, point-of-sale packaging and trade show displays, should include the Web site URL and, wherever possible, an email contact address. Run through the checklist to make sure your company is making use of the marketing dollars you would have budgeted anyway.

• Direct mail letters

• Direct mail envelopes

• Flyers, or inclusions with other senders' direct mail

• Product displays, for retail or trade

• Trade show brochures

• Tent cards

• Postcards, or direct response cards

• Entry forms, for contests or sweepstakes

• Promotional items or giveaways, such as pens or pencils, T-shirts, calendars, memo magnets, coffee mugs

Checklist for Developing Awareness Advertising
Another essential place to include your URL is on your company's awareness advertising. Wherever you've found advertising to be effective, such as display or classified ads you purchase in trade journals or newspapers, your URL should direct customers to your Web site.

Remember to include even less obvious awareness advertising, like resource guides or your Yellow Pages listing. View your site as a second layer of information connected to the ad. Your ad will catch readers' attention; then your web page should offer a more detailed explanation of your product, and perhaps offer the opportunity to place an order on the spot.

• Print advertising, in newspapers, magazines, or trade journals

• TV advertising

• Radio advertising, if your URL is short and easy to remember

• Yellow Pages listing or page ad

• Business White Pages listing or page ad

• Other directory listings, in trade journals or local resource guides

• Classified advertising

• Employment advertising

Checklist for Developing Collateral
Collateral material includes all your company's literature, whether it's traditional stationery materials or flashier four-color brochures you might send to potential customers. Don't forget materials on this list that wouldn't be controlled from a marketing department.

Here's our checklist:

• Letterhead, all sizes

• Envelopes, all sizes

• Boxes or other packaging

• Business cards

• Receipts

• Invoices

• Packaging inventory lists for mailing

• Fax cover pages

• Account statements

• Order confirmations

• Thank-you cards

• Annual reports or informational brochures