Are You Serious About Your Blog? Are You Promoting It Offline?

I am not quite aware about all the possible purposes of blogging, but I can unquestionably say, one of the major purpose it to spread and share your views with people; correction, maximum number of people. That’s an obvious one and no one can refute this fact.

Another fact is that most of the blogs are opinionated. If it isn’t, then probably it’s a news article you are looking at. This post is opinionated, wrong or right, that you have to decide.

But the thoughtful opinion and the research can prove to be quite ineffective and useless if it doesn’t reaches enough number of people. The blog has to be promoted and I guess you know most of the ways to do it online.

However, I have noticed that offline advertising is something that people are not much aware about. Or may be they don’t want to do it. Again, I don’t know the reasons but it’s a fact that offline advertising is hugely neglected by bloggers.

Here are few ways to promote blog ‘researched’ and ‘opinionated’ posts offline:

1. Print it on a T-Shirt
   

   Okay. Not all methods are neglected. This is the most common one among bloggers. If you are a beginner and don’t know much about it, let me tell you this is not a new idea.To do this kind of promotion you will need several t-shirts on which you get the name of your blog printed. If you are quite good looking, get you photo on it. I would suggest keep it simple. Just the name and a relevant small logo or a picture. Then, get some people to wear those t-shirts. If none agrees to wear it, at least you could, right? Yeah! Keep loving your blog.

2. Why only T-Shirts?
   You won’t get a lot of people easily who would agree to wear that creepy t-shirt. Who cares, you have many other options, all better than the t-shirt idea. Be creative. Use pens, paper weights, coffee mugs, free calendars, or anything that people commonly used.
3. Pinning Posters
   You will probably need a well designed poster if you are a part of any community. They have these bulletin boards or notice board where you can pin the posters that describes about the blog. A good design can attract a lot of people. Add some punch lines or humor in the poster to get more readers.
4. Sponsor
   If you have enough funds, look for things, small events, or camps that you can sponsor. It’s an amazing way to promote your blog. Sponsoring charity events can work well because blog is also something that helps people. It shares the same purpose, same connection, and same feeling. It’s a courteous way of promotion.
5. Car Sticker
   

   I love this because I have a sticker saying bloggingwithchris.com on my car. It a good way to promote you blog but remember you cannot travel around the world in you car. It’s local. However, it can reach more number of people than a t-shirt, coffee mug, or a bulletin board can.Make sure the letters are big enough for people to read easily even if you are driving speedily.

6. Radio is still in
   For those who think it’s obsolete and useless, I declare that it will, for sure, reach much more people than your car, or thousands of t-shirt can.You need to check out which channels are within your budget and advertise there. However, you also need to ensure that the selected channel is the right fit for you. You cannot promote your blog on a channel that plays records from 1910-30.
7. Business Cards, Letter Heads, and Diaries
   This isn’t as far reaching as other because you (or any other individual carrying your card) wouldn’t stick your business card on your head or shirt and walk on a busy street. However, somebody knows about your blog instead of none. This is a promotion strategy, and I don’t think it’s wise to miss it out just because it reaches small number of people.
8. Voicemail
   Wow! This was my expression when I first read this idea on a blog post some months ago. It’s really a cool idea to mention the URL of your blog with your message. However, make sure you don’t get into the details of the blog and kill the main purpose of the voicemail. They called you to know where you are. Remember?
9. Promotion Leaflets
   If it’s possible for you to design a leaflet or a brochure (ideally A4 size) and print a few thousand copies, do it. Get on your bike and drop a copy in the mail boxes of the houses in your locale. Or hire a school boy, he will enjoy doing it. However, make sure that it’s legally allowed do so in your area, or you might end up paying more than your blog can make.
10. Yellow pages / Newspapers
    There are numerous firms that will readily post your URL and details in the Yellow Pages and local newspapers. Why can’t you do it? You can and this time it’s 100% legal.
11. Use Yourself:
    You are searching numerous sources to promote your blog, when the best source is you. Start speaking about your blog to the relevant people and I am sure the snowball will get bigger than your expectation. Ask your friends, family, and relatives as well to help you spreading the word.

In most of the above mentioned ways, I have compared one method with the other regarding the reachability, just for your understanding. So, if you happen to choose just one, you can select the best one. To promote your blog offline effectively, use a combination of all the methods.

I am pretty sure that there are several other way to market your blog offline. If you think I have missed the major ones, please leave a comment.