When you’re looking to promote your website, don’t forget the traditional media as a way to build website traffic. Here are five no-nonsense means to building more traffic to your website, in the real world.

Newspaper and Magazine Ads

This is still one of the cheapest ‘bang for your buck’ advertising options out there. Talk to your local newspaper, but don’t forget to look at community papers and speciality markets (such as language, religion, sports, etc.). These secondary markets often have much lower costs for reaching their markets, and while each may have a lower circulation, your impact and penetration will be higher.

Shirts and Clothing

Nobody can resist a free t-shirt and at a cost of about three dollars a piece, turning people into walking billboards is a no brainer. Hire a local artist if you’re not a great designer and have some quick, custom shirts printed up. You can promote your website almost anywhere with them.

Word of Mouth

The single best form of advertising a company could ask for is word of mouth. Make your website so terrific that people tell other people about it. Remember, it costs you nothing to have people talk about your website.

Direct Marketing

Postcards are still one of the most effective forms of advertising on the planet. Send 1,000 postcards to local businesses with a reason to come to your website, a call to action such as a free give away. Don’t be shy, and remember that marketing isn’t a one shot deal. You’ll need to send postcards every couple of weeks for a few months to get the most bang for your buck.

The Yellow Pages

While it’s true that more people are using the Internet to find things, many of us old timers (people over 30) still use the Yellow Pages every day to find businesses in our community. Even with Google Maps, I still keep a copy of the Yellow Pages on my desk. Make sure your business promotes itself with an ad and that your ad includes a website address!