So you’ve got a great eCommerce website set up with Jigoshop, and you’re making the most of the search and social media marketing opportunities, but that doesn’t mean you should forget about promoting your business offline as well, particularly when you can use cheap or free methods to get print coverage, raise awareness, keep customers and ultimately sell more products:

Promotion included with every product:

Getting new customers costs you time and money as you convince them to buy

your products for the first time. By contrast, happy repeat customers are the best way to build your business and increase your profits, so why not include promotion with every product that you ship?

If can be as simple as a handwritten note, a flyer, or something more imag

inative. For years, many companies have included stickers and other ways for customers to share the fact that they like your products.

And by using a specific url on your stickers, for example, you can still track how many people visit your website and make a purchase.

Use QR Codes to allow mobile users to purchase:

Jigoshop already utilises responsive themes which means that anyone visiting your website via their smart-phone or tablet device. So given that mobile internet use has rocketed, and it is highest at times when computer use is lowest (Mobile traffic spikes in the evenings and weekends), you’ll want to make the most of this relatively new opportunity.

So why not make sure you have a QR Code available wherever your customers might see it?

Anyone with a suitable phone or application can take a picture of the above QR Code and be taken straight to a website or page. That means your customers won’t have to spend time trying to type an address on their screen or keyboard and instead get straight into browsing and buying your products. And it’s free to generate a QR Code for any url via various services.

Attend and get the most from events:

 There are a huge number of events being organised every month, whether they are free local meet-ups or big national events. Some will allow you to meet others in your industry, or other WordPress users, for example, whilst others allow you to speak directly to potential customers. And meeting in person is a great way to quickly build trust and demonstrate who is behind your brand.

So before you go, make sure you’re prepared with plenty of business cards and flyers, a pen and notepad, and any product samples that will fit in your bag!

And don’t be shy once you’re there. Make an effort to chat and get to know as many people as you can, because everyone else will be feeling the same nerves as being in a room full of people, and will be glad of someone to talk to. Ask questions, listen to them, and wait for the right time to mention what you do.

Use your own real estate:

Quite often advertising space on a website or in print is referred to as real estate, but you might have quite a lot available for free that you haven’t thought about.

Some companies have started to sell ad space on your house or car, but you don’t have to go quite that far. Instead of spending money to advertise the logos of clothing companies, why not create shirts and other clothing with your own logos and wear them instead?

Various companies offer a range of self-designed shirts,hats, laptop bags and other merchandise which you can use to promote your company. And if your brand takes off, you might find your customers start to buy them and help to market your company for you!

Get your (business) name in print:

Help A Reporter Out and NewsBasis, which both try to match journalists looking for contacts with suitable people for articles.

Mentions and links from other websites is great, but don’t forget that print newspapers and magazines still reach a large, and in some cases, hugely relevant audience. Besides following journalists and magazine writers online, you could also register with services such as

And in terms of local media, don’t be afraid to send out emails and press releases. The worst case scenario is that you’ll be ignored, but as long as you don’t start spamming or harassing reporters, you could find yourself getting decent local coverage pretty quickly.

What offline marketing do you recommend?

Have you got a great experience of marketing your store offline, or a new idea for a way to promote your business? We’d love to hear your stories and tips on how you’ve gained more customers, so why not post a comment?