Rule #1: Put Your Web Address on Everything

Kim PierceallMarketing

Have you seen print ads or listings that tickled your interest only to notice no web address is provided? No matter whether you sell widgets to consumers or highly specialized consulting services in a vertical market, do not neglect to put your web address on pretty much every single thing.

More sophisticated corporations not only provide web URLs, but create special addresses for what are called “landing pages” to help them track how many people are seeing that marketing message and acting on it. Small businesses and not-for-profits must at least adopt the basic rule to pepper every bit of marketing and correspondence with the friendly “www+”.

This simple task may seem obvious. If not, here’s just a hint of the research that is making it a business necessity, perhaps more powerful than even having a phone line. Online Media Daily summarized an advertising study by the Magazine Publishers of America in which they confirm that “ads with Web addresses were up to three times as likely to drive readers to a Web site, depending on the magazine category.” That’s TRIPLED. Data like that means displaying your URL everywhere should be as ubiquitous as signing your name on letters and email.