Launching a new site (or microsite) for your business or organization? Need some quick ideas to promote this new site? Here are some ideas for getting the word out, just pick the ones that are relevant to your type of business:

1. Use your home email list and postal mail list to announce the launch of the site. If someone on the list is a current customer, give them a 10% coupon on their first purchase (if your site has an eCommerce component).

2. Current customers should receive an announcement card along with their next bill or invoice. If you have a retail store, print the ad directly on the receipt.

3. Create articles with titles like “10 things you need to know about X.” Make sure the article title and keywords relate to your new site. Also, include several links to your new site. Submit these articles to ezines, partner sites, and other places that catch your eye.

4. The same articles can be converted into landing pages that are targets for search engine marketing campaigns.

5. Reuse the same material as the press/news releases and submit them to PRWeb.com and other online press release sites.

6. Create a series of simple 125×125 ads and post them on small business blogs. The CPM for these ranges from $1 to $5, and gives you access to a lot of traffic, and your competition is NOT using these places. There are several really good ad networks (like federatedmedia.com) that can place your ads on numerous blogs with the convenience of one-stop shopping.

7. Once you start working with clients, send any client who has spent X amount in Y time an email with an affiliate ID. Tell them that if they refer their friends and colleagues to you, and if their friends/colleagues enter their affiliate ID when they sign up, any purchases made will result in credits for them. It doesn’t have to be much, just pennies on the dollar. With just a little programming, you could set up a multi-generational thing, where person X brings people A, B, and C, getting credit for their purchases, and when person A invites people F, G, H, who person X also gets a part of this action (reduced, obviously).

8. Put up huge banners in your physical location announcing your new site.

9. Mention your new website in your office voicemail and email signature files.

10. Send flyers and other printed materials to your target market by advertising the site.

11. Run a radio promo before a big holiday event appropriate for your business. Use your 30 second ad to promote the power of your service or product.

12. Make it painfully obvious on your website how to sign up and get started. Also make it obvious that signing up is FREE (if that’s true), they don’t have to buy anything now. Then make it painfully obvious that they can invite their friends to join too.

13. Send a monthly e-newsletter to current customers with website promotions and informative tips to make your dollars work.

14. Lead Nurturing – Identify, over time, all the people who have signed up to your site and spent less than a certain amount (say $0-$100 over a 90-day period) and contact them via email. email or by phone. Find out how they like the site, what would make things better overall, or if they have specific issues with pricing, etc.

15. As soon as a new customer orders something, send them a special promo code with their invoice via email. Promo code is good for $10 off your next purchase in the next 45 days. This can attract new second-time buyers, which could be critical to your success.

16. Send company representatives to networking events (such as BNI, AMA, PRSA, Ad Fed, Chamber of Commerce, etc.) to talk about your new site.

17. Create a workshop or seminar that teaches people how to use and order from your site. Make the workshops free and send out the first invites to your existing customers — turn it into a training class + presentation/launch.

18. Create a screencast to show how easy it is to order things from your site and place a link to this instructional material on your home page.

19. Use in-store kiosks to raise awareness of the site.

20. Set up a booth at trade shows in your area to promote your new site.

21. Sponsor a charity event in your local area and make sure your banners and posters stand out at all times. If you pick the right event, this could get you a lot of coverage in the local media.

22. Don’t forget to print your URL on pens, coffee mugs, t-shirts and other promotional gifts and then… give them away!