Success in business breaks down into two simple things:
- Can you supply something that people want at a price they’re willing to pay?
- Can you get your offer in front of those people?
People most often start a business because they excel at a certain trade or area. They understand the industry and are able to provide what people desire.
-How do you get your offer in front of the right people? -Or in other words, how do you promote your business?
We are going to look at some very easy ways to advertise your business that are also very effective. You don’t need any special skills or a lot of money to do these things. If you’re looking for new ways to reach people who might be interested in what you’re selling, you’ve come to the right place.
28 Smart Tips to Instantly Boost Your Business
1. Insert ‘calls to action’ in your team’s email signatures
Each day, the average office worker sends and receives 122 emails. For a business with ten staff, that equals around 600 outgoing emails per day.
Email signatures are a great way to promote your business, but traditional signatures with job titles and website addresses are not effective. People are not interested in this information.
A big obvious Call To Action button is one way to get attention.
Email signatures can be used as a marketing tool to introduce your products or services to potential customers.
You can create an email signature for just one email using your email client, but it’s more effective to use an app like Sigstr to manage signatures and campaigns for an entire team.
One way to make the most of email CTAs is to offer a lead magnet or freebie that will be of interest to your target audience and encourage them to move further down your sales funnel.
2. Set up a Google My Business Account
Besides acting as a search engine, Google also provides a small business directory. Setting up a Google My Business (now called Google Business Profile) Account provides three major benefits for companies who rely on local business:
- Your local business is listed on Google maps and search.
- It’s good for search engine optimization, so that your business gets found easier by the people who are looking for the services or products you provide.
- It’s good for when your customers start adding reviews of your business; these reviews help Google display your business in their “3-pack”, which gives you free advertising at no cost.
Your GMB listing is the most important online citation and listing, and it’s important that every listing matches your GMB listing, particularly when it comes to your three primary pieces of information, known as NAP (Name Address Phone Number).
3. Set up a joint venture
As noted before, a key element of marketing your business is making your offer visible to the right target audience. One of the most practical ways to achieve this is to identify groups that already exist and that contain your ideal target consumers, and then present your offer to them.
Instead of advertising, partnering with non-competing businesses to market to the same people can be a better option.
Joint ventures can help you get more customers quickly, as Teachable did. Started in 2014 by Ankur Nagpal, within six months they had less than 20 customers making money from courses. In 2015 they created a joint venture, which gave them a much-needed boost in customers.
Nagpal cites a few examples of joint ventures they have used in their marketing strategies, one of which was a straightforward affiliate partnership with marketing consultant Melyssa Griffin. Teachable gave Melyssa a unique promotional tracking link as well as a 50% commission on every sale.
To learn more about successful joint ventures, check out Teachable, which has seen monthly growth of over 20% since 2016. In just one year, the company has increased revenue tenfold and has more than 1 million students.
4. Carry business cards
If you want to be successful in business, never leave home without your business cards. You never know when you might meet a potential customer or client, so it’s important to have all your relevant information on your business cards, including your website address and any social media accounts you might have.
5. Find a niche
Find an opportunity in the market for your product or service and target it. Find out what people need and offer solutions.
6. Talk to your customers
Don’t be afraid to speak with current customers to learn why they chose you. Additionally, inquire about ways you could improve your services from their perspective.
7. Create an email marketing strategy
Email marketing is the cornerstone of online marketing.
Email has been a successful communication tool from a technological standpoint and converts to sales at a higher rate than most other channels.
Email marketing allows you to build relationships with potential buyers over time. It allows you to place visitors who aren’t ready to buy into a funnel that keeps them connected with your business instead of having them forget about you.
Email marketing can be a great tool to grow your business, but you need to have something of value to give away in order to get people’s email addresses. A digital info product is often a good choice for this.
After that, you should write a series of emails to introduce the new lead to your offer, show that you’re an expert in the field, and provide helpful information on related topics.
8. Get testimonials
If you want your marketing to be more effective, add testimonials from satisfied customers to your website or marketing materials. Be sure to get permission before using any testimonials.
9. Make friends with influential bloggers
Make friends with influential bloggers in order to get them to write a review about your business, product, or service
10. Sponsor an awards ceremony
Although it can be expensive, sponsoring awards is a good way to get your business known. Keep in mind that not all awards are costly. There are many award ceremonies that are specific to your business and budget.
11. Sponsor a competition
There are many opportunities to sponsor media competitions in order to increase brand exposure. By doing so, not only will your company name be advertised, but you will also be able to reach a larger audience.
12. Offer a Free Or Discounted Product/Service
Giving something away for free or at a discount is a good way to attract new customers. Depending on your business model, you may even make a loss on this in order to get more market share.
There are many ways to use this to increase leads, sales, or referrals, especially for ecommerce stores that offer introductory discounts.
Alternatives to paid app development platforms include free software apps or free trials. For example, BuildFire provides potential customers with the opportunity to create a free app, so they can try the product before they have to pay for it.
13. Give something away
If you have something you can offer in a competition, newspapers and magazines will give you free editorial space in exchange for a prize. Just be aware that they will always want minimum prize values.
14. Become an expert spokesperson
If you have expertise in a particular field, you can contact local TV, radio, and newspapers to offer your services as a guest or to be interviewed. To be prepared for this, you should do some media training so that you are ready for any interviews that might occur.
15. Create a press kit
Create a media kit with information about you and your business that you can send to journalists. Include a press section on your website where media can find out more about you and contact you.
16. Add interaction to your website
It is important to make your website interactive so that people will want to use it. You can do this by adding features like ‘live chat’ so that you can answer any questions people may have. There are also many ready-made solutions that you can add to your website quickly and easily.
17. Mobile advertising
With a friendly car sticker, you can advertise your business while you’re on the move! Just don’t forget to add your website link and telephone number. For an extra touch of fun, add a special discount code that people can use when they call you.
18. Take advantage of forums
No matter what your creative field, there are plenty of forums out there to join and start contributing to. Many people use forums to find answers, so being as helpful as possible could attract more clients. Just don’t forget to make the most of your forum signature by adding links to your website and your company’s slogan.
19. Don’t forget your SEO
If you want people to be able to find your website when they search for your products and services, you need to make sure your website is optimized for search engines. You can either hire an SEO company to help you with this, or you can learn about SEO yourself. A good place to start learning about SEO is Moz.
20. Hook up your social media accounts
Provide links on your website to all your social media accounts, and make sure to include them in your marketing materials and literature.
21. Get your pricing right
Call some of your competitors and see what they are charging for their products and services. When you have a good idea of what the market is priced at, set your prices accordingly.
22. Throw in some freebies
If you want to make your client happy, add a freebie to your delivery. A local design firm I know sends sweets with all of its deliveries. A small but effective idea.
23. Reward repeat business
If a client does more work for you, reward them with your loyalty strategy. You could offer them a discount as a way of encouraging them to be loyal in return.
24. Invest in credibility
Credibility is the most important factor in selling a business. Invest in schemes and accreditations that will show potential clients how trustworthy and reliable you are. This will increase the value of your company.
25. Offer a guarantee
If you are offering products or services that you think are 100% guaranteed or refundable, then you should make that policy clear to potential customers. Some people may abuse this offer, but the benefits of attracting more customers may outweigh the risks.
26. Have excellent customer service
There is no better way to promote your business than through referrals and word-of-mouth recommendations. Keep your clients happy by providing excellent customer service. By working a little harder, you will be rewarded in the long run.
27. Start a campaign to change something
Do you have a problem with your industry that you want to change? Why not start a campaign to raise awareness and try to fix it? You could even offer something from your own business to help resolve the issue. Write a press release and get the local media involved. Fight for what you believe in, and you’ll get people’s attention.
28. Pay For Advertising
One of the most effective ways to get quick and consistent exposure is to pay for advertising. This will help you to build a customer base over time.
Three of the current most popular advertising methods include:
- PPC ads
- Facebook ads
- Television ads
In 2015, the Content Marketing Institute, conducted a survey of 3,714 worldwide marketers, and found that 76% of B2C marketers use paid advertising; 64% rated search engine ads as effective, and 59% reported that they found paid social ads to be effective:
There is some expertise required for paid advertising, as well as some trial and error to find the right channel. This is a common promotional activity that businesses tend to outsource to agencies.
Conclusion: How To Promote Your Business
I hope this article has provided you with a better understanding of how to promote your business. These low-cost methods will help you get started.
There is no single guaranteed winning strategy for promoting a business. You have to try different things and see what works.
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