When you run a business, some tasks need to be done, no matter what. It won’t matter how big or small your business is or what you sell. It won’t matter whether you work solely online, or you have a premises or travel to people’s homes. Whatever you do and however you do it, one of the most important tasks of all is promoting your business. Without doing this, no one is going to be aware that you exist, and all your hard work and the time, effort, and money you have put into building up your business will be for nothing.
There are no specific rules when it comes to marketing, and this is why it can be confusing. You can choose to be subtle or obvious, you can choose how much money you want to spend, you can choose who you market to (or you can simply market to everyone, although it’s often better to carry out market research to determine who you ideal target market really is). This is why it can get confusing and is off-putting for many. However, getting your marketing right is crucial, which is why we’ve put together a shortlist of some of the most interesting ways you can promote your business. It’s not exhaustive, but it will help you to get started.
Wear Your Advertising
An ideal way to advertise your business across many different sectors at one time is to wear branded clothing. This works best if you have an easily recognizable or easily readable logo and company name since it needs to be something people can read quickly and understand immediately. You won’t want people to have to be staring at your shirt or hat or bag or phone case for a long time to read what it says, that would be uncomfortable for both parties.
Not only will your branded clothing make people aware of what you do and who you are wherever you go, whether that’s to pick the kids up from school or to go grocery shopping or anywhere else, but it can also serve as a uniform when you are doing your job. This will help people identify those who will be able to assist them, and it will give them a sense of trust if you have to go to their home – they will know that you are who you say you are. Plus, it looks professional.
As you can see, there are several reasons why you should wear your advertising, and as long as the information you are giving out is correct and readable, this could well help you a lot in your business.
Sponsor an Event
Sponsoring an event, a person, or a place is a great way to get your business noticed by doing something positive for your community or the greater good. There are many ways you can do this, and fundraising is something that goes hand in hand with sponsorship – if you can work out a way to do both of these things, then you certainly won’t be forgotten. Plus, it will make you feel good, so it has a doubly good outcome in the end.
Having your company name be linked to something positive such as sponsoring a community event, organizing fundraising bricks from Fundraising Brick, and offering those bricks to be engraved for a donation to the cause of your choice. Even paying for a local sports team’s uniform will all go a long way to helping those involved considerably. When people think of your business, they will do so positively and will be loyal customers because you helped out.
Use Social Media
Social media was, in the beginning, for individuals who wanted to connect with other people, often family members, friends, and even those they hadn’t seen for a long time, such as those they went to school with.
Over the years, many of these social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (and to a lesser extent platforms such as Pinterest) have grown to allow for business use too. There are even platforms like LinkedIn, which are specifically designed for B2B connections.
When you run a business, it is a good idea to have at least one social media channel associated with it. You can promote special deals, competitions, new products, your blog, or simply let people know what you do. The better and more interesting the post, the more likely it is that people are going to enjoy it and share it, and this is the critical component; you are going to need people to pass on your information to others so that more and more people become aware of your business. Although you can do this by paying, if you have the right post targeted to the right people, you can do it for free, which is clearly a better option.
Make A Video
A video can really make a difference in how people see your business. Rather than words on a screen or even photographs, a video gives a real sense of who you are and what you do. This can make a huge impact and might even be the catalyst to people who had not been aware of you, or who had known about you but weren’t sure whether or not to use you. By showing them what you are really like, how your business works, or even by creating some instructional videos, you can boost your profile considerably.
Videos are also useful in connection with social media. If you want people to look at your page and connect with you, a video can be the best way to do this. Plus, they are instantly sharable, and may even become viral. If you can do this, your business advertising will flourish, and your sales should grow.
Videos are also great news when it comes to SEO (search engine optimization). If you have them on your website, people will stay on your site for longer because they are watching a video rather than clicking through, scanning your text, and moving on. The longer people stay on your page, the better your ranking will be on Google and other search engines (although this is not, of course, the only consideration to make when it comes to SEO).
Kidal Delonix is a contributor to Mr. Hoffman's blog. The views and opinions are entirely his/her own and may not reflect Mr Hoffman's views.
