Simple question: How can people find your business?
Are you in the Yellow Pages? Do you have a website? Do you take out ad space in magazines or leave flyers in local businesses?
Many small businesses are so consumed with the business of “staying afloat” that they neglect the thing that will help them do so- marketing. If no one knows that you exist or what you offer, how are you going to produce revenue?
Here are five ways that you can spread the word about your business.
1. Website– websites are wonderful, but if your site is not optimized for easy search-engine readability, it will only serve as a reinforcement tool rather than a marketing tool to bring you business. Google “search engine optimization” if you are unfamiliar with the concept. A website full of content (containing your key words) may help you gain business from potential clients searching the Internet for your services.
2. Flyers/ Business Cards– Leave flyers or business cards at locations that serve your niche. For instance, if your business targets moms 30-45, you may want to leave marketing materials at a fitness center like Curves.
3. Social Networks– Social networks can be an amazingly powerful tool for business, if you have a plan in place. Social networks enable you to bypass the general public and reach your target market. Additionally, they have the ability to create a dramatic increase in brand awareness and revenue. If you want more information on creating a social networking plan, you can visit one of my other sites, http://www.socialnetworkingplan.com.
4. Networking– I probably should have listed networking as the #1 way to get the word out about your business. Business networking is powerful because it enables you to build your web of contacts. You are not just connecting with the people that you meet, but if you make a positive impression, you can gain access to their contacts and their contacts’ contacts and so on and so forth. Networking is not about making immediate sales, though you may put potential clients in the pipeline as well as connect with connectors and influencers who have the potential to bring you more business.
5. Strategic Partnerships– Strategic partnerships are a fabulous no-cost or low-cost way to advertise your business to the public. Sell your products/ services as a package or run an ad on each other’s website or newsletter. If your strategic partner has the same niche, the results can be amazing.
Remember, if no one knows that you’re there, you will not be “there” long!
I love your post. You and I think alike. I’ve been trying to get a marketing team going for months now. I’ve always felt tag-team marketing works.
The real problem is that people are so busy typing and telling about what they have, they don’t take the time to read other’s ideas.
One of my blogs – http://chronicroflmao.blogspot.com
Have a great day!
Great post Crystal –
So many small businesses just don’t realize that it’s the marketing that makes or breaks, right??
Would be cool if you had the tweetmeme plugin installed so I could tweet this uber easily 😉
Appreciate you,
Andrea
Pretty interesting article. Couldn’t be written any better. Browsing this post reminds me of my old friend. He always kept talking about this. I will send this post to him. Pretty sure he will have a good chuckle. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thanks Cesar! Please let me know what your friend had to say.
As I am super late looking at this post, I must publically declare how thrilled I am that I purchased our business cards through Black-Market Exchange. We have received so many compliments at how professional they are. So that goes to show us that if people notice how good they look, they would have also noted and probably commented on how bad they could have looked if we did not go in the right direction.
We must continue to invest in ourselves, and the tip of leaving the cards reminds me that next time I am in Midtown and Montrose I shall leave them at every Artsy spot I visit.
I’m happy that you purchased your cards through us a well. I’m even happier that you are receiving so many positive responses!