Promoting your business is all about getting your brand out there, so that people know who you are and what you do. The great thing about doing it is that people will come to you in the future; you won’t have to try and entice them. Knowing how to do it and wanting to do it is however not quite the same thing. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the 7 ways you can start promoting your business today.
Build Your Social Media Following
Social media is alive and well despite the apparent downturn in popularity that you’ll hear reported in the media from time to time. This means that when you want to build your brand, there’s perhaps no better way to do it with a small investment than with the power of sites like Facebook and Twitter.
By putting yourself in front of the eyes of the people that you want to do business with, you’ll be able to build a following that you can engage with on a daily basis. Ideal if you want to target specific demographics or specific groups of users.
What social media also allows you to do is target people based on where they live. This means that if you’re looking to open a new branch at another location, you can begin attracting interest months before with a little help from social media.
Create a Free Newsletter
Email newsletters seem like they have been around forever, but the truth is that’s because they really do work. By building a database of customer email addresses, you can target key users at certain times of the year, so that you can alert them to new products, sales, or discount codes.
The secret to creating an engaging newsletter is not to confuse it with a sales email. You want to provide something for free that adds value that people will actually want to read. This could be something as simple as a link to your latest blog post. Have the blog hosted on your main company site and before you know it, your click through rate has gone through the roof! It’s a clever way to get people onto your sales pages without them even thinking your pushing the sale.
Host an Event
Hosting an event is a great way to promote your business by putting your brand front and centre. You want to ensure that everything goes smoothly, which is why hiring a professional event planner like Kevin Rowe is without a doubt the best way to go. No matter how confident you are or how senior you are within your own organization, there’s no substitute for the knowledge and experience of a professional. They’ll have been there and done it which means that they know what works and what doesn’t. Ideal if you want to ensure that not a moment is wasted as you get ready to host an event that will be remembered for years to come.
Reach Out to Your Community
Every business needs its local community to get on board and support it. Chances are that a significant number of your staff (and/or customers) will live in your local area. For this reason alone it’s vital that you reach out from time to time, pitch in, and lend a welcome helping hand.
It might be by sponsoring a community event, getting your staff to lend a hand with some litter picking, or throwing a BBQ in the summer for kids and parents. The specifics are up to you, but make sure that it’s appropriate for the people you want to reach out to and connect with. Clearly, if you want to try and attract parents of young children, then an event with loud music that is hosted late in the evening will be no good.
Take the time to understand the people you want to reach out to and it will soon become obvious how best to connect with them. From there you will see quite quickly that everything else will fall neatly into place.
Support a Charity
Picking a charity which is close to your heart is a great way to show solidarity with a good cause whilst bringing your team closer together at the same time. You could organise an annual event to raise money — sending a team of runners made up of your fittest and most adventurous staff to the London Marathon could be a great way to create a bit of a buzz.
You might want to do a quick survey amongst your staff to find which causes they really want to help. That way you’ll have everyone on board and rearing to go on day one.
Refresh Your Signage
If your storefront or office exterior looks tired and worn, this will only serve to hamper your business. The easiest way to rectify it is to have new signage designed and installed. That way you’ll be able to create the perfect first impression when people park outside as they make their way inside to do business with you.
You’ll also likely see an upturn in motivation amongst your team as they take pride in the new look. Ideal if you want to get everyone pulling in the same direction so that you can really take things to the next level.
Do Something Eye-Catching
A large promotional stunt in the middle of town is also a great way to promote your business to a wider audience. Whilst the specifics will very much be determined by what you have to sell, there’s no reason you can’t take a little inspiration from one of the most prosperous brands in the world: Coca Cola. It’s commonplace to see eye-catching stands handing out samplers of their latest drinks on Saturday afternoons when the footfall in the centre of town is at its highest.
Think big and be original and you’ll be amazed at how many new leads you can generate in a single afternoon.
