The only thing harder than starting a business is promoting it. Most entrepreneurs look for marketing experts, not just because this provides them more time to concentrate on other aspects of their business, but since self-promotion doesn’t come naturally to most of us.
Still, everyone can learn some parts of it, and here we present our top five simple methods for spreading the word about your brand.
Paid ads
However your business model is structured, there will always come a situation where in order to remain competitive, you will need to pay for promotion. The challenge is to select your options with care and go with the platforms that have the highest impact and the lowest cost for your business. Examples include:
- Targeted Facebook Ads – A simple way to increase reach with the right audience. Although a more expensive option than your own content, Facebook’s algorithm does offer a return.
- Promoted tweets – These can increase attraction for your posts. The best thing when buying space on Twitter, rather than promoting with Facebook Ads, is that these tweets excellently blend in with user-made content, thereby making readers more open to them.
- Banner ads – Another simple way to convey a message, although they do produce fewer clicks than the alternatives presented here. Google Adsense is one of the major players in this niche.
Promotional materials
Promotional materials represent the simplest methods for conveying your brand to your target audience. Their simplicity and also their strength lies in them being the only form of advertising that allows your audience to interact with a brand on a physical level – whether to touch them, use them, wear them, write with them or anything in between.
For instance, you can check our promotional umbrellas ideas that are perfect for customers living in places with rainy weather, such as UK, Colombia or Malaysia. For whatever purpose you use them, promotional materials will be remembered by the recipients.
Word-of-mouth marketing
There are so many examples of businesses that succeed just through word-of-mouth referrals. Most of their marketing is based on it. However, not everyone is that lucky, if it is about “luck” at all. It is more about having a passionate approach to business.
It’s all about genuinely loving to get to know your clients and make them as happy as much as possible. Having a passion for and believing in the work that you do will guide toward better projects and individuals. While taking a similar approach to your work will make it friendly towards word-of-mouth marketing and ultimately lead you to success.
Personal relationships
Remember the last time you went to an industry conference, local event or happy hour? Or the last time you just networked and introduced yourself, passing along a business card? Every day you go outside is a new chance to make a personal connection.
Whether it to catch Wi-Fi during your travels or meet a random neighbor in your elevator, or decide to share a passcode, you never know when you’re going to meet a marketing CEO in search of sponsoring someone just like you. Be courteous, be useful, and never judge a book by its covers.
Have testimonials and showcase them prominently
Finding testimonials from satisfied clients – short written praises for your product, service, or both – are strong endorsements which can spark word-of-mouth all by themselves. Incorporate a habit of asking for them regularly. For instance, asking for referrals is also an excellent time to ask for testimonials from clients.
Once you get some testimonials, ensure you use them to their fullest effect by posting them on your company’s website, on your social media profiles such as Facebook and Instagram, in your marketing, in your storefront… the list goes on. You just need to find places that are visible to the public and sow the seeds of the positive image of your business.
People will talk about your brand, whether you want them or not. However, with the right approach, that talking can become a powerful marketing tool for your small business. You could tune in to what the people are saying about your company and increase the reach of positive word-of-mouth. In the end, you will receive a larger customer base – a necessary element for any enterprise.
