Running a small business is tough; marketing it well can be even harder. Fortunately, there are many simple, cost and time effective ways to get your business in front of potential customers. These five strategies should be part of every small business’ marketing toolkit.
1. Network
Creating positive, face to face relationships with your local business community is one of the single most positive things you can do for your marketing efforts. However, you need IT support for this. Contact Elk Grove Village IT Companies to get help in this regard. We’re all human and we’re all more likely to consider a business whose owner or manager we’ve met. We hold regular events every month – why not book into one and join in?
2. Sponsor a Local Event
Big sponsorship costs big money and is out of reach of most small businesses. However, what about your local church fete, a junior sports team or an amateur theatre company? Your brand will benefit from both the exposure and the kudos of supporting the community.
3. Embrace Social Media
Love it or loathe it, there’s no escaping social media’s impact on business these days. There is however, a right way and a lot of wrong ways to use Facebook, Twitter and the rest. Put some time into learning how to use social media effectively.
4. Be Helpful
Could you perhaps run a free monthly drop in afternoon for people who might need your advice? Could you offer to run a weekly course of some kind for local teens? Any kind of volunteer activity you can fit in not only genuinely benefits the community, but will increase both awareness and approval of your brand.
5. Collaborate
Get together with complementary but non-competing local businesses. Could you put together a one-stop package of some kind which you could jointly promote? By providing mutual referrals, you can gain new customers and offer added value to existing ones. Think laterally about add on services or products which might suit your own.
With a little energy and creativity, there are dozens of ways to market your small business which go beyond the obvious. Take the first steps today towards getting yourselves better known.
