There are literally hundreds of ways that you could go about promoting your business. It is far better, however, to focus on a few routes and to carry them out effectively. If we consider a small geographic area it is possible to create a simple 7 step plan to achieving successful marketing for your small business.
Become listed
You can list your business for free in most publications and you should seek to get your company in as many as possible. By listing your business in directories you will be able to ensure that you are easily found and located when people are looking for a business of your type.
Develop contacts
If you have no customer base then it is very difficult to reach new customers. The best promotion comes through word of mouth so consider carrying out free services for a few people in return for the recommendation of your business to others. Provide them with business cards to put in their store and encourage people to spread the word as far and wide as possible. Always be sure to carry your cards around with you because you never know where or when you might bump into someone who is looking for your services.
Business website
Your business website is the best place to demonstrate what it is that you can do, what your services are, and how much they cost. It is worth it to seek professional web design assistance to ensure that you are getting the best that you can from your website. It is also important that people are able to access your website from multiple sources. The advent of the smartphone means that web pages ideally need to be compatible with multiple formats so you can reach customers wherever they are.
Targeted advertising
Advertising to a broad stretch of society just doesn’t cut it anymore. Advertisements need to be far more targeted and focused on the individual that you are reaching out to. Be sure to assess and test any advertising methods before you jump into them because there is no point doing something that will cost you money and will not generate a return.
Free gifts
Everyone likes getting a free gift and it is a great way to get your brand name into a company. If you can get them to use branded mouse mats, notebooks or pens, then you will be able to implant the name of your business into their heads so that they will remember you when they need you.
Dealing with people
Dealing with your customers is very important in any business. It is essential that you are customer focused and you should make every effort so that every single customer leaves happy and satisfied with your service. In many cases this will require that you go above and beyond your real core services to make them comfortable but this will be completely worth it when your feedback is all positive and complimentary.
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