If you are marketing your business for the first time, or are trying to expand your reach, there are many different strategies to consider. Which methods will work best for you will depend on the size of your company and what type of business you run, but most recommend that you utilize multiple styles of marketing to make sure that you reach the most customers possible. You can also adjust any method with your own personal business style to make sure you’re reaching the right demographic.
Social Media
Social media has become a huge resource for marketing businesses of all types and sizes. Whether you are a home business just getting started, or a major company with worldwide recognition, you can benefit from a well managed online presence. There are many different to be aware of when planning how to market your business on Facebook or YouTube, and you may benefit from hiring a professional social media manager, or contracting with a marketing firm.
However, if you are venturing into this type of advertising on your own, keep a few things in mind. First of all, you will get the best return on your efforts if you branch out into as many platforms as possible. Each website has its own strengths, and you can certainly benefit from each one. However, if you don’t have much time to devote to social media marketing, try focusing on images and videos.
Visual content is the easiest way to engage a potential customer. Creating a single image and sharing it on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter can get you a lot of visibility without the effort of creating multiple pieces. Videos are very popular and can be shared on multiple platforms as well.
Today, social media platforms provide a reliable marketing channel for different businesses. Most people have social media handles, and the chances of them seeing your posts are high when you share them on social media. Use your social media for marketing your website by including links that lead readers to your site. Also, you can hire to implement social media marketing strategies to enhance your rank on Google.
Local Advertising
In today’s world of smartphones and social media, local advertising is largely forgotten about by some businesses, or at least not taken as seriously as it once was. While it certainly isn’t as easy as twenty years ago, when you could simply buy an ad in the town paper, unless you are a 100% online business, it is still worth taking the time to reach out to your nearby customers.
Think about the demographics of your customers, and find ways to connect with them through events, promotions, or even art and signs at your storefront. If you have a great new vegetarian restaurant and your demographic is young adults and teenagers, a great new mural and a presence at local shows and concerts can go a long way. If you sell artisan goods, a booth nearby the nearby farmers’ market can get you recognized by the right people.
Keep in mind that this can, and should, overlap with your online and social media marketing. Try posting on local Facebook pages where advertising is permitted, placing a radio ad or paying for .
Online Ads
If you are looking for a relatively simple way to expand the reach of your marketing strategy, one easy way is to simply spend more money on online ads. As traditional media such as newspapers and cable TV rapidly lose their popularity, their viability as a source of marketing is being replaced by modern alternatives just as quickly.
In fact, advertising online has become so ubiquitous that sometimes new businesses forget about other types of marketing altogether. Is this because it is effective, though? That depends on how you define your success. According to , on average only 0.1% of purchased online ads ever get clicked on. At first, this seems like an alarming fact. Why pay for ads if no one will click on them?
However, there is a lot more to an online marketing campaign than just simple clicks, and the same source found that many people might respond to online ads in a different way, such as looking up more information about your business after seeing an ad or typing your web address directly into their browser. This type of advertising also works better for some types of businesses and some demographics better than others. Like a lot of marketing, its primary strength may lie in increasing brand recognition.
Networking
If you’ve been in business long, you have certainly heard the word “networking” many times. If you do an online search for the term or ask someone you know about the term, you’ll get a lot of articles geared toward individuals with a lot of advice about “putting yourself out there.” That sort of advice is fantastic, but you may wonder if it applies to you when you are trying to make connections for your entire business, rather than make connections as a potential employee.
Networking absolutely still applies to you. Keep in mind that, unlike many other types of marketing, networking with other businesses often costs you very little. The key is to find and the right people to talk to. Have an idea in mind of what you hope to accomplish when you strike up a conversation, and even if the conversation doesn’t meet your goals, always pass along your business card. Customers can also help you to network to new potential customers, and there are many ways to motivate your customers to give word-of-mouth recommendations.
The best way to motivate your customers to generate buzz is to consistently give them a great experience while working with your business. If you want to generate additional business, you can also try offering rewards through referral or loyalty programs.
There are many ways to market your business, and the best way to ensure success is to work with professionals to get the job done. Some of the strategies that work best for many businesses include social media, local advertising, online ads, and networking, but which methods you use are up to you. No matter which types of marketing you decide to focus on, always remember to pick appropriate venues and ads for your business, to focus your efforts on the right customers and business connections.