Promotion is what will keep your business from losing out on customers. After all, if you don’t promote yourself, how will your customers know that you even exist? And, if you’re not working hard to get your name out there, you can trust in the fact that your competitors will take advantage of their sudden lack of competition. So here are a few ways to make sure that customers know your name, and come to you for their products and services:
Consider old-school advertising methods. Billboards, radio jingles, and television commercial slots certainly have their uses. Depending on your business and your target audience, you’ll find that these standard methods of advertisement will work better for you than websites and pay-per-click campaigns.
But you should advertise online, too. At least some of your target audience will utilize the internet, so you should make sure you’re there, too. Pay-per-click campaigns are cost-effective and efficient, so you should definitely add them to your list (utilize the services of an SEO expert to help you determine the best keywords to use). Banner ads can be effective on certain types of websites (such as magazines and forums). You can also engage bloggers in sponsored campaigns, if you’d like to promote products specifically. Social media presence is also important. If you use Facebook, look to other popular Facebook pages, such as Cydcor facebook, for ideas on how to keep yours active.
Partner with other companies. Find companies that aren’t your direct competitors but still relate to your company somehow, and partner up with them! Agree to advertise each other’s products on your newsletters and receipts, or offer exclusive discounts if products from both of your companies are purchased at the same time.
Create a referral program. Put your customers to work for you by offering them discounts or rewards in exchange for referring other customers to you. Word of mouth advertising is incredibly effective, especially if the mouths the words are coming from are being monetarily rewarded for bringing you new business.
Attend relevant conferences and seminars. Stock up on promotional items like tote bags, water bottles, and pens, and hit conferences whole-hog. Mingle with others in your industry and in similar industries, and chat up interested clients and potential customers. Don’t be afraid to aggressively sell your company to anyone you speak with – that’s the whole point of these conferences!
Be consistent. More than anything, you need to be consistent in your efforts to promote your company. Brainstorm ideas – carry a pen and paper with you everywhere so you can easily write down new thoughts. Talk to others who are promoting their businesses to see what they’re doing that you should be doing. Don’t be afraid to trade ideas so you can both get ahead.
Be creative. When it comes to promoting your business, so long as you do so in a tasteful fashion and you are not spamming or otherwise harassing customers and potential customers, feel free to think outside the box and experiment. Some companies are so successful simply because they found other ways to reach their customer base. This could be your case, too!