Things change so quickly these days that it is important to stay on top of trends and most importantly, trends that your customers are following. After all, why not be in the same room as them at a party rather than next door?
Small business owner must change their way of thinking if they are to survive and flourish against competition from out of town or elsewhere on the Internet.
Talk to your customers
It’s not good enough to rely solely on print advertising as the only method of advertising your product or service to the local community. As peoples’ social behaviour is changing by the week, so should your marketing techniques.
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- Start an email newsletter campaign – it can be a VERY affordable and effective way to utilize your customer database.
- If you are using WordPress and have had the same website for several years, think about upgrading your theme. It can be a very simple process to buy a new theme for about $40 then spend a couple of hours re-flowing your content into the new theme.
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A “responsive” website
Go “responsive” – in other words, choose a new theme that adapts for a mobile device such as iPad or iPhone.
- Email… stop using @shaw.ca or @att.net for your business email when you have a website. Set up info@website.com and set it up in Windows Live, Apple Mail or your smartphone. Get a professional to help set that up.
- Pay-per-Click (PPC) advertising can generate some targeted traffic from the search engines, is controllable by you (pause it at any time), and can fit any budget from $25 to $250. Google sends out $100 coupons to get started.
- Put your logo on some clothing such as polo shirts, t-shirts and baseball caps. We recently had a baseball cap given to us as a gift with our logo on it and will have more made up.
- Re-join your local business organization and network with local business people. Get your face known and start to volunteer your time.
- Make a presentation to that organization on a subject which relates what you provide to their business.
- Always carry your business card in your pocket—you never know when you might meet a potential customer.
- Form strategic partnerships with related businesses. Two voices can sometimes be better than one and you can connect from a new source of potential customers.
- Start to be involved in social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn but only if it fits.
- Sponsor a local sports team. Having your name on the jersey of the soccer team acts as advertising to potential business owners: parents and supporters.
- Volunteer for local events. Putting your face out there can generate business in its own right, just by being kind.
- Sort your email signature out! Add a professional signature with phone and website address, and include it on all new email communication. You can resort to shorter signatures as you get to know the person.
Hope these ideas can help you in your marketing. Let us know if you need help with any of these.
