Business Marketing for Small Business

 

 MARKETING IDEAS TO GET YOU STARTED…
As a small business, you may think it’s impossible to get the word out about what you do.
That’s no excuse. And you don’t need fads or gimmicks. Follow the proven, timeless tips and techniques below to help get the word out about your business and watch it grow.

1. Create your own website— and make sure people know about it!
Use your website to build an audience of people who would be interested in your products and/or services. Creating a website is easier than you think, and can be quite inexpensive. With website building platforms such as www.wix.com.au and Sites ’N’ Stores, you’re sure to get a basic site complete in no time, with little to no expertise required.

2. Join and use social media.
If you have time to get to know and use a variety of social media, do. But if you only have time for one, facebook is my pick of all the social media out there because it’s so quick and easy to use. Look at what your competitors are doing, or businesses in a similar industry (this goes for the offline environment as well). ‘Borrowing’ ideas or expanding on ideas you’ve come across is only natural.
As for marketing strategies, be sure you don’t use facebook exclusively to promote your product but to find and converse with like-minded people who may be interested in what you’re doing. Also use it as a platform for your customers to get to know you and your people – the faces behind the business. It’s always good to keep social media SOCIAL.

3. Give your products or services away.
Example: Ari Fleischer and Aly Moler of Frozen Pints have grown their craft beer ice cream business by leaps and bounds
by attending craft beer shows and farmers markets to do one thing – give their product away. Once customers taste this unexpected combination (which happens to be delicious) for free, they line up at their local store to buy it or even request that the store carry it.

4. Attend networking events.
Many, such as home-based business groups, or local-council run business community groups, are inexpensive to join. And the marketing benefits are huge. Once they get to know you and what you do, the other business people in your group will mention your business to others and may even give you referrals. Local business organisations are also great opportunities to create and participate in some cooperative marketing strategies, such as holding special Market Days or other events.

5. Create or become front and centre in a charitable event.
You can get huge amounts of press for events like this — which can translate into new customers. One local artist in Melbourne has painted paper grocery bags which he is selling with all proceeds going to a selected charity, for example. He’s created attention around his art – for free! But you don’t even have to go to the   trouble of creating your own event; many charities have established events that you can become a very visible part of by becoming a sponsor.

6. Ask for referrals.
If you operate a service-based business, you know that I have saved the best for last here, because asking for referrals is the easiest and least time-consuming of all the marketing strategies in this article. Satisfied customers are your biggest sales advocates – and they are FREE! Forget about feeling awkward, and start asking for referrals today.

 

Article written by Highview Marketing Manager Brodie Crowther.