Marketing isn’t something that comes naturally to us all. But that doesn’t overly matter. Sure, it can be helpful for you to naturally be good at something. For it to feel easy. For you to be creative and have cool ideas. But, you can still do all of this and more if you try. Because when you’re hungry for something and you’re willing to put the work in, magic happens.
People with talent may not try as hard as you do, so you will win. And – as with most things in life – marketing can be learned. If you really want to take your small business to the next level and find success, you can market your way to making that happen. The first step is knowing what to do.
So, this is what we’re going to go over in this post. Self-promotion can seem scary to some people – especially if you’ve just started your business or you’re just not used to it. But it is necessary if you want to find success. And if you’re willing to put the work in and do more than others, then you’re on to a winner once again.
So, this is why you’re going to want to make sure that you apply yourself and learn what you need to so that you can succeed.
To get you started, here are seven simple ways to start promoting your small business.
1. Social Media
To begin with, there’s always social media – and this is likely to be something that you’re present on already. However, you’re definitely going to want to think about how you can do more with it. Do you have a consistent posting schedule? A strategy? Are you executing content that is relevant to your audience and adding value? This is all food for thought.
2. Blogging
As a step on from that, you might want to start thinking about how you can blog to promote your business. A lot of the time, it’s really easy for you to think that blogging is a publishing business platform. But it’s not. Anyone can have a blog – including businesses. And it’s a great promotional tool. You can showcase your products and services, create content for social media, and boost your SEO at the same time.
3. Google Search
And this then moves us on quite nicely to search. Because the search is becoming more and more relevant these days. If you want traffic, you need to optimize your website. And this is very much where blogging can help you. But you do have to make sure that you are getting in the right keywords. So do your research here, or work with an expert.
4. Trade Shows
Another great option for small businesses is to head to trade shows. Now, this isn’t always going to be something that every company will have a bit for. But they’re a great way of getting out there among your peers and to raise awareness of your brand. For this, you’ll want to get a marketing plan together and promotional equipment like teardrop banner flags and leaflets. That way, you can work out how you’re going to get your name out there.
5. PR
Then there’s the idea of traditional PR. It’s so easy to just find yourself wanting to focus on online mediums and more modern forms of marketing. But PR really is so powerful. Never underestimate the strength of good word of mouth. So look to get yourself mentioned in the right places. Aim to have a constant stream of press coverage for both yourself, as the business owner, and your products or services too. This really will prove to be invaluable.
6. Advertising
And, there’s also advertising. For this, we’re thinking of two things. The first is that you’re going to consider doing advertising in local papers or locations – if you have an offline presence or a local business. If not, then this is display all the way. Because re-targeting via display can be incredibly powerful if you want it to be. So start to look at what campaigns you can begin running today.
7. Sponsorship
But then also, you could definitely look to pay to sponsor something. If you’re investing in sponsoring an event or an article or a game, then you’re going to get visibility. This is another form of advertising. It’s important to make sure that your target audience will be at the event or reading the article so that you’re investing in the right areas.
