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Marketing Ideas for Small Business:
5 Ways to Market Your Small Business
Are you a
small business or start up? Do you sometimes feel invisible?
Here are ten low cost marketing ideas guaranteed to boost your
profile.
1) Word of
mouth
is the most
cost-effective, powerful form of promotion. Write a list of 50
people you know but don’t see regularly – relatives, friends,
ex-colleagues etc. Send each of them a friendly email or
postcard to let them know what you’re up to. Ask them for
feedback, advice or contacts of anyone who might be interested
in hearing about your business. Don’t be shy! People love to
help. For practical tips on promoting your small business visit
Guerrilla Marketing
http://www.gmarketing.com/articles/
2)
Networking
may seem
intimidating but there are ways to make it less scary. Don’t
feel you have to sell, sell, sell - the number one rule of
networking is to listen. It’s about building relationships - go
to a networking event looking for opportunities to help others.
Ask questions, gather information, offer contacts and advice –
people will remember you for it. Networking PLUS is Business
Link’s popular monthly speed-networking event – for details
visit the events section on the Business Link
website
http://www.bl4london.com
3) Business
cards
need to
stand out from the crowd. Get a new batch printed on unusual
material – textured card, plastic, wood – or make it an unusual
shape. Offer a business tip or special offer on the back.
Include your photo on the card – this makes it more personal,
easier to remember you and harder to throw away! For excellent
free tips on killer business cards see Card Sharks on the Lean
Marketing website
http://www.leanmarketing.co.uk
4) The
internet
is an
amazing market place to promote your business – but it’s easy to
feel lost or insignificant. Join specialist forums and exchange
links with complimentary websites. To reach a targeted audience,
join Affinity Trading Network
http://www.affinitytrading.com – an active online
network for small businesses. You get a full web profile about
you and your business and access to the lively Trading Boards,
providing an effective way to increase your online exposure.
5)
Newsletters
are a great
way to build up a following, sign up potential customers and
provide people with a regular reminder about your services.
Write a simple one page resource of news, advice and latest
offers each month. Run a competition or poll. Promote your
customers or suppliers. Use it to build your reputation as a
useful hub of up-to-date information. Encourage feedback, keep
it enjoyable and personal. To help you build a mailing list,
create a newsletter and measure results, look at Mailing
Manager:
http://www.ihm.co.uk/qflmailm.asp
6)
Testimonials
support your
credibility. It’s good practice to ask clients for regular
feedback either verbally or in a quick customer satisfaction
survey. When you have a happy customer – ask whether you could
get a quote from them. Be clear as to how you will use the
testimonial – on your website, in your newsletter or letterhead
etc. Make sure you accredit the quote explicitly with the name
of the client – anonymous testimonials don’t hold much punch.
After all, testimonials can also give your clients good
publicity.
7) Cold
calling
can send
shivers down your spine! However, it is a highly targeted way to
promote your business. Don’t expect to close a deal over the
phone – again this is about finding out information as much as
selling. Use phone calls as the first step to getting to know
your prospective clients better. Don’t make a full pitch but
arrange an appointment or ask permission to send on further
materials about your business. And remember to speak
s-l-o-w-l-y! For a Cold Calling Crash course to get you over
your fears and anxieties, take a look at Do Your Own PR
http://www.doyourownpr.com
8) Referrals
are a valuable and inexpensive way to find new clients. It’s not
about being pushy, it’s about building long term business
relationships based on trust. Start by asking each of your
clients or suppliers for three contacts of other people who
might like to find out more about your business. You could offer
to reciprocate and provide three useful contacts in return. Make
it a regular habit to give referrals as well as ask for them.
For an effective referral marketing system, visit
http://www.1quickreferrals.com
9) Press
releases
must be
targeted. There is little point sending round a generic press
release to hundreds of newspapers. Start by focusing on five
publications ideal for your target market. Read back editions
thoroughly – understand what kind of stories they like to
publish and the style of language they use. Find a relevant news
hook and tailor your press release specifically for each
publication. The first paragraph is key and must provide the
who, what, where, when and why of your story. For excellent tips
on writing press releases visit Bizhelp24:
http://www.bizhelp24.com/marketing/press_release.shtml
10) Patience
and persistence
are the most
important tools to promote your small businesses! If you try
each of the strategies above and build them into a regular
marketing plan, you will certainly boost your profile, without a
doubt!
Article written by Jo Hill, For further resources and tips on
marketing visit Affinity Trading Network
http://www.affinitytrading.com.
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