Success in business breaks down into two simple things:
- Can you supply something that people want at a price they’re willing to pay?
- Can you get your offer in front of those people?
Often, people start businesses because they are good at the first part. They understand their industry and can provide what people want.
With so much competition, it can be difficult to get your business noticed. One way to attract new clients is to make sure your business stands out from the noise.
The following essential list should help. It contains inspiring ideas to market your business, so you’ll never have any excuse but to make marketing a priority:
1. Cold call
It’s important to stay on top of your marketing by following up any new leads and making cold calls each day. By doing this, you will be able to investigate new opportunities that might come your way.
2. Carry business cards
Make sure you always have your business cards on you, as you never know who you might meet.
Make sure your business cards have your website and any social media on them.
3. Offer mini versions
One way to attract customers and encourage them to spend money on your product or service is to offer a mini version of it at a discounted rate. This could lead to developing long-term business relationships with those customers.
4. Find a niche
If you want your product or service to be successful, you need to research and discover a niche in the market that could benefit from it. Once you’ve found this niche, you need to focus on targetting it specifically. Find out what people in this niche want and what they need, then offer solutions to their problems.
5. Talk to your customers
It can be helpful to talk to customers who have already hired you to get feedback on why they chose you and if there’s anything more you can do to improve your services to them.
6. Use Twitter
Twitter is a great way for businesses to network online and give their brand personality.
When tweeting, it is important to practice etiquette. Some basics include being respectful and mindful of others.
7. Get testimonials
There is nothing more effective for marketing than a positive testimonial from a satisfied customer.
If you want to add testimonials to your website or marketing materials, get permission from the person first.
8. Make friends with influential bloggers
With so many new blogs, take some time to research and find some influential bloggers to connect with. If possible, get them to write a review about your business, product, or service.
9. Advertise on blogs
Look into online advertising opportunities by finding out where your target market spends their time online. Are there any blogs that your customers would be interested in? Contact the blog owner and offer to sponsor them in exchange for advertising space.
10. Write link-bait blogs
You can attract more traffic to your blog by writing posts that people will want to link to. The more people who recommend your articles, the more traffic you’ll attract to your website.
11. Make the most of your email signature
Link your website and social media accounts to your email signature to create a cohesive online presence. You can even add your company motto or main marketing message to your signature as a reminder to recipients of why you’re such a great company.
12. Sponsor an awards ceremony
Although it can be expensive, sponsoring awards is a good way to get your business noticed. Keep in mind that there are many award ceremonies that are less expensive and may be a better fit for your company.
13. Sponsor a competition
There are often competitions sponsored by media companies. You could consider sponsoring one of them to increase your brand’s visibility. Not only will you advertise your brand and company name, but you’ll also be exposed to a much larger audience.
14. Give something away
If you have something to offer in a competition, newspapers and magazines will give you free editorial space in exchange for a prize. However, keep in mind that they will always want prizes with a minimum value.
15. Offer discounts for limited periods
Discounts offered at specific times during the year are typically popular. For example, many businesses offer “Summer Savings” or “Winter Deal” discounts. People often enjoy getting a good deal on their purchase.
16. Create an e-brochure
If you want to save money on your brochures, you should create a PDF version that potential customers can download from your website. This is a good opportunity to promote yourself and tell customers why they should hire you.
17. Traditional mailers
There are two main types of mail-drop campaigns. The first is pushing marketing leaflets through doors, and the second is sending out postcards to your existing customer database. Both of these methods can be effective, so you shouldn’t underestimate them.
18. Become an expert spokesperson
Journalists are always interested in hearing from industry experts to add context to their news reports. If you’re an expert in your field, reach out to your local TV, radio and newspapers to see if they’re interested in interviewing you. Be prepared to be available for any interviews that might pop up, and consider doing some media training so you’re ready to go.
19. Create a press kit
Thread together some information about yourself and your business that journalists can easily find and contact you with.
20. Add interaction to your website
People want websites that are appealing and helpful. You can add features like ‘live chat’ to make it easier for people to get their questions answered. There are some great off-the-shelf solutions you can use to add these features quickly and easily.
21. Mobile advertising
There are many benefits to creating a advertisement sticker for your car. You are able to advertise your business while you are driving around and it is an easy and convenient way to get your information out there. It is also a good way to make your car more fun and personal. Remember to include your website and phone number so people can easily get in touch with you. You could also add a special discount code to sweeten the deal!
22. Charity auctions
A charity auction is a great way to network with potential new customers and raise your profile locally.
23. Teach your expertise
You can turn your expertise into a money-making opportunity by holding talks, classes, or workshops. For example, if you’re great with social media, you can teach others who are struggling to get a handle on Twitter. This could lead to them becoming your customers.
24. Guest blog
Contributing articles to influential blogs or high traffic online communities can help you with SEO while also increasing your audience and adding personality to your brand.
25. Blog comment
Commenting on blogs can be powerful. Do it as much as you can, but make sure your comments are intelligent and worth reading so that people will click through to your website.
26. Insert calls to action in your team’s email signatures
Each day, the average office worker sends and receives 122 emails. For a business with ten staff, that equals around 600 outgoing emails per day.
Although these emails present a great opportunity for promotion, they shouldn’t include traditional email signatures with employees’ job titles and websites. People aren’t likely to pay attention to these details.
A big and conspicuous Call To Action button is likely to garner attention.
Email signatures can be used as a marketing tool to introduce your products or services to potential customers.
To add a signature to just one email, set it up in your email client. To add signatures for your entire team, use an app like Sigstr so you can manage signatures and campaigns for everyone at once.
Email CTAs are most effective when you offer something of value, like a lead magnet or free offer, that will appeal to your target audience and encourage them to keep moving through your sales funnel.
27. Set up a Google my business account
Google isn’t just a search engine; it’s also a small business directory.
Take advantage of these tools. Setting up a Google My Business Account provides three major benefits for companies who rely on local business:
- Your local business is listed on Google maps and search.
- It’s good for search engine optimization, so that your business gets found easier by the people who are looking for the services or products you provide.
- It’s good for when your customers start adding reviews of your business; these reviews help Google display your business in their “3-pack”, which gives you free advertising at no cost.
Google My Business reviews help improve a company’s ranking in Google search results.
It’s important that all your online listings match the information on your GMB listing – particularly your Name, Address, and Phone Number (known as NAP).
28. Audit your online NAP’s
NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone number. It is also often referred to as citations.
The quantity, quality, and consistency of NAP are important for ranking in search engines. This is supported by the fact that 3 out of Moz’s top 6 “Foundational Ranking Factors” and 6 out of the top 13 “Competitive Difference Makers” are related to NAP.
If you want your company to be listed on Google My Business, you need to make sure that the details on your listings are all the same.
Search engines may not “reward” you if the details in your Google My Business listing are not the same as the details elsewhere on your website. This could also damage your search ranking.
One suggestion is to keep an Excel spreadsheet of all your listings to make it easy to keep them consistent.
Moz provides detailed information about NAP audits and how to conduct them.
29. Set up a joint venture
If you want to promote your business, you need to make sure that your offer is seen by the right people.
If you want to reach the right people, one way to do this is to find existing audiences that fit your criteria and present your offer to them.
In some instances, businesses can be promoted through advertising, but a better option in the short term is to partner with non-competing businesses that are marketing to the same people.
Joint ventures are a great way to get more customers quickly.
Since 2014, Ankur Nagpal has been running Teachable. He claims that during the first six months, there were less than twenty customers actively making money from the courses available. However, in 2015 they formed a joint venture which rapidly increased their customer base.
One example was having an affiliate partnership with Melyssa Griffin. Under this arrangement, Teachable provided Melyssa with a special promotional tracking link, plus a 50% commission on any sales she generated.
The founder of Teachable provides examples of successful joint ventures, which have resulted in significant growth for the company. In 2016, Teachable saw a monthly growth rate of more than 20%, increasing its revenue tenfold in one year. As of 2018, the company has more than 1 million students.
30. Create an email marketing strategy
Email marketing is the cornerstone of online marketing.
Although email is not a new technology, it is still an effective form of communication, especially when it comes to marketing. Email has a higher conversion rate than most other channels.
Global business leaders in 2016 were spending the most on email marketing.
Email marketing is a way to stay in touch with potential customers and build relationships with them over time.
It allows you to connect with visitors who aren’t ready to buy and funnel them into your business, rather than having them forget about you.
If you want to start using email marketing, you need to create something that is valuable and can be given away for free in exchange for an email address. Digital info products are often the best type of product for this purpose.
After you’ve gathered your leads, you’ll want to create a series of emails to introduce them to your offer, establish your authority, and provide educational value on topics related to their interests.
31. Offer a free or discounted product/service
If you want to attract new customers, a good way to do it is to offer something free or at a discount.
It can be beneficial for your business to accept a lower profit margin or even a loss in order to expand your customer base.
Offering discounts is a great way to increase sales, referrals, or leads for an ecommerce store.
Other companies allow customers to use their software for free, either through apps or trials. For example, BuildFire allows prospective customers to create an app for free, so they can experience the product before paying for it.
32. Pay for advertising
One way to get consistent and quick exposure is to pay for advertising.
Three of the current most popular advertising methods include:
- PPC ads
- Facebook ads
- Television ads
In 2015, the Content Marketing Institute, conducted a survey of 3,714 worldwide marketers, and found that 76% of B2C marketers use paid advertising: 64% rated search engine ads as effective, and 59% reported that they found paid social ads to be effective:
Although paid advertising can be effective, it requires a certain level of expertise to get the most out of it. Many businesses choose to outsource this activity to agencies that specialize in it.