Bringing in business is an important factor of sales processes. It’s crucial for your success. If you can’t bring in any business, then it's only a matter of time before you're bankrupt.
Community-Based Methods
Work together with other business to co-promote
Search a company that isn’t one of your competitors. Find a company that can be a suitable added value for your product or service. For example a photographer is a suitable added value for a shop that sells bridal dresses.
You can start to promote each other’s business with flyers or business cards in your locations. The next step can be a small trade show or expo in your neighborhood. All participating businesses can get a push in their brand awareness. There is a high chance to get new customers or even contacts and leads for your business.
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Bulletin boards
Use bulletin boards to promote your business e.g. in the local barber shop, at bus or train station or in the university of your town. In addition to customers, you can also search for new members for your team on bulletin board.
You need to have a attantion catching design to stand out on a bulletin board. If you’re creative you can create a nice design. If not you can ask your local designer for help or find on over the internet.
Signs around town
When you drive around with your car you find a lot of signs promoting businesses. You'll have forgotten many of them by the time you reach the next intersection. Some last longer. If you choose to use signs to promote your business it’s important that all information of your business are readable on that sign. People need to know what you do and how they can reach you in under two seconds. Name with photo, service or product, telephone or mobile number, e-mail and website. An intresting picture or heading will help too.
Business cards around town
Business cards are usually the first offline touch points for new customers and business partners. A business card has two sides. Make sure you use them both to show your brand. Design the business card so that customers remember it and connect it with your brand. For example if you work for a paper factory your business card can have the stamped logo of the company on it. So the surface is different to other business cards. That helps customers to remember it. Or if your work for a casino a casino chip can be your business card. When the customer brings it back to you, he can get a free play at the slot machines.
Becoming a donor or sponsor for something
Giving back to the community and the neighborhood is a great thing. You connect your brand with a social impact. There are many forms of it.
It can be a donation for the a local kindergarden. You can sponsor a local sports club or buy toys for poor families. It’s a way to get visibility but more important you give for social reasons. This is a fulfilling feeling.
Chamber of Commerce listing
The Chamber of Commerce or the local downtown association are organizations who promote local businesses. They have a connection to local politicians, organize trade shows or offer trainings to different business sections. You can connect to other members and work together. With your membership or listing you get more visibility.
Physical Business-Building Methods
Customers as ambassadors
Word of mouth is one of the most effective marketing tools. It’s cost-efficient and you don’t need to do much for it apart of doing great business. You should install a mechanism when customers refer people to you. They become a little team members who add value with the referal. Maybe they get a free car wash or hair cut when the refer three new customers. Think creative to give them credit for their referals. In some cases hard cash works. Other like thank you cards. Some prefer discounts. And again others like gifts. Test different things and stick with what works best. Always reward referals and never forget someone.
Billboards
Billboards are like signs around town but much bigger. Since billboards are digital they are way easier to manage. Remember that all important information should be readable and easy to catch. For local businesses billboards may be inappropriate. They are more suitable for big companies e.g. fast food restaurants.
Flyers
Flyers seems a bit outdated nowadys. Still they are a great way to get attention for your business. Since flyers are now used less frequently, the competition is no longer so big. Flyers are cheap and you have a lot of room to introduce your product or service.
If you search around you can find a lot of possibilities where you can put the flyers. For example you can put in under driver’s side windshield wipers at sporting events, festivals or concerts. Or you can give it to businesses in your neighborhood. They lay them out on their desks or in the waiting rooms. In exchange you do it with their flyers.
Paper Placemats in Diners
Connect with some businsses in your neighborhood and print paper placemats for diners. Give the diners the placemats for free. The diner save money. Customers read the placemat ads while waiting for food. This can be a independent business as well. You connect the diners and other businesses. Then you collect the money for the ads and do the rest the work.
Published on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook December 20, 2022
Sending postcards or letters
In times when receiving more and more e-mails every day postcards and letters are something special. You often pick up invoices or advertisements from large companies from your mailbox. Letters or postcards from companies out of your neighborhood are rarely included. People will notice the postcards when they realize it's a local business. Especially if it gives them a good reason to look you up.
Newspaper ads
The bigger the newspaper is the more you have to spend for ads in it. Prefer local or community newspaper. The ads are more affordable. Depending on your targeted customers newspaper ads are better to reach them. Newer generations don’t like to read newspaper.
If you target older generations newspaper ads can be a better choice than digital ads. Prefer “remnant space” for your ads in newspaper. This means that your ads will not run on a particular day. This space is cheaper. You may wait some time to see your ads because the newspaper will print it when the have extra space.
Paid ads in magazines
There are a lot of magainzes for different topics out there. Ads in magazines target a special group of readers. You can trim these ads right to these customers.
These ads are very specific. You reach a smaller group of potential customers but they are more interested in the topic. The chance of buying your product or even searching for you is much higher than in newspaper ads.
Online Methods
Own website
The website of your business is the most important thing of all online methods. Your website is the digital door opener for customers. It’s the first thing online customers see when the search online.
Make sure that it looks nice and it’s easy to use. Use search engine optimization so that users find you better and faster in the search engine result pages.
There are easy tools to build your website yourself. If you want to get more out of your website you can search and pay an expert.
Published on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook December 25, 2022
Paid ads online
There are many different ways to promote your business online. You can run ads in Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Yelp, YouTube and a lot of other channels.
The good thing in paid ads are that you can target special groups of people. There are many forms of targeting ads.
Sell on Craigslist or eBay Kleinanzeigen
Craigslist and eBay Kleinanzeigen are local bulletin boards. Ads for your products and service are free or only cost little money. You have the ability to target ads for your local community.
Craigslist and eBay Kleinanzeigen are specialized for local selling. Of course you can ship your products to out of town customers.
Press releases
Use press releases to celebrate anniversaries or award wins. This is a great way to place your service or product in newspapers or the local TV-station. If there are special events in the near future like the SuperBowl, the Worldcup or the Olypics get creative and connect your products with the events.
If you’re a sandwich restaurant you can create three to five special sandwiches that battle for the first place. The winner is the most purchased sandwich. Customers can register and you choose three winners that earn a free meal worth $ 100.
Published on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook December 28, 2022
Local business listings
Local business listings in Google, Yelp or Facebook are free and important. Especially your Google listing is important to get local customers.
Over 40 % of Google search intents are local. With a listing in Google users can better find you. In the listing you indicate information about your service, adress, business hours. You can show special offers and change business hours for holidays.
Respond to reviews
Reviews show the way how customers enjoy your services. Good reviews lead to more potential customers. Take care of your online reviews. Respond fully and appropriately to all reviews. Only a tiny % of businesses repond to their reviews. Stand out and respond to reviews.
Potential customers see that you react to reviews. They have a better feeling and may think: “This business see problems and react to them. It cares about customers.” React to negative and positive reviews. Appreciate all reviews and thank the customers. Improve your business with the feedback of the reviews.
Personal listing on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a social business network. In a network of over 800 million users it can be overwhelming to find your niche. Only a small % of users are creators. You stand out when you post useful content weekly or better daily.
Another way for your business are LinkedIn ads. You can target special positions with your ads and the advertising services. As many large companies have turned away from Twitter as an advertising platform, I expect LinkedIn to continue to expand its advertising service.
Published on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook January 02, 2023
Answer questions on Quora
Quora is places where you can ask any question you want. Other users answer them and share their thoughts and knowledge. You can show you’re expertise in topics by answering users’ questions.
Sometimes there are dump questions. Avoid beeing part of a useless conversation or discussion. Answering questions can be a chance to pull users over to your website. You can share links to your website where you described short answers of Quora more detailed.
Participate in discussions on reddit
Reddit is a social news network. Users publish content for a great amount of topics. Other users can upvote or downvote the content. They can share knowledge and interact with the posts. Reddit part different topics into subreddits. As a user you can follow these subreddits and stay informed.
One example for a well known subreddit is wallstreetbets. You can show your expertise and knowledge in the subreddits. Answering questions can be a chance to pull users over to your website. You can share links to your website where you described short topics of reddit more detailed.
Upwork or Fiverr
Upwork and Fiverr are places where you can find vendors and freelancers for a specific task.
At Upwork you post a job opening. Freelancers apply to your job opening. You interview them and set a price per hour or a ficed price for the solution.
At Fiverr freelancers show their services and prices. You can pick one freelancer with a special skill for the job. Upwork and Fiverr are the places for outsourced work.
Selling on Amazon, eBay, Etsy and Facebook Marketplace
If you just started your business or want to try out new products there are a many channels you can use. Amazon is the biggest one. It’s the one with most competition. Besides that Amazon has high fees. As a starter I suggest eBay, Etsy or Facebook Marketplace. Etsy is a place optimized for self-made products and small businesses. Facebook Marketplace and eBay are places where you can sell used things, B-ware or retours. You can sell new things on these marketplaces too. Pictures are the most important things when selling or promoting physical products on all marketplaces. Make sure that you have high quality pictures. Show all benefits of the product in the pictures. Sometimes a video is a better idea.
Conclusion
Above you learnd many different ideas to build your business and market your products. The solutions do not all fit every business. You need to pick the ones that fits the best for you. Make a plan how to use the specific channels. Build a strategy with your team and communicate it to all in your company. Create a place where all members find important information about the strategy. If someone ask the same question twice but the answer in that “business brain”. When you train new members show them the “business brain” and let them learn how to use it.