Stuck in a marketing rut? We got you!
Welcome to part one of our ten-part series which gives business owners like YOU 100 marketing tips and ideas in 10 bite-size blogs.
The first 10 ideas are ways to get you noticed by focussing on community and connections. These PR- based ideas will help raise your profile and get people talking about your business.
Part one- Building connections and canvassing in the community.
- Get into your local newspaper
Write a press release about anything newsworthy going on in your business. Not sure how to write one? Read these PR tips or simply pick up the phone and speak to a journalist to see if they’re interested in running something. If they are, they’ll probably write the story themselves with a few details from you.
- Carry business cards
Don’t ever leave home without your business cards. You never know who you might bump into. Make sure your business cards contain all relevant information, including your website address and any social media accounts you might have.
- Sponsor a competition
There are always competitions in newspapers and on radio shows. Consider sponsoring one of them to raise your profile. You’ll not only advertise your brand and company name, you’ll be putting yourself in front of a much wider market.
- Give something away
Following on from Tip 3, if you have got something you can offer why not host your own competition. Newspapers and magazines might give you free editorial space in exchange for a prize. Just be aware they’ll always want minimum prize values.
- Talk to your customers
Don’t be afraid to chat to your existing customers to ask them why they hired you. And take the opportunity to ask them if you could be doing anything more to improve your service to them. By nurturing existing connections you will help to retain clients/ gain repeat business and remind people about your services which could lead to a recommendation or referral.
- Sponsor an awards ceremony
Although it could be an expensive option, sponsoring awards can really get your business name out there. Remember, not all awards are expensive. There are always niche award ceremonies that better suit your business and budget, especially local events and competitions.
- Write a column for your local paper
Get in touch with your local rag to see if they’d benefit from a regular ‘ask the expert’ column, then provide regular expert features for them to publish. Don’t ask, don’t get – so pick up the phone today.
- Go to traditional networking events
Not all networking events are stuffy, irrelevant and boring. There are many out there that could really benefit your business. You just need to find the right ones. Go online, ask around and book yourself in to as many networking events as possible. Go armed with business cards, a warm smile and no expectations. Enjoy the company and experience and you never know what connections might be made.
- Enter awards
Put your business forward for awards whenever you can. Winning awards is great free publicity for your business and you can show off your trophies on your own website. It adds further credibility and draws attention to your business.
- Give your expertise away
You’ve been running your own business for some time now and you’ll have learnt a huge amount of things along the way. You might not know it, but your own wisdom and experience is incredibly valuable to other people. Share your trade secrets by writing articles for your own website. Don’t be afraid to tell people how you’ll help their business. Yes – some might steal your tricks and tips but most won’t have the time and would prefer to call in the experts.- Another way to talk about what you do and help others could include featuring on industry webinars/ podcasts or even getting involved in local industry events to talk about your area of expertise.
Finally,
Remember, even if someone doesn’t end up using your services- they might recall your brand and tell someone else about you- who then becomes a customer.
Become a champion for your community, get stuck in with local events, networking and even community projects. This will help raise your profile, credibility and… you never know who is watching.
