100 Ways To Advertise A Business
100 Ways To Advertise A Business. No matter what your creative field, there are always days when work is quiet. During those slower times, it’s an excellent opportunity to not only catch up on all of your admin; it’s also a unique chance to market your business.
Whether you’re just starting as a freelancer or you’ve been established for years, marketing plays an essential part for any business. It’s how people find out about you, and hire you.
But with so much competition and noise to crawl over, how can you get your business out there and attract new clients? The following essential list should help. It contains 100 inspiring ideas to market your business, so you’ll never have any excuse but to make marketing a priority.
Blogs are great opportunities to not only extend your digital marketing strategy by creating a whole range of long-tail keywords, SEO-wise. They’re also a good chance to show off your expertise while building trust. Keep your blog updated with quality content, and both Google and web visitors will love you for it.
There’s a wealth of new blogs out there, so get researching and find some influential bloggers to make friends with. Get them to write a review about your business, product or service, if you can.
Although often an expensive option, sponsoring awards can get your business out there. Remember, not all awards are expensive. There are always niche award ceremonies that better suit your business and budget.
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.
Journalists are always after industry experts to add a little something to their news reports. Contact your local TV, radio and newspapers to put yourself forward as a willing expert in your field. Be prepared to be available for any interviews that might pop up and do some media training, so you’re ready to go.
People want to interact with websites, so create something that will be appealing and helpful to your audience. For example, can you add ‘live chat’ and be instantly available to answer any questions? There are some fantastic, off-the-shelf solutions you can add quickly and easily.
Organise talks, classes or workshops based on your expertise. Great with social media? You’d be surprised how many people still can’t get their heads around Twitter. Teach others, and you could find they turn into customers.
No matter what your creative field, there are plenty of forums out there that you could join and start contributing to. Many people use forums to find answers. Be as helpful as possible, and you may attract more clients. Just don’t forget to make the most of your forum signature by adding in links to your website and adding in your company’s slogan.
People want to know who they’re dealing with before hiring someone. Make sure your website has a decent ‘About’ page, describing who you are, your skills and experience and your business values. Remember, your website should build trust and an About page helps do that.
If you think your products and services are worthy of a 100% guarantee or ‘your money back’, then guarantee them. Offer to refund people if they’re not fully satisfied with you. You certainly run the risk of some people abusing this offer, but this may outweigh the benefits of attracting more customers.
Nothing beats referrals and word-of-mouth recommendations, so keep your existing clients extremely happy by offering superb customer service. Work that extra bit harder, and you’ll reap the rewards long-term.
Not all networking events are stuffy, irrelevant and boring. There are many out there that could benefit your business. You need to find the right ones. Go online, ask around and book yourself into as many networking events as possible. Go armed with business cards, a warm smile and no expectations.
You’ve been running your own business for some time now, and you’ll have learnt plenty along the way. You might not know it, but your experience is incredibly valuable to others. Share your trade secrets by publishing articles on your website. Don’t be afraid to tell people how you’ll help their business. Yes, some might steal your tricks. But most won’t have the time and would prefer to call in the experts.
Outside office hours, make sure your phone has an answering machine. And, more importantly, make sure your answerphone message sells yourself. Replace ‘we’re not here’ with something more helpful or interesting, like: ‘we’re not available, but please check out our website’. Encourage the caller to contact you via other means.
Booking stands at relevant shows are an expensive option, without a doubt. But if you’ve got something to sell and you want to raise your profile, shows can often be one of the best marketing opportunities for your business.
Hook your business up with someone else to attract more customers. What do I mean by this? Well, if you’re a copywriter – why not approach web designers who don’t have copywriting skills and offer your services at an outsourced, discounted rate? You’d be surprised how much work you can win this way.
Make friends with the competition and local suppliers, then recommend them to clients. If you give, you’ll quite possibly get something in return. Because what goes around, comes around. And there’s always plenty of work to go around.
Facebook advertising is good, particularly if you’re after targeted demographics. You can select the region, gender, age and even relationship status of people you’d like to target and create a bespoke campaign just for them. What’s more, you can measure and evaluate your investment, so you know what does and doesn’t work for next time.
Deal of the Day websites are becoming increasingly popular. Sites like Groupon and LivingSocial feature discounted gift certificates that are usable at local or national firms. As a registered user, you get sent a whole load of deals relevant to your local area. From your company’s point of view, you can contact these websites to give some of your products and services away. They’re a cost-effective way of getting your brand noticed.
Good digital marketing is all about creating valuable things that naturally go viral. Get others to shout about your business by creating something free and helpful. A free e-book, for example, can do just that. Put together a well-written guide that includes all sorts of tips and tricks. But make sure it’s exciting and shareable.
If your website isn’t cutting it anymore, consider having a design overhaul. Although web design isn’t the most important aspect of a web build – it often gives the first impression. If people are bouncing straight off your website, it might be that something is putting them off. Do some research before you take the plunge and create a website that’s more appealing to your target audience.
When you answer your phone, always say your company name and who’s speaking. When you send an email, always make sure your email signature contains your company name and logo. Be polite and friendly at all times because you never know who might be calling. Get these basics right, and you’ll strengthen your brand and your reputation.
When you write a blog or tweet about something, consider dropping a few names to attract their attention. They might return the favour by mentioning you on their website or Twitter profiles. If writing a blog, provide a hyperlink back to a popular article online, and you could see traffic come back your way. Harvard University did this with my own business, Boomerang – and it drove lots of relevant traffic.
If you want to build effective, local relationships, why not contact your local university to offer yourself as a speaker. Universities often have strong links with the business community, and you never know who you might impress or meet.
Design and print a special calendar with your business name and website address on it. Send it out to your existing customers, and they’ll hopefully display them in their shops or businesses, which makes fantastic free advertising for you.
Web-based seminars, if you can host them, are a great way to interact with clients. They can show off your expertise and turn those who watch them into paying customers. There are many online services you can use out there, like GoToWebinar.
Why not run a unique competition, giving your products and services away to one lucky winner? If you design websites, why not offer a free website? If you create beautiful wedding stationery, offer one lucky couple free stationery set for their big day. Competitions are viral and always popular. They’ll also help to advertise your business.
Many services give you access to lists of potential customers, all ready for you to target with your campaigns. Although sometimes expensive, these lists can prove invaluable. There’s Marketscan as an example, but plenty of others are available. Type ‘mailing lists’ into Google to find something relevant for you.
The whole ‘pay it forward’ ethos means you should be willing to give away some of your expertise for free as it could lead to paid work in future. For example, if you come across someone who has a problem – resolve it for free. Or when you’re at a networking event, introduce people who may be able to do business together. By being selfless and caring, people will remember you for it.
Consider your branding and reassess it. Is it strong enough? Does it convey the right marketing message? If it’s not up to scratch, consider refreshing your whole look and feel. Be bold, stand out and ensure your brand stands for your whole company ethos and values.
No matter where you go or who you speak to, sell yourself! You’re the main ambassador of your business, so get out there and sell it. Always keep your company values in mind and repeat them whenever you can.
Use something like SurveyMonkey to create a survey for your customers and encourage participation by giving something away. Once you’ve collected the results, you can turn your research into a newsworthy press release, or you can put the data to good old marketing use and improve your business offering overall.
Creative Boom celebrates, inspires and supports the creative community. Launched in 2009, we explore the best in creativity and deliver news, inspiration, insight and advice to help you succeed.
We may not have listed 100 ways but for sure have given you some ideals on how to advertise.
More Advertising Ariticles on www.cyourad.com
Reference
100 inspiring ideas to market your business | Creative Boom 2021, Viewed 31 December 2021, https://www.creativeboom.com/tips/100-inspiring-ideas-to-market-your-business/.
5 Ways to Promote Your Business for Under $100 Bucks 2021, Viewed 31 December 2021, https://ivelocitymarketing.com/2015/09/5-ways-to-promote-your-business-for-under-100-bucks/.
Top 100 ways you can make money online 2021, Viewed 31 December 2021, https://entrepreneurhandbook.co.uk/make-money-online/.
