10 Ways to Promote Your Just-Born Business (Cheaply and Effectively)
No matter the size of your just-born business, you have launched it - now you have to promote it. Especially during these challenging times, the budget for advertising and marketing might be extremely tight.
However, this should not be an excuse to drop out of promoting your company altogether. There are ways to create an effective marketing strategy that can fit anybody's budget, but the returns will be surprising.
Start with the tips below!
Rethink Your Website
Arguably, your website is the most critical presence any business could establish. Often, this becomes the first point of contact of customers, contractors, and even candidates for job openings.
Of course, you should make sure it truly portrays the feel of your brand, but it should also include your vision, mission, and goals. In such a dynamic economy like the one of today could be, capturing the attention of potential clients has never been harder.
At the same time, services and products can be accessed from across the world, so even a small business can have an incredibly broad audience. Depending on your aim, your website will be different from any other, but there are three aspects you should not overlook:
- Easy to navigate
- Call to action
- Add testimonials
Make the Necessary Changes to Remain Competitive
As we have seen, the market is changing rapidly, and innovations are taking over the landscape. While you might only have a small budget to play with at the moment, wisely spending it allows you to see incredible returns.
Start by transferring some of your services online and implementing delivery options. Even if you prefer to conduct your business in person, it is not likely to be possible for some months to come. Implementing such strategies allow you to stay on the market no matter the situation.
Leverage Digital Marketing Strategies
If the small budget allows you to pick only one marketing channel, let that be digital marketing. Tapping into this field can be intimidating for an entrepreneur that just had to learn how to create and launch a business from scratch.
However, digital marketing is among the most effective ways of portraying your brand and increasing your company's visibility. Some of the main areas of focus you will want to examine are:
- Email marketing
- Display advertising
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Content marketing
- Email marketing
- Conversion rate optimization (CRO)
Get on Social Media Platforms
Even if you don't consider yourself much of a tech-savvy individual, it is time to leverage the use of social media platforms. With new channels created every month, you can pick the one that fits your preferences best. If you love writing, head towards Twitter or Facebook. Instead, if taking photos and videos is more your thing, Instagram, Tik Tok, and YouTube should be your platforms of choice.
Of course, the more platforms you are on, the more visibility your brand will gain. However, without a social media expert, it can be challenging to manage the amount of work behind them. Start from one of the ones mentioned and increase your reach as you improve your expertise.
Customers Still Appreciate Classic Promotional Items!
Promotional items are something that you should consider. Especially if you are operating on a local level, such inexpensive yet powerful things can turn each of your customers into a brand ambassador. Examples of these are lanyards, cards, badge reels, and stickers.
However, before rushing to place a bulk order of them, ensure you have opted for a sustainable alternative that can increase the public image your brand already has.
Launch a Competition or Giveaway
Competitions and giveaways are one of the most efficient methods of creating engagement among your audience. No matter whether you only have 50 customers or your audience has already grown to over a thousand.
Start a competition or giveaway through your social media platforms, and encourage the competitors to enter their email and pass on the message. Such a simple strategy is exceptionally inexpensive for companies but can generate engagement and positive word of mouth across your target market.
Get Involved in the Community
Of course, moving your business online is essential, and can genuinely help you to widen your horizon of customers to acquire. However, you might still be operating from a physical location. If this is the case, opt to get involved as much as possible with your local community or positive initiatives.
Aside from improving the image of your brand, this can help you create connections with other local businesses and do something good in the meanwhile. The only downside to this strategy is that you might have to dedicate some Sunday afternoons to the cause!
Mind the Trends!
If you believe in your brand, and you have executed thorough research of the market, you are definitely on the right path. However, there are some trends mostly set by consumers that should not be ignored.
These can change fast and remaining up to date with them can represent a challenge. However, there is always a way of modifying a brand or vision to appeal to such trends' followers. Some of the current ones include sustainability, plant-based or ethical alternatives, and authenticity.
Don't Underestimate the Power of Networking.
While it might need to happen through virtual channels during this moment, networking is extremely valuable.
Especially if you are tapping into a new market or sector, speaking with the experts in the field might offer you alternative points of your that you might not have thought of before.
Don't Stop Learning and Retraining Yourself.
Naturally, launching your business after months of hard work should be rewarding and exciting. However, the truth is that this is only the beginning of a steep learning curve ahead of you. While you can be intimidated by the many tasks and responsibilities, it is essential to keep a curious mind.
Learn more about the field, technologies, innovations and trends. Through this strategy, you are more likely to be able to remain up to date, competitive, and appealing to a growing audience.
Bottom line
Deciding to launch a business is an exciting yet intimidating adventure of your life. Ensure it is well promoted to reach a much wider audience than you would have ever expected!