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How to Promote Your Business

Ever wondered how to Promote Your Business Inexpensively?

Business promotion is to running a successful business as practicing scales is to playing the piano well; it may not be a thrilling activity in itself, but you just have to do it! You should spend at least an hour a day on business promotion or planning how to promote your business (and more is better if you can fit the time in).

You promote your business by getting the word out.

  • Promote Your Business Whenever You Communicate

You have business cards, but you also put out a lot of other documents in the course of doing business. Check these to make sure you’re using their promotional possibilities to full advantage.

Is your business name, logo, information; including web address) present on all your correspondence?  Any document that you send out (whether electronic or printed) should have a letterhead with all of your company information.

And don’t forget to make sure that your email has a complete signature that provides all your business information and a promotional tagline. You can also add a section with links for Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest so the recipient can connect with you on social media.

Electronic documents, such as email, are easy to update with your latest business promotion information, whether it be a special price on your product or service or letting people know that your company has won an award.

Remember, it’s not just an email, it’s a business promotion tool. You’re sending it out anyway, so why not make it work for you?

  • Use Social Media to Promote Your Business

Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are great ways to promote your business through social media.

A good example of how this can be effective was illustrated to me recently when we had a power outage that affected some areas of our community. One of the local restaurants posted on Facebook that they had power and were open for business and within an hour they were packed with customers.

To get started with social media, creat a social media plan. If you are skilled at taking video (or know someone who is) you can record video promotions of your products or services and post them on YouTube.

  • Promote Your Business by Blogging and Writing Articles

When you’re thinking of how to promote your business, don’t forget about writing articles. Well-written articles can provide free advertising and build positive word-of-mouth. If you’re a realtor, for instance, you could write a piece on preparing your home to be shown. If you’re a website designer, you might write a piece about assessing website usability.

The more specific your topic the better. Write a short biographical note, or “blurb” about you and your business to go with the article. Then send it out!

Where? As the goal is to promote your business, ideally you’d like it to appear in a publication that your target market will be reading.

  • Use Press Releases for Business Promotion

Sending out press releases is another great way to get some free business promotion.

The caveat to using press releases as a business promotion tool is that your press release has to actually contain information that is newsworthy and be engaging enough to get people’s interest.

Has your business recently expanded? Do you have a new product? Have you been involved in some promotional activity such as sponsoring a charity event? Have you or your company recently won an award? All of these are examples of “news” that you can capitalize on to get some free promotion for your business.

Press releases can be published online or in print.

  • Give Out Freebies as Business Promotion

We’re all familiar with hearing or reading advertisements that promise that the first 50 people to visit a particular store will receive a free (____). You fill in the blank. It could be anything from a red rose to an ice-cream cone! Pens, designer mugs, ball caps, and T-shirts are always popular as well.

We’re all familiar with this kind of spot promotion because it works. People love to receive things that are free.

Besides using freebies as business promotions, you can also use them regularly as customer “rewards”.

What small, inexpensive things could you give out with your product or service that will get your customer thinking good thoughts about you? Combining business promotion with customer rewards is definitely a win-win situation.

  • Promote Your Business Through Your Leisure Activities

Whether your chosen leisure activity is working on a museum restoration project, rock-climbing, or shopping, there are all kinds of ways to promote your business while you do what you love to do.

Where’s the harm in shopping or rock-climbing wearing a T-shirt that has the name of your business prominently displayed? Or in taking your business cards everywhere you go and clipping your card to the slip when you pay for a purchase by card? If you or your kids play on a sports team (or you just have an interest in one) consider becoming a sponsor and get your business info on the team uniforms. Get in the habit of doing business promotion wherever you go and you’ll be surprised how word-of-mouth builds.

If your leisure activity involves a group, you might ask if you can include your business information on all of their out-going newsletters, or ask if you can at least give everyone a brochure.

And with any kind of group activity, there’s always the opportunity to promote your business by letting other people know what you do and how it could benefit them. This doesn’t mean that you talk about nothing else, but there are bound to be chances to talk about your business that crop up during normal conversation.

 

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