SO, you’ve spent weeks perfecting your product, finding the right premises, maybe hiring an employee, designing your logo or even website. Now what? All of this is great, but the customers won’t just materialise out of thin air, you have to get out there and grab them in any way shape or form.
The next step is promoting your butt off! Here are 5 ways to advertise your new start-up:
1. Social media
With people constantly on the net and using their smartphones, social media marketing is a failsafe way to gain some attention. Stick to a couple of the main sites such as Facebook and Twitter and use them to the best of your advantage to start with. Ask friends and family to share your pages and reach a wider (even global) audience.
2. Get t-shirts printed
Submit your logo design to a site to a t-shirt printing service such as Icon Printing, which can be found at www.iconprinting.com, and they will do the rest. T-shirts can be given to staff in your store, worn at promotional events, or even sold as a way to gain a little extra cash for your new business. Essentially, customers will see your brand everywhere and have it seared into their memory.
3. Start a blog
Starting a blog with Blogger or WordPress related to your services or industry can be a great way to gain attention for your business. Customers will be able to learn useful new ways to use your products, can ask questions and start up a discussion or you can even set up some affiliate marketing with non-competitive partners. The idea is, promote their products and they’ll promote yours. Bear in mind that the most viewed blogs tend to be guides, lists and best of features. So, engage with your customers and have them coming back for more.
4. AdWords
This service from Google allows you to advertise your products or services on relevant sites. The word ‘relevant’ here is key. So, for example, if you offer proofreading services then your advert might show up on a dictionary website. Thus, the correct audience is reached every time. Furthermore, if you choose the pay-per-click root, then you’re only charged if somebody accesses your product. You can even set your own budget and maximum spend.
5. Offer freebies
Everybody loves a freebie! You could offer a free trial so that customers can test out your service before they reach in their pockets. As long as you have faith in what you are providing as a start-up business, then there is no reason why customers wouldn’t return again and again thereafter.
Another alternative could be samples, if you’re providing a physical product. Or why not entice customers with extras if they purchase today?
All in all, it’s not easy to get your name on the map. So, don’t expect it to happen overnight, but all you need is patience and persistence to achieve your business goals.
