Many small business owners are constantly looking for ways to promote their business be it in a small community, within their own industry or looking for new business opportunity. For most business owners, whether they are spending a little or a lot, getting their money's worth is important.
Here are a few inexpensive ideas you might wish to consider as methods to raise your visibility without raising your budgets.
Target Your Audience
The trap most small businesses fall into is that they tend to spend promotional dollars in an ad-hoc manner and as a result do a less than effective job. If you are spending any promotional dollars at all you are wasting most of it if you haven't identified you target market and don't have a strategy.
Get to know your target market, find out everything you can about them and then fit your message and your delivery to their needs. Develop a strategy with your target market at its core.
Join an Association
If your business has an industry association, join it. Associations give members am opportunity to share experience, they lobby on your behalf, provide business opportunity and often bring member benefit programs.
Chambers of Commerce and Boards of Trade also provide an opportunity for you to raise your profile in your local community. Membership here will allow you to socialize with other small business owners and open up new business prospects. Personal contact is still important in developing new business.
These groups often invite members to give presentations on their companies and pass along valuable information for new business potential. Prepare a news release for their publication. Be sure you are listed in their directory with a description of your company its product or service and a link joining your Web site to theirs. Volunteer for a committee. Get visible.
Web-based Directories
Almost every community today supports an online directory. Usually the cost of participation is low and the ease of supplying information is as simple as being able to use a computer. Along with your company listing ask if you are able to include a special offer or coupon to encourage people to become customers.
On-line Business Resources
The other on-line proliferation recently is virtual business resource companies. These companies supply on-line resources for small business in the way of networking opportunities, trade and industrial shows and general business knowledge.
Canada One is one of the best examples of this type of company. They offer business tools, directories for small business and good advice for doing business in Canada along with articles prepared exclusively for their subscribers. You can explore this option on your own at www.canadaone.com.
Brand Your Company
A lot of small business advisors roll their eyes when they hear the "B" word. But guess what? Branding works for large companies it will work for you. Branding is the single most important program any company can undertake. It is how your company is perceived and what it communicates is critical to your success.
Ask yourself these questions:
Does my logo reflect the business I am in and what my company stands for?
Does my letterhead, my business cards; my sign on the door and my Web site all look the same?
Do my promotional items reflect my company and my business?
When was the last time I had a professional designer look at my corporate identification?
If you haven't had a corporate makeover in the past 10 or 12 years, it might be time to consider a new look. Do a search…find a competent graphic designer, review her work, talk to some of her clients and let her use a little imagination to design a look that captures your company.
Once you're happy with it…use it every chance you get. Include it on all your promotional pieces, advertising, web site, premiums and every time your company name is mentioned.
Embrace a Cause
Support a local not for profit organization or adopt a charity. Try to find a cause that makes some sense with your business. In our present day economy health services are always in need of support. Donate some time or some product to fund raising efforts if that is applicable. Try to avoid any charity or not for profit organization that carries a lot of political baggage.
Final Thoughts
It seems as soon as you start to focus on re-defining your business goals and then start improving the way you get your message out, the more you begin to identify opportunities to promote yourself, your company and your product or services. The more you work at it the better you get at doing it until finally seeking new ways to promote comes as second nature.
If you have any success stories you'd like to share with us and our other reader, just drop us a short note at editor@smallbusinessbigsaving.com. Any ideas we publish will be recognized and rewarded.
Rod Feller, Editor/Publisher
