Once you open a business and get everything running, you need to get the word out that you’re open for business. But the challenge you’re facing is how do you promote your business without immediately depleting your cash flow and going into debt over marketing costs? You don’t necessarily have to empty your checkbook to promote your business because there are several low cost and even free alternatives to get the word out.
Start with Word of Mouth
The first question to ask yourself is just how many of your acquaintances have you told about your business? Word of mouth is always the first and best way to get the word out about your business because you can help your friends who can then tell their friends. You also build up public trust that way since people are more likely to do business at a place their friends recommend. In fact, even the creators of one particular education-based app decided to forego spending any funds on any digital marketing because they believed their users would spread the word by telling their friends or posting online reviews. It turns out they were right, and they’ve been able to spend their finances on other areas.
Invest In Painted Signs Or Painting Your Vehicle
At some point you’re going to need signage that can point your customers to you. You’ll want a sign right on or in front of your building, but you also will want signs posted around town that provide your location and contact information to passers by. Custom designed signs could cost anywhere from under $20 to over $1,000. The good news is sign printing whether it’s for banners, metal signs, plastic signs or others is done by online companies who can offer very affordable rates and ship your signs for much less than it cost about 20 years ago. What you also may consider is having your business name and logo painted on your vehicle, a job you could do yourself. This effectively makes your vehicle a moving sign.
Invest In Apparel Promoting Your Business
To add a little more credibility and even professional appearance to your business, you can buy promotional apparel for yourself and anyone working for you. Your customers will know who you are when they see those t-shirts or ball caps with your business name or logo on them. Even when you’re outside your store and just doing regular activities around your neighborhood, chances are if you’re wearing apparel with your business on it that a conversation will come up about your business. And just as signs are getting much cheaper to buy nowadays, printed apparel is also fairly inexpensive and by simply uploading your logo or design to the maker’s website, your new uniform or promotional t-shirt will be on its way within a matter of time.
Get A Business Website
No matter what your business does, you should always get a website even if you won’t or can’t sell your products online. You still can put out important information about your business and post photos and contact forms that can be useful to customers. Plus getting a professional website with its own domain really doesn’t cost that much nowadays. You should still make sure it’s organized and has a good color scheme, but various services like website building and a few search engine optimization tools can be used for very low monthly costs.
Use Social Media
Besides having just, a website, you should put up a social media profile and use marketing tools there. This is a way to interact with current customers and help new prospects get to know you. You can also join local business groups and get a chance to talk to them about what you do. Basically, next to live or over the phone interactions with your customers or visitors, social media is the next communication tier.
The bottom line is you just need to use a little ingenuity and take advantage of a few resources to get your business visibility out to the general public. You just need to make sure you stay within any trademark and copyright laws so that your logo and company name are recognized as yours.
from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/business/what-are-the-best-ways-to-promote-your-business/
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