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How to Promote Your Business on a Budget
Posted December 16th, 2010 by Ben Fox. No Comments
Shout, shout, let it all out – How to promote your business on a shoe string.
When times are tough it’s more important than ever to promote your business.
Too many companies slash their marketing budget or simply stop promoting their products and services altogether when the going gets tough – this is a potentially fatal mistake.
Yes, you should look at making savings where possible, and yes, there may be a way of making your marketing work harder for you, but to simply stop communicating with your customers is the quickest way to lose your business.
Here’s a few ways to promote your business on a budget:
1. SHOUT – It’s your business so it’s up to you to tell the world and his dog what you do, what you sell, what’s so good about your business and what makes you better than your competitors – the promotion of your business starts with YOU!
2. GET ONLINE – As per this article social media has opened doors for smaller businesses to promote their products and services like never before. You should embrace the opportunities, get to know how social media can work for your business and spend time ‘doing’ social media – it takes time and dedication but the rewards can be worth it.
3. THINK PR – Get to know who’s who at your local or regional newspaper, magazine and other media and then present them with ready-to-go news stories. Speak to your local publications to determine the kind of stories they are looking for and tailor your release accordingly to optimise the chances of it being published.
4. NETWORKING – There are loads and loads of networking groups out there, some better than others. The more you attend the more confident you will become and the more success you’ll have. You’ll also learn which groups or events are right for you and which to avoid.
5.GIVE SOMETHING EXTRA – People love a special offer, especially at this time of the year. But you don’t need to give away profits to attract customers – sometimes just offering a wee bit more than others can make all the difference. Need to attract customers into your shop? Give them a reason to come in off the street - a piece of cake? musical performance? freebie giveaway? You need to get people into your shop before they will buy something.
Scour the web for other free or low-cost methods of promoting your business – there are plenty of useful hints and tips out there, it’s up to you to choose the methods that will work best for your business.
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