If you want your business to succeed, promoting your brand should be listed first of your priorities. Bottom line is, you need to sell your brand as much as your product or service, to attract traffic and attention. No matter how great the service is or incredible your products are, without a single promotion, you’re better off putting your money somewhere else.
You’ve probably been down the road of expensive promotions. Let’s be honest, it’s hard to get the word out on a limited budget but some business owners believe that to have a successful campaign; you have to shell out a huge amount of money. This thought is far from the truth. The following are affordable ways to promote your business!
Social Media is Booming
If your brand isn’t marketing or promoting on social media, then its best to kiss your brand goodbye. Having your business on any social media platform not only allows you to show off your brand with quality visuals and audience interaction, but it comes with influencer perks that will boost your traffic and revenue immensely. Think about it, if you get influencers with millions of followers to promote your brand, your audience is being tripled and people are most likely to buy your product. It’s almost like seeing a celebrity wearing a specific shirt, people are interested in where to buy it from.
Millions of people log on to Facebook alone and there are more features and advancements being added to social media apps constantly. Use this to your advantage! Use messenger to interact with your audience, add links and pages to your stories, and even live streaming if your business fits. Think about your target audience and promote your business in ads. The good news, social media ads are so advanced that you can target your audience with as little as a $5 investment. Coordinate special giveaways to grow a following or simply offer incentives and discounts to get people to visit your store.
Look at Your Car
Use your vehicle like a moving billboard! Billboards can be very costly, so put your car to use! You use your vehicle to go from point A to point B and with all that mileage in between, think of the hundreds of people that will see your advertisement while stuck traffic and even in parking lots. Simply create a visually appealing logo with your contact and social media handle. Remember to keep your logo or contact info simple and easy for people to remember. Not everyone has the time to write it down or snap a picture while they’re driving.
Try Cross Promotion
Partner up with businesses that can promote you especially if you’re both in the same industry. For example, if you own a photography business, build relationships in the wedding trade like makeup artists, florists, DJs, venues, caterers and the list goes on. And of course, return the favor for them! Once you establish a trusted network, you will see your business boom with referrals and to simply thank your partners, you could even add special discounts and promotions to tack on new clients.
This kind of promotion is easy to implement; word of mouth, stamp card, package discounts, and the list goes on. With any kind of system you choose, you and your network are in a win-win situation as you both will expand your exposure and future clients to work with thus keeping you in business.
Give it For Free
It never hurts to lose some to gain more. We’re sure you’ve heard of promotions like, ‘First people who come into the store will receive a free ___.’ This kind of advertising creates a buzz as people like complimentary items. This can be a simple gift like a mug, t-shirt, pens, etc. At this point, you can get really creative with this kind of promotion because people love the word FREE.
Give a Free Seminar
Knowledge is power. Promote your products and services by offering a lesson or consultation. Sharing knowledge goes a long way as your customers will see that you truly care about servicing them. For example, if you’re a window tinting company, offer a free consultation in their home.
Not only do people get excited about hearing the word “free,” but you get to meet them face to face. Meeting a client in person increases your chance of winning their business because you get to engage with them, share your expertise, and convince them of why they should hire you.
Sell yourself and build a strong reputation with them to give them a positive assurance. People are always looking for something to broaden their horizons so take advantage of it by soft selling your company.