If you’re starting a local business, you’ll want to do all you can to advertise. The more you advertise, the bigger chance that someone will become aware of your local business and later decide to purchase your product or use your service.
You don’t want to go about advertising in a way that will harm your local business, obviously.
Far too often, local business owners choose pricey advertising options that end up costing them far more than they should. Taking your time to advertise well — and cheaply — is the key. Listed below are five places to get started.
1. Social Media Advertising
Everyone seems to love social media and there doesn’t seem to be much chance of this trend slowing down. New social media sites are popping up often enough. To engage in social media advertising successfully, you’ll need to make sure you join several social media sites. Once you join these social media sites, you’ll need to post frequently. Join hyper-local groups and begin posting there. Start an account on multiple social media sites and invite your friends and family to follow you. Before long, other people in your area will begin seeing your posts. These will help you spread the word about your business and ensure that you get more customers coming through your door.
2. Email Marketing
Email marketing is another great way you can advertise your business. It provides an affordable way to reach many people in a short amount of time. To get started with email marketing, you’ll want to gather email addresses from your existing customers. You can ask them to sign up on your website or encourage them to sign up at your store. If you offer a service, you might include a card with sign-up information. Once you have verified email addresses, you can begin your email marketing campaign. When you conduct an email campaign, use it to send out coupons, newsletters, and special information about your business.
3. Marketing by Word of Mouth
Another great way to get your business additional attention is through word-of-mouth advertising. When someone comes into your business or uses your business for a service, do what you can to exceed expectations. If they truly enjoyed their experience, they’ll recommend you to others. To make sure word-of-mouth advertising is a success, you’ll want to make sure that your customers are thoroughly satisfied. Offer special consideration to your customers, be consistently kind, and offer them competitive prices. These simple tactics will encourage them to leave you a good review and help you to build a stronger customer base.
4. Quality Signage
You’ll also want to make sure that you have clear signage on your property. Signage should be displayed in your store, on your vehicles, and prominently featured outdoors. To help your inside-the-store messages pop, use eye-catching designs and materials to make your signage pop. The signage you use in your store should promote the things that you have for sale but also include helpful and eye-catching information. When installing outside signage, you’ll want to make sure it is also eye-catching. It’s important to note that you should check local ordinances to find out which kinds of signs you’re allowed to have. Many municipalities have restrictions on the size of signage. If you’re planning to put signage on your vehicles, make sure that the letters are easy to read at a glance and that your information is displayed well.
5. Website
A must-have today for any local business to effectively advertise is a website. Your website should be readable primarily on a mobile device as well as a laptop or desktop computer. On your website, you should include concise, relevant information about your business, details about products or services you offer, and all of your contact information. You’ll want to be careful to avoid common missteps. It is also helpful to include reviews on your website so potential customers can see how others reacted to your product or service. You can choose to have someone build a website for you or you can do it yourself on many plug-and-play websites catering to non-techies.
Advertising your business may at first seem like a daunting and expensive task. However, if you take your time and advertise the right way, you’ll be able to reach potential customers very quickly. Just be sure to look for cheaper ways to advertise. Be patient as it may take some time for people to start responding to your messages.
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