reate an Elevator Pitch
As a business owner or entrepreneur, it is important for you to constantly market or pitch your business. The age old "word of mouth" form of marketing can be very effective, especially if you are just starting out or you lack a sizeable marketing bugdet. An elevator pitch is a free form of advertising, so planning one then practicing it until it's second nature is vital. It can be essential in creating new business opportunities or as a quick off-the-cuff sales pitch. Keep it brief, keep it simple & get straight to the point.
Start Networking
I’m sure you are now accustomed to the phrase “Think Globally, Act locally”. This can also be true in terms of marketing. Try to meet as many local business owners in your community as possible, building stronger relationships in your local area can help drive business for you & the rest of your peers. Business owners have a wealth of experience, knowledge & other contacts that can potentially help your business, learn to leverage your community. But remember business to business relations are usually based on reciprocity so try to bring value to your local counterparts. Secondly if your business is in a specialist industry or niche market, it is vital to join online business/industry forums. Joining a forum will give you industry expertise or insights, the chance to interact in group discussions plus also a platform to share your thoughts & grievances with fellow entrepreneurs. Additionally it gets you noticed, if other business owners like your work ethic, quality of product & the services you provide they will add you as a contact. Another important facet of networking is being able to follow up on leads, you must actively follow leads no matter how small. There is no point in marketing a business if you cannot execute.
Use Social Media
This is not rocket science; the art of social media is imperative for any 21st century entrepreneur, building an online presence through social networks is a wonderful way to market your business. Pick the right ones or the right combinations as there is a direct correlation between certain platforms and certain demographics.Marketing budgets can be costly if mismanaged, social media can become an opportunity cost if you cannot reach your audience effectively. So do your own research, perhaps hire a PR company or a freelance marketing consultant to begin with. Use Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Reddit, VK, Tumblr, Pinterest&Flickr just to name a few. Additionally have your own website or landing page, most social media platforms can now be linked & “plugged” into your site.
Create An Email Marketing Campaign
According to recent surveys, email marketing is still one of the best ROI & least difficult to execute digital marketing tools. You can start a weekly or monthly newsletter by emailing potential or existing customers. Newsletters help build a collective community plus they keep your company relevant & at the forefront of customer's minds. Rather than paying a marketing consultant or if your core customers aren’t social media savvy one alternative could be setting up an email campaign. There are email marketing template tools such as MailChimp for example.
Use Referrals
Create a referral system, by making sure that you adhere to a certain product or service level customers will naturally come back. Once you get a ‘core’ customer/consumer base create a referral system, it is a way of incentivising satisfied customers by giving them a discount for a referral. So not only are you drumming up business from word of mouth due to great levels of service, but also you will be repeating sales whilst gaining new customers from referrals. Or better yet just ask for referrals, you are in the art of business & you need to sell yourself do not shy away from or be embarrassed to ask your customers for referrals.
Til next time
