Running a small business can be tough and marketing may not be one of your priorities. However, proper promotion is essential, especially when your business is new on the market. Not only can you establish your reputation through marketing, but you can also increase your profits, your sales and your number of loyal customers. But don’t worry, marketing is not as complex as you might think. We have some creative yet simple promotion ideas for you, some of which are quite cheap.
Creative content
Nowadays, a business is irrelevant if it doesn’t have an online presence. However, it takes more than a basic website and some social media accounts in order to be relevant in the online world. You need to promote your business through creative content. To create quality content that attracts visitors and drives conversions, start by creating an ideal buyer persona. Think about the main characteristics of your customers, from their demographics to their interests, and try to create content that they will find useful and interesting. You can even talk to some of your customers to see what type of content they would appreciate. Promote your content on social media, but also in e-mail newsletters and on relevant websites.
Testimonials and reviews
Customers are a lot more informed nowadays than they used to be and they tend to do a lot of research before buying a product or a service. Posting some real testimonials on your website is a great way to improve your reputation and make your customers trust you more. Moreover, ask friends and customers to review your business on social media, on Google and on other websites where you are promoting your business.
Get friendly with influencers
Just as people trust online reviews, they also trust the people whom they follow on social media. An influencer is a type of online celebrity with numerous followers. Influencers typically have specific niches like beauty, fitness, home décor and so on. Try to get in touch with influencers in your niche and convince them to promote your business. Some may be persuaded to do this for free, others might ask for samples of your products and some may even ask for a fee. It usually depends on how popular they are. Nonetheless, influencers are very trustworthy in the eyes of their followers, and a mention from the right online celebrity could mean a considerable boost of sales.
Sponsorships and giveaways
How much a sponsorship will cost you depends on the type of event that you choose. You can sponsor local athletic teams or local ceremony awards. However, for the best return of investment, we advise you to sponsor online contests. Usually, social media contests have specific rules which ask participants to share the contest post and like the page of the sponsor. If you pair up with a powerful influencer or a good contest page, you might increase your social media followers consistently in just a few days.
Reward loyal customers with custom challenge coins
Many businesses offer discount cards for loyal customers, but if you want to stand out from the crowd, you can replace the classic card with a custom challenge coin. Just as it goes with discount cards, customers must present the challenge coin at each purchase in order to benefit from the discount. For quality coins with unique designs consider max challenge custom coins. Keep in mind that the customers would have to carry the coins at all times, which is a great exposure for your business, and your loyal customers will surely appreciate your creative touch. If you have an online store, you can inscribe the coins with a discount code.
Let’s assume that you run a home deco shop. You could start writing an interior décor blog or a column for a local newspaper. Once you would establish yourself as an authority in your business niches, you could use your influence to promote your business. This can be applied to all kinds of businesses, but you must put a lot of time and effort into becoming an expert in your field. You could also skip the trouble by hiring a freelance writer to do the job for you.
