FREE Marketing!!

5 Strategies to Promote Your Business

It’s always a good idea to devote part of your business’ budget to marketing and advertising. Maybe you pay monthly for a billboard ad. Or you have a long-running ad in your local newspaper. But that can get costly. Wouldn’t you rather save your money and still gain customers? Yes. Even if you have the budget to do high-ticket advertising you need to constantly consider other methods of cost-effective marketing. Here are 5 inexpensive approaches to promote your business and strengthen your reputation as a good community member.

adapted from Susan Ward via Small Business: Canada

1. Use All Outbound Materials as Promotion.

How many times have you walked past someone carrying a delicious smelling pizza? You always look at the box, don’t you? If that pizzeria is smart, they paid a little extra to put their name and phone number on the box. They need the boxes anyway, and now their name is in your brain. And now you’re hungry. Who do you call….?

Same goes for business.

As a business owner, you understand exactly the magnitude of paper that comes in and goes out of your office. While keeping up with bill payments, chamber of commerce relations, or community functions, you might be forgetting that every piece of paper that goes out can serve as an advertisement, even if it doesn’t seem like it. Business stationery is a cheap way to get your business out to the public, or, at the very least, the receiver of your letter. It doesn’t have to be overt to stick in that letter opener’s mind. Also, if you don’t have a logo or slogan, consider getting one and putting it on customized envelopes. There is an initial cost, but every time someone sees your business’ name or logo, they are now more likely to remember it.

Same goes for electronic messages like email. Be sure to put a full signature at the end of each email you send including your name, your business’ name, address, web site and phone number. Just by glancing at your name and business, next time that person is in need of the product you provide, chances are your business is first to come to mind.

2. Write and Issue Press Releases.

Another great (and almost free) way to get your business into the public spotlight is to write press releases about your business. The key to writing a good press release is to have some newsworthy information to share with your community. By doing so, you’re promoting your business and delivering news about, say, expanding your store space, extending your hours of operation, or even if you’re going to start selling a new product. These are all ways of informing and advertising.

If your local newspaper doesn’t accept your press release, always remember that the internet has many other avenues to reach your market, i.e., online business forums, your own website. Think of these press releases as a way to showcase your business, but also a way to show the public that you are committed to the public’s needs. (If you’re worried about how well you write, there are always plenty of freelance writers/editors who will do great work for a modest fee.)

3. You Must Take Advantage of the Internet.

It is scary; but only at first.

Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr are all free social media platforms that you can use to promote your business. For example, if you know Wednesday is your slowest day of the week, by hopping on the internet for 15 minutes, you can advertise a special “Wednesday” sale or promotion. Your followers and loyal customers will be more likely to take part in your sale or promotion because they feel like they are part of a club, which, in some ways, they are. If you are going to stay open on Columbus Day, say, this is an effective way to get that information out to the public in a quick, non-intrusive way. It may take some time to build up a following on these social media websites, but perhaps you can add your Twitter handle on your outgoing correspondence. Maybe one of your very first press releases is about your new presence on such social media sites.

4. Cross-Promote with Other Businesses in Town.

Working with other businesses as a way to promote your own business is a perfect way to expand your following, but to also show a sense of community collaboration. If you own a bookstore, try collaborating with a nearby coffee shop. You can use sale promotions this way that will benefit your bookstore and the coffee shop. For example, the coffee shop could run a promotion saying, “Show us your Book Emporium receipt and your first coffee refill is FREE!” Now loyal customers from that coffee shop know about your bookstore and are more likely to stop by on their way to get some coffee.

5. Don’t Be Afraid of Freebies.

As long as you don’t get carried away, the word FREE can be a very useful promotional tool. Everyone likes the sound of getting something for nothing. To build a following that will potentially lead to more loyal customers, offer the first 50 customers a free item of your choosing. Again, as long as you’re not handing over the keys to front door, you will spend a small amount of money to get people interested in finding out more about what you have to offer. You can even use the free item you choose as promotional tool that, while is free up front, turns into an ad once it leaves your business. Now everyone sees your name on the free t-shirt or hat you just gave away to a now loyal follower.

How Do You Know It’s Time to Fire?

I tell my clients “hire slow….fire fast”. Firing someone is almost always gut-wrenching. Not just for the person getting the ax, but for you, too. Especially if you’ve just been through a painstaking hiring process (perhaps you need to work on the hiring system, but that’s another story). There are times when a team member is fired for legal reasons like theft.  Sometimes there are other, subtler signs that a certain team member is not the right match for your business and its culture. So many times we miss the signs or even worse ignore them because of the pending pain they bring. Here are 5 warning signs to watch out for with your team.

If the team member is…

1. Not Performing Up to Par

Firing a team member doesn’t always have to stem from an team member’s attitude problem or an immoral transgression. Lack of productivity is one major sign that a team member is not the right fit for the position. I put this at the top of the list because as a business owner, you must regularly monitor the productivity of each team member. This has nothing to do with the team member’s attitude or personality; rather it’s all about being sure you’re not wasting time and money having a team member who isn’t doing his job efficiently and economically. One thing to watch for: is the team member constantly seeking your help or the help of other team members? Especially after the allotted training period has elapsed.  Unfortunately, sometimes people are not cut out for certain jobs. Part ways quickly if this is the case.

2. Not Willing or Able to Adapt.

I tell clients “if your business isn’t growing… it’s dying”. As the business owner you must always be looking to the future and working toward making your business more profitable and sustainable. With growth comes a need to change and adapt. If you have team members who are not capable of growing with the business, then you must either let them go and find new team members who are up to the task, or spend more of your own time helping them adapt. This is one problem that requires judgment. Don’t misunderstand. As you grow, you will have to set up systems in which your team members are trained and allowed to grow. But after this “growth period” of training and adjustment, be wary of any team member who is still set in or revert to the old ways. These team members serve only as an anchor, many times resisting expansion. What to look for: is a certain team member showing signs of resentment when you introduce a new procedure or new addition to the business? Does she constantly remark how much better the old system was? Again, use your judgment with team members who are not willing or able to adapt. But beware of the damage an anchor can do to a ship if that ship is trying to leave the harbor. The same is true in your business.

3. Not Fitting into the Business Culture.

You don’t want a “staff”. You want a “team”.

Imagine you are the coach of a hockey team. Your center is a lightning fast skater. Your wings are geared up, ready to score goals, and your defenders are warmed up, prepared to keep any opponent away from the goal. Now imagine your goalie standing on the ice with no skates, dribbling a basketball. Extreme? Yes. But the point remains. You need a team that is always playing the same game with the same goals. That goalie might be the next starting point guard for the Cavaliers, but not the goaltender for the Blue Jackets. This is all to say that if you start seeing behavior that doesn’t put the business’ goals first, then that team member isn’t the right fit. You should first talk to the team member in question and be sure he isn’t misguided about the position’s expectations. Use your judgment to decide whether the team member has a different outlook than the rest of the team. What to look for: ask your other team members, or if you have a manager, consult with her to see if the team member is fitting in and functioning as a working member of the team.

4. Having Problems with Customers and/or Vendors.

Your team members often are the face of your business. Customer service is always the #1 priority and your team must uphold excellence in this matter. If you begin receiving complaints about a certain team member who is being rude or unhelpful, then it is time to considering replacing that team member with someone who is focused on the customers. Same goes with the vendors who bring the products to your business. Monitor all of your team members’ interactions with customers and vendors the best you can, and do not let any problem-causing team members hurt your business and your business’ reputation. There is absolutely no room for any team members to be causing problems. What to look for: customer complaints, complaints from other team members.

5. Lacking Integrity and Pride.

You must establish a level of integrity that each of your team members maintains. It’s part of your company culture. If you begin noticing an team member who is operating on the fringe, then the integrity of the whole team and your whole company for that matter is at risk. This is different than Sign #4 because the team member might be quite nice to the other team members and customers, but just as with Sign #3, if the team member doesn’t show pride in his work, then she might not be the right fit for the team. As your company’s leader you can prevent this from happening by being attentive and helping your team stay motivated by instituting certain incentives or rewards for excellence. Don’t hesitate to fire a team member who clearly doesn’t want to be working for you. There will always be plenty of candidates who would love a chance to grow with you and your business.

Remember: time is our most valuable asset. Don’t waste anyone’s time by keeping someone who isn’t fulfilling the duties which you hired him or her for.

Clientele is the one common denominator that all businesses depend on in order to become and remain successful. Through advertising, word of mouth and pounding the pavement, many businesses rise from the bottom to the top of the industry. But there are many small and cost efficient things that businesses can do in order to save money and time in all of the above fields.

The first thing that a business can to is invest in some stationary that is personalized specifically for that company. Sending out invoices, reminders, invitations, discounts and many other notices on stationary that has all of the information on hand is a sure fire way to have a customer calling your company as opposed to the first company that appears in the phone book.

The next thing a business can do for its customers is create a website that is aesthetically pleasing to the eyes and easy to navigate. There is nothing worse than looking for a business online and finding nothing. Today’s world is based on technology, and for a business to not have a webpage is like setting itself up for failure. The next worse thing would be getting to a business website and not being able to find anything because the site is too confusing and jumbled. Make sure the words flow, the colors are good and the navigation is simple.

Next, think of every place a customer comes into contact with you.  Are your invoices branded or bland?  Does your voice mail sound professional or like a personal cell phone voice mail?  Does your business card scream homemade or high end?

There are many cost efficient and easy ways that a company can improve on a day to day basis. Ensuring that the customers and the business have a stable and sturdy means of communication is fundamental when trying to rise above the competitor.