Small businesses need to be constantly aware of promotional opportunities. In business, getting your name known is one of the first challenges you need to overcome. In order to find prospects and attract new customers, your business needs to be in the public consciousness – at least as far as your target demographics are concerned. Whether you are pitching locally, nationally or internationally, promotional opportunities need to be found and leveraged to get your business in front of potential customers.
This poses a dilemma for small business owners. The need for promotion and exposure has to be tempered with a lack of substantial marketing budget. For new businesses specifically, there may be no budget to speak of, which makes the challenge even tougher. But there are some ways in which promotional opportunities and ideas can be created, to help drive the exposure your business needs at a cost that it can afford.
There are literally thousands of different ideas businesses can use to increase their profile. Depending on your target audience, it may be difficult to reach those who need to hear your message. However, by thinking about ways of targeting different segments more directly, you can ensure your marketing efforts are as effective as they possibly could be.
Public relations is one area in which small business can get the exposure they need. This is particularly effective on a budget, and a self-managed PR campaign can be one of the cheapest ways to promote and market your business. Open days, public events, or pressure campaigns related to your industry are all ideas that can be used to get your name out there and raise the profile of the work you do. Try tying in a local celebrity or someone with an Internet profile – you will be amazed just how willing the media are to cover your story.
PR events that create some kind of narrative or story about your business are likely to be the most effective. While this involves legwork in planning and setting up an event, along with contacting different media sources, it can pay off as a low-cost, high-exposure way to kick-start your business.
Promotional literature and materials can also have an impact on how your business is perceived. From letterheads and business cards to branded pens, HALO promotional calendars, and mugs, the promotional side of your business can be handled cost-effectively to ensure your message gets out to customers. These items can be low cost, but can give a professional impression of your business – exactly the impression you want to create in the eyes of prospective and new clients.
Existing customers can also be used to grow your business. Referral programs with incentives for both sides encourages your customers to recommend your business to friends, which artificially stimulates the word-of-mouth marketing that will prove so important to your business. While this is by no means an essential strategy, it is techniques of this kind that allow small businesses to become larger businesses, and that help transform ordinary business owners into successful entrepreneurs.