So you’re running your dream business but the public isn’t showing their appreciation?
It’s nothing to worry about. Many businesses struggle to scale because of a lack of promotion.
Business promotion is a strategy and it’s the lack of this strategy that causes many businesses to get stumped by their competition.
So how do you improve your business promotion? What are the steps to take to make your business stand out from the crowd?
Here are our suggestions to publicize your business:
Table of Contents
Make Your Store’s Presence Known
Chances are, your store is one of many in a crowded shopping plaza. Your store has to find a way to attract a customer’s attention fast.
You should consider hiring a commercial sign company to provide your store with a large storefront sign. This sign will display the name of your store in large letters that’ll light up during the night.
This is one of the fastest ways to catch a customer’s eye. This will help draw attention faster than anything else!
Google My Business
The next step is to create a Google My Business profile for your company. This is an online profile that shows visitors the basic credentials of your business.
With this profile, you’ll share your company’s address, contact information, and website. If your company garners reviews online (such as through Yelp!) these will show up on Google My Business.
This is a great way to attract local customers. Let’s suppose you run a barbershop. It’s likely that yours isn’t the only barbershop in town!
As such, you want to make sure that local customers come to your barbershop rather than others.
If they search for “local barbershop,” your company’s name and address should show up in Google’s search results.
This is how Google My Business makes you stand out from your competitors. Make sure you set it up and that you keep it updated at all times.
Find an Influencer
While you might need to wait for your business to build a solid customer base first, using an influencer is a great way to publicize your business.
An influencer is an internet personality who could promote your brand. You want to choose someone who already promotes other brands.
You don’t want to approach any random internet personality whom you like. Many of them might be resistant to advertise any brand!
Make sure you choose an influencer who’ll work well with your brand. For example, let’s return to the example of running a barbershop.
You might want to get a handsome man to promote your barbershop. This type of person will likely attract more men who wish to improve their looks through your barbershop.
You want to choose an influencer who’ll fit your brand’s current size. For example, if your business only has a few customers you want to choose an influencer with 1K to 5K followers. You can’t expect to use an influencer with 1 Million followers to promote a small barbershop.
While influencers exist on all social media platforms, you want to see which one is ideal for your business. While influencers exist on all social media platforms, you will want to choose an influencer channel that is ideal for your business.
For a barbershop, Instagram is a great option. For an accounting firm, it’s better to find a LinkedIn influencer.
Use Social Media
You’ve got to use social media to publicize your business. Most businesses today utilize social media, but they do so without a strategy.
The first rule of small business promotion through social media marketing is to post on a consistent basis. You can start by posting once per week on a scheduled date and time.
You also want to plan the type of content you wish to post. If you run a barbershop, you might want to post an image of the last haircut you gave. For an ice cream parlor, maybe a video of you preparing a sundae?
Make sure you first focus on posting regular content to build a following on social media.
Once you’ve done this, you can think about other ways to use social media to publicize your business.
For example, once you’ve hit 500 followers on Instagram, you might wish to offer discount coupons through the platform. Or perhaps you’ll host live streams on Facebook.
Each time you hit a milestone with your following, reward your followers with unique content.
Write Great Content
Among your content, there should be a place for great written content. At this point, you might be tempted to stop reading this article and bury your head in frustration!
Did that last sentence catch your attention? Of course, it did! Because that’s the power of the written word. Your customers will be attracted to your business if you tell them stories.
The written word is still the best way to discuss long-form stories related to your brand.
For a barbershop, you might want to write a listicle on the best haircuts that men should try over the summer. Or a how-to guide on how to groom their beards!
What about the ice cream parlor? You can write a history of ice cream parlors in the USA. You can provide recipes that include the ice cream flavors you sell. You can share anecdotes from customers and employees about their experience with the ice cream parlor!
The same rule applies to any industry. You have to find a way to tell your customers about your industry.
Each blog post should then end with a Call To Action that draws them to your brand’s website.
Hand Stuff Out
Let’s face it: we all love free stuff! This is one of the easiest ways to publicize your business.
Every time you go out, think about what you can take with you to promote your business.
This can include business cards that include your company’s address and contact information.
You can also hand out stickers that promote your business. Or you can give out flyers that offer discounts. Even giving out pens with your company’s logo on them can bring in customers.
Begin Your Business Promotion Today
Now that you know the fundamentals of business promotion, you can use these strategies to publicize your business.
Make sure you make your store stand out with a great commercial sign. Afterward, you want to use social media to build an online following. A relationship with an influencer can also help you with this!
You’ve got to work on your business promotion 24/7. If you do, you’ll see your business scale in no time!
You can find more great tips on entrepreneurship on our website.