Many of us, myself included, get uncomfortable promoting our own businesses. Talking about yourself isn’t always fun. It can be difficult knowing what to say and how to get your message across.
Social media can be an excellent tool to share more about your brand and build your tribe, but you can’t rely on social media alone. The best marketing plans don’t rely on a single avenue of customer acquisition.
Here are a few other things to consider that can be cost-effective and productive to help you market your business. And you’re guaranteed not to feel all salesy and icky when you’re done!
#1 – Host A Workshop
Workshops aren’t just for writers. No matter what kind of business you have, you can host a workshop, providing your attendees with a new skill. Let’s say you sell beauty products. You could host a workshop on trends in make up and proper techniques for applying makeup and cleaning brushes. Or maybe you build websites for people. You can host a workshop on how to build a website from domain registration and hosting, to desigin, development and functionality. Sharing what you know with others is bound to bring more attention to your product or service.
#2 – Collaborate
Collaborating with other business owners can open the door to a whole new audience. Collaborations can take on many forms and can provide benefits in many ways. You can start small by referring clients to each other or you can create specials for your customers, featuring the best of what you have to offer. For example, let’s again say you build websites. You can partner with a social media pro, a sales coach, and a bookkeeper to offer packages to new business owners. Your options with this are endless. The best collaborations will highlight the skills of each business owner, showcasing what makes each business so unique.
#3 – Educate
As with the workshop idea, sharing what you know will only add credibility to your business. By creating an educational blog, video, or guide, you are telling people that you know what you are talking about, and you want to share that knowledge. It can make you seem more approachable to your potential clients and gives you endless topics for social posts!
#4 – Get Personal
Everyone loves getting mail. Well, the right kind of mail anyway. A handwritten note contains a lot of sentiment and will have more of an impact than a quick “like” or “comment.” If pen and paper isn’t your speed, a thoughtful and well-written email can also have a huge impact. Taking the time out of your day to send a personal message won’t quickly be forgotten.
#5 – Give It Away
Well, not all of it. For some businesses, especially service related ones, your client may not know what to expect. To get them in the door, it can pay to provide a complimentary consultation call or session. Or perhaps a trial period or mini-session to see what you are all about.
#6 – Show Your Support
Giving back to the people, organizations, and causes, who matter to you isn’t just good karma, it’s also good business. Throwing your support behind causes you love will help you meet like-minded people. People who you will likely enjoy doing business with. It is a great way to give back and to get your name out there for all the right reasons.
#7 – Sign Up
Networking is one of the most important aspects of running a successful business. Networking doesn’t have only to mean awkward conversations and illegible name tags. It can also be done in an online networking group or local mastermind. Even if the networking groups aren’t your thing, keep trying. You will eventually find where you belong.
Need help marketing your business? Our team would love to help! Reach out to us today to learn more!
