Starting up a new business takes a whole lot of commitment and determination, and anyone who has done so knows it’s not just about making a great product. Having a great product or service is just the first step. Knowing how to successfully market your services or products to the public can make or break your business.
Most entrepreneurs have put a large amount of their own finances into getting their business going so getting a great return on that investment is important. So what are some of the important steps you can take to make sure you are getting a higher return on that investment? Using every marketing tool available.
Thinking out of the box is important, especially in today’s market place. Gone are the days of simply placing an advertisement in the local newspaper or putting together a commercial. In today’s market using unconventional methods for marketing is important.
Of course everyone already understands the importance of using social media, (well at least anyone not living on a deserted island should know this), and social media is a must when it comes to marketing your business and generating the all-important word of mouth and personal engagement with customers and potential consumers.
Aside from using Social Media however, which really isn’t considered ‘unconventional’ or outside of the box any longer, there are other unique marketing techniques that many are finding to be quite successful. One such method is to come up with a smaller version of your best advertisement and have it printed on a postcard and then mail the postcards to potential customers in your targeted area.
This is a beneficial way to also offer special deals or promotions to current customers as well. This type of advertising is targeted based on demographics of your service area and/or the income or other demographics of your desired or current customers or clients.
It’s fairly cost effective, gets your marketing directly to the potential consumers and will bring more traffic to your website. Important to remember however to make sure your website address is clearly visible on the postcard. Another great idea is to put a code on the post card and offer a special deal to anyone who goes to your website and enters in the code.
Not only will you generate some more interest it can really help track how well the marketing campaign is working based on the amount of people who entered in the code. It’s a win-win as far as marketing goes.
Create some leaner more focused ads. Reducing the actual size of your advertisements has a two-fold benefit. Shorter length ads generally generate a better response because, to put it bluntly, most consumers have short attention spans, which means a shorter ad has more of a chance of being read fully than a longer version.
The other benefit is if you run ads half the size, you can actually run more ads for pretty much the same cost. Again, the return on investment for your advertising budget is the goal right?
There are many ways to use marketing to your advantage, the key is utilizing not only tried and true means of getting your brand out there, but to think outside the box and don’t be afraid to try something new.