As a small business, you need to advertise locally in order to convert clients and build your reputation. Use these seven tips to market your business.
Is your small business spending a small fortune on marketing every year and not seeing much in terms of real results? It’s time to change that.
Experts will tell you that the average small business only needs to spend about 1% of its gross annual revenue on advertising in order for it to be effective. But they’ll also tell you that businesses need to make sure they’re spending their marketing dollars wisely to produce the kinds of results they’re looking for.
Here are seven tips that will help you advertise locally and connect with new customers. You’ll find that your business will have a much better reputation in your community when you take these tips to heart.
1. Start Wearing Branded Apparel All Over Town
If money is tight and you can’t afford to tie up a bunch of it in an advertising campaign, there are some very cost-effective ways to market your business to the masses.
One of the things you can do is order branded apparel with your business name and logo on it and wear it all over town. You can purchase T-shirts, hats, hoodies, and more that will help spread the word about your business every time you wear them.
This is the simplest method to go about marketing your business to those in your community. You can build up brand recognition by walking through the mall or the supermarket with your branded apparel on.
2. Pay to Have Vehicle Wraps Placed on Company Cars
Does your business rely on company cars to get around? If so, you might as well make the most of them by incorporating them into your marketing efforts.
You can have vehicle wraps placed on your company cars so that they serve as moving billboards when they’re out on the road. Vehicle wraps will command attention while providing people with almost everything they need to know about your business.
Make sure you include things like your contact information and a list of your products and/or services on your cars. This will transform them into effective marketing tools when you and your employees are driving them.
3. Put Ads in Local Newspapers and on Local Radio Stations
There are some people who will tell you not to bother advertising your small business in local newspapers and on local radio stations. Local newspapers, after all, are dying, and the future looks just as grim for traditional radio.
But for your small business, local newspapers and local radio stations will still get the job done for the time being. By advertising through these mediums, you can target your ads at a very specific audience for a lot less money than you would have paid to do it a decade or two ago.
Think about advertising through newspapers and radio stations and offering discounts to those who mention that they heard your ad. It’ll give you some sense of how effective this type of marketing is for your business.
4. Make Better Use of a Business Website
About 40% of small businesses don’t have websites. That means that you’re ahead of the game if you simply have a site set up.
But why stop there? You should make your business website the best that it can be and optimize it so that it shows up when people search for businesses like yours through Google and other search engines.
Learn more about how local SEO and small businesses should go hand-in-hand. You can benefit from optimizing your site in a big way by getting your business in front of more people.
5. Set Up Social Media Contests and Giveaways
Is your small business active on social media at the moment? If not, it’s time for you to start taking advantage of all that social media has to offer.
Create social media accounts on sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and use them to connect with your customers. Stage social media contests and giveaways that call for people to take some action in exchange for a chance to win prizes.
This is another easy way to market your business and advertise locally without spending much money at all.
6. Sponsor Events Taking Place in the Community
There are all kinds of different events that take place in your community on a regular basis. From parades and 5K runs to festivals and car shows, most communities always have at least a few things going on at all times.
And these events wouldn’t be possible without the sponsors who provide some of the funding for them. You can sponsor events in your community and show how much you care about it while simultaneously having your business name and logo appear on signs, programs, and other marketing materials.
7. Mail Coupons to Potential Customers
Thanks to the emergence of email, you might be under the impression that direct mail marketing is dead. But that couldn’t be further from the truth!
There are still lots of companies out there that are mailing coupons and other offers to potential customers in their area. They’re doing it because it still works and is an effective way to market your business.
Consider mailing out coupons for your products and/or services to those living in your community. You might be surprised by how many people stop by your business looking to cash in on your offer.
Advertise Locally to Get Your Business Name Out in the World
Whatever you do, don’t just do nothing as far as marketing your small business is concerned. Even if you don’t have a dime to spend on advertising, there are clearly ways you can market your business without spending a ton of money.
When you advertise locally, you’ll see your business start to grow over time. You’ll also feel more of a connection to those in your community, and you’ll start to build up loyalty and trust with your customers.
Want to get access to more low-budget marketing ideas that are designed to take your small business to the top? Browse through our blog to find some.