4 Tips for Advertising Your Business No Matter the Size

You’ve decided to start a business, or maybe you have a business that you’d like to grow? Wonderful! Owning your own business has so many positive aspects, but it does generally mean wearing tons of hats, and making decisions you may not be comfortable making. Just remember follow your gut, but also seek advice from those who have more experience, and at the end of the day you are the boss! If you are a creative person like myself, the business aspects can be even more daunting, but if you start to use some of your creativity to develop an advertising and marketing plan for your brand or service, it can be a success in no time. There is nothing like creating an identity for your very own business that says YOU!

As you know, it is all about reaching your target market  to promote your products and services. However, what may be effective for one particular business type may not apply to yours. You need to find the right advertisement type that is suitable for your business, and concentrate on some key marketing tips, so let’s delve into four ways to accomplish this challenging feat! Here’s to growing your business on a straight path to success!

1. Begin with a Strategy

One of the primary things you can do to find the right advertisement type for your business is to benchmark your competitors. They may be leveraging some common vertical banner sizes to increase the foot traffic of their business, and this is something that is quite obvious, literally! On the other hand, they can also be focusing on their local SEO, which will become apparent if their business keeps coming up when you do a search for their service or product.  Once you tap into the competition’s marketing strategy, assess which of their methods could prove to be effective for your target market. 

For instance, if you also have a physical store, then incorporating compelling banners on your storefront or in a local advertising spot may increase the foot traffic to your shop. If you are running an online shop, then targeted advertising through social media platforms may benefit your business. Maybe actual printed ads in a local circular would be beneficial, so don’t forget about traditional avenues, they still work!

2. Work on SEO

You can have the best product out there, but it won’t mean a thing if no one can find your company, whether it be an online business or not! By employing SEO tactics, you can get a ton of traffic to your website and get the exposure you need. How can you go about using these tactics? If you are short on time and don’t want to learn all the ins and outs of SEO, you can easily hire a company to do it for you. They will help optimize your website and do things off-site to get your website ranked as high as possible on Google. When you delegate work you can spend more time on the parts of the business you love, and really perfecting your brand.

3. Communicate with Your Customers

Stay ahead of your competitors by ensuring that your customers stay with you after they use your products and services. It all lies in the experience that you give the customer. Studies have shown that the product’s price and quality are not the primary factors determining whether you retain a customer. It is actually how you communicate with them and how you work to ensure they have a smooth and unique customer experience. In this case the advertising might be in the form of a physical card that is included with the product, or a popup banner on your website that touts your customer service or engages the customer in some way.

If you want to retain your customers, it is recommended that you take the time to create a social media following. A social media account allows you to post and grow your business and directly communicate with your customers. Customers appreciate you taking the time to do this, and if they see that your company works to resolve issues, they are much more likely to be retained. Having a high degree of customer retention is another way to ensure you stay ahead of competitors.

4. Target New Markets

When was the last time your company branched into a new industry? While you do want to excel in your niche market, you may also want to consider taking the time to branch off into new and different venues. Choose a product/service that your current customers would be interested in, and the two products can promote one another! This can help create another income stream and of course your new business venture doesn’t have to be something completely different than what you normally do, just another feather in your cap!

It does take work to  implement an effective marketing strategy that will allow your business to thrive, but it is worth it. After all, you started your own business because you wanted to put your efforts into something that you could call your own at the end of the day. Go for it, and here’s to your amazing success!