When you are starting out as a small business, marketing and advertising may be a herculean task. In marketing, they say that in order to make money, you have to spend it. Unfortunately, this can be a major problem if you’ve just embarked on the business. To attract customers to your business you need to adopt cost-effective ways.
Popular and traditional methods like TV, magazines, and radio may be too expensive for those small business owners. When you’re faced with these obstacles, how do you effectively attract customers to your business? Here are eight thrifty and best ways to market your business and attract new clients:
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Make a Connection to Attract Customers
Meeting people guarantees that potential clients learn about you and your business. The smartest way to do this is to meet as many people as you can.
Concentrate on a specific area or vicinity if you are located in a big city. If you’re in a county, you can first target the closest town or university to you.
The objective is to ensure that your business becomes a household name. As a result, potential clients will think of you when the time comes that they need your product or service.
Similarly, always see to it you’re updated with the events in your area. Attend community festivals, local plays, or town meetings. Keep in mind that every person you meet is a potential client or a link to one.
Another way to approach this is to do volunteer work. Engage in charitable services in your town, community, or church. Reach out and participate closely by sponsoring an event or offering your services for free.
Don’t forget to write your business name when you make donations, sponsorships, and support.
Register in Online Directories
In the good old days, every household and business had a landline phone and accompanying Yellow Pages. During those times, people or businesses add their numbers and addresses to these bulky directories so that people can easily find them.
With the prevailing technology, such as the Internet, people rely heavily on it to search for everything. At the moment, we now have free online directories where people can find businesses to get their contact information and view their location on a map.
With this kind of opportunity, it is not just about finding clients but also helping clients find your business. In any case, take advantage of modern technology and get on board with as many sites as possible!
Say It With a Sign
Small business owners may not be able to afford large-scale advertisements in a newspaper, television, or even print ads because of their expensive rates. Still, how do small businesses stay visible and relevant? Well, small local enterprises say it with a sign! Here’s another marketing strategy to attract new customers.
Signage helps to introduce the identity of your business, attract new customers, and alert clients that you exist. When there are new residents in the neighborhood, your sign will prompt them to visit your business.
Normally, there are customers who drive past your business on a daily basis. Research states that clients are inclined to remember a business through its signage rather than through radio or television.
Outdoor business signs are typically used for marketing to draw the attention of prospective clients. On average, the cost of business signs can start at $8.
Sweeten Deals With Discounts
Discounts and promotional sales naturally draw out customers. One of the benefits of these business strategies is that they increase traffic.
In utilizing these schemes, make sure to emphasize the discount rates and time period you are offering the sale. Likewise, since this will definitely generate customers, add more staff during those times to ensure quality customer service.
On the one hand, offering discounts also strengthens your client relationships. This holds true for first-time clients who were enticed to buy your product because of the discount.
Motivate With Freebies
They say the best things in life are free. When businesses give out freebies, clients can’t resist! It’s a chance for customers to try out a new product or service without spending any money. Upon knowing the value of your product, customers are surely willing to pay next time.
Like discounts, see to it that it is clear how many customers will receive the free product or service and how long the promo will last. Only a selected number of people should receive the freebies since their scarcity of them is what makes the scheme so appealing.
Capitalize on Word-of-mouth
You can say that this method is the oldest trick in the book. Though results may be slow, fortunately, it works all the time! When you find a satisfied and loyal customer, the human tendency is to share the experience with family, friends, and colleagues.
Now, the question is, how do you win over satisfied customers?
One of the things you can consider is offering a reward or referral program for your active clients. The more new clients they refer, the more free products or services they get to enjoy.
Besides this, invest in a great customer experience. People who are happy and satisfied with the service come back for more. As the saying goes, make a customer, not a sale.
Kickstart a Contest
It’s true that winning isn’t everything, but wanting it is. A good old contest will bring out the competitive spirit in people. It is not just about winning the prize but more about being victorious over the others. Kickstart a fun and interactive contest that will be the talk of the town.
You can invite joiners to provide a name for your latest offering or take pictures while they are using your product. Take note, though; ensure you stick to your budget when it comes to the prize you want to give out.
Build Your Social Media Presence
Social media is on the rise. It is changing the way how business is done in our dynamic world. With most people now being online, it’s perfectly normal for you to register on these sites, too.
How do you benefit from it? Look at it this way: a customer may get to visit your business once a week. However, that same customer can visit your social media account or post online multiple times during the week.
Incidentally, while social media can reach all ages and demographics, it also prompts two-way communication. With your presence online, you can engage customers to share their thoughts, ideas, and questions with you. You can easily respond to client concerns without having to pick up a phone or send out a mail.
