Starting, operating, and managing your small business takes up the majority of your time, yet you don’t get as many customers as you expected. You’ve made sure your products or services are perfect, and you’ve paid a huge sum of money for advertising on the radio, in social media, or for print ads. Still, your daily sales seem to be lacking.
The success of your business depends primarily on marketing at this point, as the forms of advertising you’ve done thus far don’t seem to be working. You can put your ad up there with the corporations and multinational companies, but ultimately your ad can fall flat against these giants. Sometimes, the best ways to promote your business are the simplest:
Water Bottle Promotional Products
source: fourtencreative.com
Promotional products do more than just plaster your logo around. Using promotional products like bottled water is a simple, cost-effective way to market your small business. Bottled water works exceptionally well as promotional giveaways in marathons and sporting events, as well as custom-labeled beverage offerings in theme parks, restaurants, and cafes.
There’s no reason you can’t apply the same item to your small business. Be it a neighborhood event, newly-opened restaurant or bar, or even a spa where you can offer your clients the most relaxing experience complete with hydrating natural spring water in your own custom bottle! Don’t overlook this simple item, you might just find this to be the most effective way to advertise.
Online Contests
source: popular.com
Online contests have their pros and cons. A huge pro is that you’ll gain much more traction as consumers regularly tag their friends and family, drawing them to your brand. Many consumers often forget they follow a certain brand due to a contest as well, and are less likely to unfollow your page later on. Contests are a great way to gain a bigger audience.
However, contests are susceptible to a lot of false claims, disputes, and fake followers. Some consumers may use multiple accounts to follow your page for the contest, which will disrupt the balance of your followers-to-sales ratio. When done poorly, contests can also create backlash for your business. Study your contest well before doing the giveaway.
Digital Campaigns
Digital campaigns can be done by partnering with a local influencer, collaborating with a local brand or artist, or creating trending hashtags for your challenge videos. Digital campaigns can be a great way to reach your target audience, and are often low cost efforts compared to other forms of traditional media.
Bazaars, Stalls, and Food Fairs
source: freshbooks.com
Bazaars, stalls, and food fairs are great places to grow the awareness of your brand locally. If you have a small community-organized event, consider opening up a stall in your area for your products. These will allow you to present your products to your audience, and reach your local community as well.
Aesthetic Place
source: thebalancesmb.com
An aesthetically pleasing restaurant, spa, or museum gathers up the most customers in an area. Even with a small storefront, you can keep your place Instagram friendly with pleasing, calming colors, minimalist decor, and fun photo op walls for customers to take pictures with. Match your aesthetic with the nature of your business and advertise your place!
