Advertising is key to a companyís success, particularly in the beginning, when it has not garnered enough support from customers. There are many ways of advertising that are low cost. According to nfib.com, you can ìSet up online accounts on local business directories, such as Yelp and Yahoo! Local. The online guides help people find local businesses, restaurants, retailers and more. In addition, users post reviews of businesses, so ideally your company will receive great word-of-mouth marketing from happy clients. Setting up a business account with Yelp is free, though you can buy sponsorship ads, too. A basic Google local Listing is free, and you can upgrade for a small monthly fee.î It is smart to consider ways to advertise online, especially nowadays, because people are more likely to research a company, service, or product online instead of through the yellow pages or by word of mouth.
Set up a website for the company. That way, people can research your products and find a place where they can read about it. Setting up a website can cost little to no money. Making it look good can all depend on a free layout on Wordpress, Blogger, or any hosting websites. You can fiddle around with the website, post updates, and give your business a sense that it is relatable. It can also be used as a way of keeping customers aware of new upcoming products and services. Moreover, it will allow for a direct line of communication with customers, which can lead to satisfaction for the customers and then more advertisement through word of mouth and social networking sites.
This leads me to social networking sites. Having a Twitter account will allow you to tweet updates, changes, and announcements in a quick, effortless, and free way. A Facebook page would allow people to follow any updates as well. You can keep in touch with customers that way as well.
Another piece of advice is to Submit press releases to local newspapers and business magazines. Be sure the story is newsworthy, not simply an advertisement. Send press releases when you hire new employees, open a branch, win an award, reach a milestone, host an open house, partner with another company, expand your products or services, restructure your business, work with a charity or rebrand your business.î
And finally, Try out cross-promotion. Talk to a non-competing company in your industry about cross-promoting your products and services. You could add links to your websites, share a booth at a local trade show or split the costs for a direct mail piece. Many kinds of companies could team up: a hair salon and a clothing boutique, a print shop and a computer repair store, a day care center and a pediatrician, etc.î Collaborating with other businesses, sharing business cards, featuring links of each othersí sites would allow for more exposure to your business.
Advertising is very important for a business, particularly one that is just starting out, so remember that as you approach other businesses to help you spread the word.
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