As a small business owner, one of the most difficult things you have to deal with is getting your name out there. After all, if no one knows that you exist, you will not have any customers to purchase your products. For this reason, you need to find ways to market your business. Luckily, the internet has provided several new marketing opportunities, so it is easier than ever to get your name out there. However, you also should not give the cold shoulder to traditional marketing techniques either. Here are five cheap and effective ways to advertise your small business.
1. Develop a Logo
One of the best things you can do when you are first starting a business is to develop a recognizable logo. If you have a symbol that people can recognize in any context, you can begin pasting it on everything and live rent-free in the minds of your customers. If you have a few that you are choosing from a great way to decide is to do a survey so you can find out what potential customers think of the logo before you commit to it.
You can plaster this logo on your website, all of your paper products, and you can even make it print out of your paystub generator. The key to creating a good logo is to make something simple but unique that people can unconsciously recognize with little effort.
2. Word of Mouth
When you are first getting started, you should rely on your customers to spread the word about your business rather than spending your limited budget on advertising that you cannot afford. Never feel bad asking your customers to recommend you to others because if they truly like what you have to offer, they will want to share the experience with their loved ones. You can even offer incentives to people who recommend your business to others. That will almost always entice your customers to return, especially if they liked your product and were planning to return anyway.
3. Internet Ad Space
One of the most interesting things that has come from a society reliant on the internet is the fact that clickable advertisements are now everywhere. Society now runs on ads because they are what allow many companies to provide free services. Businesses can now buy thousands of ads for the same price that a few dozen ads would have been before the internet. Companies like Facebook and YouTube sell advertising space to almost anyone who is willing to pay them, and you can spend as much or as little money as you wish.
4. Social Media
In addition to the advertising space you can purchase on various social media platforms, you can also use those platforms to advertise for free. Most of the time, all you have to do is create an account, and you can begin making posts to promote your business. Once you gain your initial following from your most frequent customers, you can implore your followers to share your posts to reach even more people. Most major social media platforms also offer statistics that can tell you who is visiting your social media pages and how they are interacting with them.
5. Use SEO
SEO stands for search engine optimization. Many people use search engines, like Google, every day, but have you ever wondered how Google decides which websites to display? It all stems from what Google deems is the most popular or useful information about a subject. If your company has a unique name, you already have decent search engine optimization, but if your company has a more generic name, you might need to invest some money into getting better SEO. There are companies who have figured out how to increase your standing in search terms, and you can pay them to help you with that.
The world of business is cutthroat, and you have to put in work constantly if you do not want to fall into irrelevancy. Remember to believe in yourself and your mission. It might feel like you are working yourself to the bone, but it will be worth it once your business is consistently successful.