I once read an article from the Direct Marketing Association that said that at any given time you could expect only about 3% of your target market to be actively looking to buy the type of product or service you offer. THREE PER CENT!
So if the other 97% aren’t looking for you… you have to go out and find them!
And while you’re at it, you might as well go find that 3%, so you can find them before they find your competitor.
(BTW, the idea that “there’s no competition” if you stay true to your authentic self if you play. But I’ll get to that in another post.)
People can’t buy from you if they don’t know you. It is the first and most important principle of the expression “people buy from people they know, like and trust”.
When explained this way, it all sounds pretty obvious. But I never cease to be amazed at the business owners I know who complain that they don’t have enough customers and at the same time are unwilling to take action or try something new.
People have literally said things to me like, “I don’t like to go around saying what I do. I’d rather wait until I know if that person is right for my business and then let them know.” that I am a coach/consultant/coach/therapist/etc.”
My response to this type of evasion is always the same: “So, how are you doing?”
(You’ll have to excuse my cheek today. If you can’t tell, this is a topic I’m really excited about!)
The thing is, whether you’re running a professional services business or selling information products or a combination of both, one of the critical ingredients to growing and SUSTAINING your business is getting your business/services/products/etc. in front of as many eyes as possible.
That means being in front of many more than a few hundred or even thousands of people who subscribe to your e-zine list, like your Facebook fan page, follow your tweets, or stumble across your website.
To truly succeed and grow your small business, your comprehensive marketing system have to include actively extending your reach to your target market on an ongoing basis.
How do you know which small business marketing and customer attraction methods are the best? Consider a combination of things, like: What strategies will help you reach the most right people with the least amount of time and energy? Which strategies do you enjoy the most and therefore are most likely to follow? And what is your time frame and budget?
A large part of this is also simple trial and error. But don’t give up on a tactic after just one try. There is a learning curve involved and marketing requires frequency.
There really is no limit to the creative ways you can get your “offer” in front of more people and attract more customers. To get you started thinking more broadly, I’ve put together a list of 111 ways you can make your small business stand out in front of more eyes. If you offer a service or product that can improve people’s lives, you’re doing the world a disservice by not letting more people know about it.
All I ask is that you take one small step each week to expand your reach.
live events
1. Go to networking events
2. Attend professional conferences and seminars
3. Earn money for talking
4. Talk for free
5. Exhibit at trade shows, exhibitions and fairs.
6. Host a Trade Show Hospitality Suite
7. Sponsor events (charities, sports, professional, community, etc.)
8. Host your own networking event
9. Invite target customers to an “open house” at your workplace
10. Host a grand opening/reopening of your business
11. Participate in charity or community events
12. Book a hospitality suite at sports facilities
13. Invite target customers to a wine tasting
14. Host a free or low-cost workshop in your community
Printed and direct mail materials
15. Create and distribute a catalog of your products
16. Develop a marketing brochure that highlights your services
17. Mail a sales letter (send by FedEx or UPS to customers you really want to land)
18. Write a book
19. Send postcards
20. Raffle of bookmarks, sticky notes, notebooks, etc.
21. Buy an ad in your local phone book (but be sure to get the listing online, too)
22. Submit your business to local business directories
23. Place announcements in local newsletters (i.e. community bulletins, church bulletins, etc.)
24. Give out at least 10 business cards a week to people you know
25. Send annual calendars with your brand
26. Wear logo apparel (i.e. t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, etc.)
27. Take a reusable bag with your business logo when you go shopping
28. Place your brand prominently on all your product packaging
Media publicity and advertising
29. Invest in advertising in magazines and newspapers
30. Buy TV and radio ads in your local market
31. Send letters to the editor of your local newspaper
32. Write opinion editorials (OpEds) related to your area of expertise
33. Submit author articles (i.e. articles written by you) to specialized magazines
34. Give radio and television interviews
35. Be an expert source for magazine or newspaper reporters
36. Record podcasts and publish them on iTunes
37. Give interviews over the internet and satellite radio
38. Distribute press releases
39. Host a press conference (if you have something really BIG to announce)
40. Author of a recurring column in a local business publication
41. Do a media tour (be sure to hire a PR professional to help you)
42. Request an editorial board meeting with influential publications in your industry
43. Film your own “infomercial” and post it online
44. Join speakers bureaus
45. Appear in expert directories (such as Profnet)
online promotions
46. Having multiple websites, each dedicated to a specific product, service, or target market
47. Publish an e-zine or e-newsletter
48. Buy ads in other people’s ezines
49. Submit articles to other people’s ezines.
50. Cross-promote (such as joint registration) with other e-zines
51. Post a blog
52. Comment on other people’s blogs
53. Contribute Guest Articles to Blogs
54. Submit your blog to blog directories
55. Get your blog listed on other people’s blogs
56. Sponsor banner ads on other people’s websites and blogs.
57. Promote your business in your email signature line
58. Set up an affiliate program
59. Invest in pay-per-click advertising on sites like Google, Yahoo! and bing
60. Publish a free ebook, special report, or ecourse
61. Host Free Audio Seminars, Podcasts, or Webcasts
62. Post videos showing your experience
63. Submit Articles to Article Databases
64. Send video emails
65. Set up a free Google profile page
66. Submit your website to search engine listings
67. Create Online Sales Letters and Capture Pages
social networks
68. Set up a personal profile on Facebook
69. Start a Facebook “fan page” or “group”
70. Buy Facebook pay-per-click advertising
71. Participate in Facebook conversations
72. Create your own YouTube channel and post frequent videos
73. Create a LinkedIn profile
74. Form your own LinkedIn group
75. Set up a Twitter account with a custom background
76. Post your favorite links to online “bookmark” sites
77. Create a members-only online network (i.e. savor success)
78. Participate in online forum discussions
79. Run a special promotion through sites like Groupon and LivingSocial.com
external advertising
80. Buy billboard space
81. Your vehicle is late
82. Put magnets or stickers on your car
83. Invest in “yard” signs
84. Hang logo banners outdoors
85. Hand out flyers
86. Buy signs on the sides of buses
87. Advertising on the tops of taxis
88. Invest in airport terminal sign
89. Buy ads for bus, train and subway stations
90. Post announcements on community bulletin boards in coffee shops, etc.
91. Sign of sponsors in sports venues
92. Sponsor the uniforms of your local minor league team
93. Hire those crazy guys who spin the signs to stand near the nearest intersection
94. Pay a guy (or girl) to wear a suit and give out coupons
95. Go all out with a “guerrilla” marketing campaign
Special promotion
96. Put “QR” codes linked to your website on your marketing materials
97. Have a custom iPhone app developed
98. Make a sale or offer a special discount
99. Deliver “refer a friend” coupons
100. Make a contest
101. Offer a special edition or limited edition product
102. Give a “gift with purchase”
103. Host a celebrity appearance and offer a photo opportunity
104. Give away free samples
105. Invite the local radio station to broadcast from your workplace
106. Hold a live demo (think Home Depot paint department)
107. Host a local celebrity autograph signing
108. Give away chachkas/chotskies (i.e. pens, key chains, mugs, magnets, etc.)
109. Sponsor an “experience” marketing event (ie rock climbing, “money” rooms, etc.)
110. Run a Referral Program Contest – Whoever Refers the Most People Wins a Prize
111. Create loyalty programs (ie points programs)
