Advertising your business effectively can help you significantly increase your profits each month. You can create a comprehensive advertising campaign on any budget. Be creative in your use of resources to search free opportunities first, then rely on paid placement later. Choose advertising options you can easily track to ensure your efforts are paying off.
Social Media
Use social networking to advertise your company for free. Set up a profile for your company and participate in dialogue with other users. If you have time, you can start and moderate a group discussion on a topic relevant to your products or services. Be mindful of the time you devote to your profile unless the majority of your customers are online users. Social media is also a great way to distribute coupons and inform your target market of upcoming promotions. This advertising strategy may take time to produce a return, but the potential for direct interaction with your target audience is invaluable.
Tell-a-Friend Program
When you start a new promotion, create a sub promotion to encourage your existing customers to spread the word. Satisfied customers will enjoy referring family and friends to a quality business. For each new customer that comes in, give the referring customer a point. Provide a grand prize to the customer with the most points in the form of a discount or product giveaway. Choose an item or service that is desirable, but does not cost a lot of time or money to give away.
Sponsor an Event
Event sponsorship is often a very low-cost method of reaching a wide audience. Televised events and events with printed materials are both good options for becoming a sponsor, since both outlets provide the potential to reach a wider audience. Select from available events carefully. While you don't want to spend too much in sponsorship costs, you also don't want to be amongst 100 other sponsors or be placed in a sponsorship category that offers little to no valuable benefits. Choose a sponsorship package that ensures your company name will be visible on printed materials and that you get an opportunity to showcase your goods or services.
