As the world continues to evolve, we have no choice but to adapt or we risk getting left behind. It can be especially true in the fast-paced world of business and marketing. There is a vast number of businesses in Oregon alone that are all presently competing for visibility on either a national or global scale. The challenge can then be how to get your business noticed and capture the audience that you need. There are several ways how you can accomplish this, and the primary way is through effective marketing. In this article, you will find effective ways how you can market your business, and hopefully, you’ll find a few that you can include in your current business strategy.
Attend Networking Events
As a business owner or part of a management team, you may find that you often get invited to industry events or hear about them through the grapevine. While some events look more relevant and useful than others, many probably get ignored or overlooked. However, if you don’t happen to attend events often, you should note that it can be an excellent way to market. One of the reasons is that you have the potential of meeting various people in your industry and telling them about your business and what you do. Take into consideration that the objective shouldn’t necessarily be to attend every single event you’re invited to. Instead, you should be tactical and endeavor to attend the ones which you think will be beneficial in the long-run. You can figure this out by doing a little bit of research regarding the event, who the keynote speakers will be and what kinds of people are likely to attend. If, for example, you’re already booked and can’t attend an event, the option of sending a representative from your organization is always available as well.
Network on Social Media
Following on from the last point, networking can prove to be an effective marketing tool no matter what industry that you happen to be in. As well as physical networking, online networking through means such as social media can also produce tangible results. For one, you’re able to network with your target audience, as well as influential people within your industry. There were said to be 81% of the American population using social media 2017 which means you would have access to a vast number of people. For starters, you could network with key influencers who have authority among their target audience. By forging such relationships, you could eventually become partners, and they could help you market your business. If you happen to be new to social media, it might be best to start with one or two platforms just to get an idea of how things work. Take into consideration that not every platform may be suitable for your business, so do your research and find out which platforms are best. For example, if you’re running a fashion business, Instagram may be more effective for you than Twitter. It could be because Instagram is more of a visual platform by design and you may want to showcase your clothes, shoes, bags, or whatever items you sell.
Exhibit at an Expo
For those who have never been to an exposition, it’s an event that usually consists of the exhibition of art or trade goods on a large scale. It can be seen as every business person’s heaven as it presents the perfect business to business networking opportunity. Some safety expos, for instance, provide the opportunity for you to connect with up to 600 industry-leading exhibitors which can be a major opportunity for you. You’d potentially be able to create a level of awareness amongst people in your industry and also build relationships with people who could help move your business forward. In terms of marketing, they say word of mouth is still one of the best marketing tools so the more people that know about your business, the better. They can recommend you to other people seeking your services as well as partner with you on projects, promos, and products. To participate in an expo, do some research on the next one coming up in your industry and how you can register for it. Try and make your stall or the area you’re allocated look as attractive and interesting as possible so that you can attract a crowd and create more visibility. Don’t forget to also create eye-catching business cards, leaflets or pamphlets with relevant information on it so that people have something to remember you by.
Conduct Contests and Giveaways
Another way that you can market your business is by conducting interesting contests and giveaways. Bear in mind that this will require more than asking people to answer in order to stand the chance of winning a freebie. You’ll need to have a well-defined goal that outlines key performance indicators, partner with influencers or celebrities to get the word out, come up with a plan to launch the competition and encourage virality. Once all of these things are in place, you will then need to execute your plan. If it you can do it effectively, you should have a lot more brand visibility, and your online community should grow. It could be a result of attracting a wide range of who didn’t know about your brand before, and it is a way to introduce new people to your products and services as well as create a greater level of awareness amongst your target audience. Lastly, try and research what you’ll be giving away beforehand so that you know the kind of giveaways that your target audience would be interested in. Although this will probably require some prior market research, it will go a long way in helping the success of your contest and giving you the marketing results you’re hoping for.
Invest in Traditional Advertising
With the ongoing buzz surrounding digital marketing, it is possible to assume that there is no longer a need for traditional forms of marketing. However, you should take into consideration that traditional platforms in which you can advertise still have dedicated audiences that may consist of your target demographic. Traditional forms of marketing include adverts on TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines and if you come to think about it, these are still active platforms. You should, therefore, take a look at your marketing objectives and see if any forms of traditional advertising can help you reach them faster. There are many pros and cons of using traditional marketing as well as internet marketing, but you’ll have to see what’s best for you. Just note that if, for example, you were trying to reach out to retiring CEOs, then traditional ways of marketing such as a newspaper or radio ad may be a more effective way than social media to reach them.
Try Email Marketing
More than 200 million emails are said to be sent out every minute of the day. For those who think that email marketing may be dead, this is a statistic that may suggest otherwise. When deciding to use email marketing as a marketing approach, remember that people are bombarded with tons of emails on a daily basis. One of the top reasons that email users are said to unsubscribe from emails is because they get too many already. It means to make sure potential customers read your email; you’re going to need to make it stand out from the many other marketing emails they receive every day. You may be able to achieve this by creating high-quality content, ensuring your emails are personalized, coming up with compelling subject lines, using engaging and catchy opening lines, and ensuring you use a template that is mobile friendly. If you don’t do at least some of these things successfully, it is likely that your emails will end up in the trash or with unread spam.
Help Others
It is easy to get caught up in looking for what others can do for you and how you can cut corners to achieve your goals when trying to market your business. You should try and remember that often, the key to receiving is to give freely. It means that by promoting other people’s businesses, products, and services, there is a chance that they will promote yours too. Try and look for ways that you can partner with people to help them sell their brand, and you may find that people will be eager to do the same for you. You could achieve this through a mention in a social media post, mentioning them in an article on your website, or promoting them on any of your platforms. Taking actions such as these will usually set the pace for a healthy working relationship and help expand your network and reach.
Running a business can be challenging and is often no easy feat. It is an ongoing journey that demands grit, resilience, and a clear vision. There will be many glitches along the way including failed marketing efforts, but during those times try and remember why you started your business in the first place. The silver lining at the end of the tunnel is that if you stick it out and give it your best, it is possible to achieve all that you set out.
