Opening a business doesn’t only help you; it helps your community, too. When you’re ready to open up, you need to advertise your business. You don’t want all the work you’ve done to go to waste. People need to be aware of your business, and the following are five ways to get that done.
1. Flyers and Brochures
Flyers and brochures may be one of the oldest forms of advertising, but they’re still very effective, especially if you’re advertising your new business locally. This type of advertising is relatively inexpensive, and you decide where to advertise. You can ask local businesses to carry some of your brochures or flyers for you.
If you don’t have a lot of personnel just yet, you can ask friends or family members to help you pass out some of these flyers and brochures in populated areas in your community. You know this area well enough to know where to go and where your business might be welcomed. Use that information to your advantage. Be sure to add something exciting to your flyers and brochures, like a deal or something similar.
2. Exterior Business Signs
Some businesses don’t have to worry too much about exterior business signs, but those who are servicing or selling directly to the people in their community must. Even if your business advertises online, you have to find a way to advertise to the folks in your community, which is where exterior business signs come in. You want something that’ll grab people’s attention.
Stationary signs are a good start, but there are many options, like feather flags, which aren’t only stationary but drive action. This is because they move, and that movement captures people’s attention. Be sure that your signs contain more than just your company’s name. Think about branding and messaging, too. This is the reason customization is vital when it comes to exterior business signs.
3. Localized Online Listing
So far, you’ve learned about advertising you can do without the internet, but there’s no escaping the internet. Many people use the internet to look for businesses. People don’t like to drive around looking for a business; they would rather type a phrase into their search engines and let that do the work for them.
Since this is the new reality businesses are entering, they have to plan accordingly, and this means getting your business to pop up whenever someone searches for it. One of the most effective online marketing tools you can use is the localized online listing tool. All you have to do is register your business with Google, and be sure to confirm your address. Put up pictures and be specific about the type of business you’re running, and folks near you should be able to find you.
4. Community Involvement
Advertising your business is not just about getting your company’s name out there; it’s about introducing yourself to your customers one way or another. One thing you can do is get yourself and your business involved in local community events. This means participating in that annual fair every so often or whatever event happens in your community.
Farmer’s markets are a good place, too, depending on your business. Look for something that’s a good fit for you. Maybe you can sponsor a local high school football team. There are many things you can do to introduce yourself and connect with your community. If you can’t find much, you can throw your own community event and try to involve other businesses nearby so that you aren’t doing this alone.
5. Use Press Releases
You can announce and advertise yourself with press releases. These should be professionally written and eye-catching. You want them to be relatively short, and be sure your business is highlighted well without sounding too pushy. A good press release can be quite effective, and you can use it in local newspapers and magazines as well as online.
There’s no telling how many people you might be able to reach this way. Press releases aren’t too expensive, which is good since most new businesses don’t have money to burn just yet. Try to hire a professional writer, or maybe work with an English college student that knows how to write a press release. Talk to publishers to see what they require, and make sure you respect those rules.
These are some ways you can advertise your business, and they’re all quite effective. There are other things you can do later on, like email marketing or social media marketing, but those can wait.
