One of the most important things you can do for your small business is to promote it. The success of your business depends a lot on this. You must be able to make your product/service, appeal to your target market and so lure potential customers to come for it. This is why many businesses spend so much on adverts. Never-the-less, promoting your business is not just about advertising the products/services you offer. There is a lot more to do when you want to promote your small business. This in all is called marketing.

In marketing, you are producing a quality PRODUCT/SERVICE, in an attractive PACKAGE, for an affordable PRICE, at the best PLACE for easiest access by the customer, doing everything possible to make it appeal to the customer, by PROMOTING it. When all these are in place, success is next on the line.

Direct Approach To Promote Your Small Business

For you to successfully promote your small business, you need to be able to give it all the promotion it needs. Here are a number of ways you can promote your small business.

1. Business Name

Choose a name for your business that is not obvious but let it be simple to pronounce. Let your name create curiosity in the mind of anyone who hears it. Let it cause people to want to come and know your business the more. In my opinion, the best business names we have are one word names. For example: Yahoo!, Google, Alibaba, Puma, Honda, Cassanova, KIA, Motorolla, etc. But it depends on the type of business you have. Some two and three-words business names will still suit many businesses. See “How To Choose Your Business Name”.

2. Business Logo

Design a logo that will represent what you stand for and leave a great and memorable impression in the minds of members of the public. However, make it simple. Simple logos like those of Mercedes, Coca Cola, Nike, Adidas, Toyota, Puma, Google, Yahoo, HP, Dell, Ford, have stood the test of time. Let it not be cluttered. Let it be simple but really creative and attractive.

3. Business Location

Situate your business in a suitable place. Depending on the type of business you do, you have to situate it where it is suitable for the kind of operation you carry out as well as give the customer easy access to it. For example, a restaurant business will need a clean cozy internal environment that is capable of getting one relaxed and an external environment that has high people traffic.

4. Business Sign Post

Do a sign post if necessary and make it conspicuous enough and beautiful, but not crowded with too much. Let the writings be visible from a good distance and make sure it is posted in a way that makes it visible. You don’t always have to include a picture of what you do, on it. However, it is not a bad idea, if it does not over crowd the post and it is attractive.

5. Business Prints

Print complementary cards and brochures for your business and make sure they carry your name, logo, the things you do, where you are situated, how you can be contacted, and some of your products. Give them to your workers, family, friends, colleagues, business partners, and so on and let them give them to others.

6. Business Working Environment

Create a good working environment for those working on the business. Cultivate love, trust, friendship, team spirit, and deal with conflicts and intimidation such that everyone feels like an owner of the business. The kind of business working environment you create will either promote team spirit and business growth or destroy them.

7. Business Public Relations

Create a good business relationship with the public. The first people who will try to patronize what you do are those around where you do your business. They may eventually turn out to be the first persons to promote and market the business, if they are well-treated. You need to honor them. If possible, get your workers from the environment where your business operates. Do all to let the people around you, own the business and promote it.

8. Business Standards

Provide standard quality products and services to customers. Customers are very sensitive to where and on what they spend their money. They are after the best quality and standard. You should never have a reason for giving anything less than standard, to your customers. They need the best in terms of standards. Task your workers to give nothing short of this.

SEE ALSO: Twenty Practical Ways To Promote Your Business

This will promote your business. Also, deliver your goods and services at the right time without any disappointment. You will be killing your business if you cannot be reliable enough to deliver your products when needed just at the time expected. Work on this and let your customers know you for timely delivery.

9. Business Brand Image

Saturate the environment with your brand image. Place your name and logo on your business stationary, business cards, calendars, T-shirts, email signatures, brochures, merchandising materials, etc. Give these things freely to your customers. What they will cost you is nothing compared to what they will bring to you.

10. Business Online Presence

Build an online presence for your business/product. You could create a dynamic website for your business or market it on social media like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, or run a blog for it, or go to popular and interactive websites like football and fashion websites, and make comments that promote your business.

SEE ALSO: How To Promote Your Business Online

However, be intentional about marketing your business on these sites. If you have a Facebook page, saturate it with images of your products and business, and cause friends on these sites to join you promote your business. You could also go for banner ads and employ search engine optimization techniques.

11. Business Promotion Programs

From time to time, during some particular seasons, organize exhibitions and promotion programs to exhibit your products and give them out cheaper than normal. If you are into hair-cut business, try something like organizing a back-to-school special service during the back-to-school period of the year. Provide cheaper services for one week.

12. Business Awareness Strategies

• Attend business and network meetings and introduce yourself by the name of your business. In fact, get to a point where your family and friends would easily remember the name of your business than your name.

• Utilize the bill boards on the roads. It is not always as expensive as you imagine, buying free space on them. Use print and audiovisual media to advertise your business. Make sure your adverts are humorous enough but are on point. Adverts play on the psychology of people a lot

• Get 1000 phone numbers of potential customers, from friends and families as well as co-workers. Send bulk sms to them once a month. You could also get so many emails and send mails to them about your business. You will be surprised that you will increase your sales drastically.

• Offer to speak in seminars, on areas you are knowledgeable about and don’t miss the opportunity to introduce yourself by your business identity, if allowed to. Take permission from the organizers, to spend the first 3-5 minutes of your time, talking about your business/products and if possible, show case a few. You could also organize your own seminars.

• Do a good video of your business/product and put it up on You Tube.

• Use other people’s businesses to promote yours. For example, if you sell cosmetic products and you know a saloon that has a high customer base, get there and negotiate a small deal with them, to place posters of your products in their shop while you pay something little each month for it.

• Organize and promote activities that people love. Anything that you are sure will pull a crowd. Sports contests are very good. Although you may spend some little money, it will be worthwhile. During such programs display your products and talk about them. Give them out at promotional rates. This will go a long way to promote your small business.

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