I once read an article from the Direct Marketing Association that said at any given time, you could expect that only about 3% of your target market is actively looking to buy the type of product or service you offer. THREE PERCENT!
So if the other 97% is not looking for you… you have to go out and look for them!
And while you’re at it, you might as well go looking for that 3%, too, so that you find them before they find your competitor.
(By the way, the idea that there’s “no competition” if you just stay true to your authentic self if ludicrous. But I’ll address that in another post.)
People can’t buy from you if they don’t know about you. It’s the first and most important tenet in the expression, “people buy from people they know, like and trust.”
When it’s spelled out this way, it all sounds pretty obvious. But I never cease to be amazed by the business owners I meet who complain that they don’t have enough clients and yet are simultaneously unwilling to take action or try something new.
I’ve literally had people say things to me such as, “I don’t like to go around saying what I do. I prefer to wait until I know if that person is a good fit for my business and then I let them know that I’m a coach/consultant/trainer/therapist/etc.”
My response to these types of cop-outs is always the same: “So how’s that workin’ for ya?”
(You’ll have to excuse my brashness today. If you can’t tell, this is one topic that really gets me fired up! )
The thing is, whether you have a professional services business or you sell information products or some combination of both, one of the critical ingredients to growing and SUSTAINING your business is to get your business/services/products/etc. in front of as many eyeballs as possible.
That means getting in front of many more than the few hundred or even a few thousand people who subscribe to your your e-zine list, like your Facebook fan page, follow your tweets or happen to stumble across your website.
To truly be successful and grow your small business, your end-to-end marketing system must include actively extending your reach to your target market on a continual basis.
How do you know which small business marketing and client attraction methods are best? Take into account a combination of things, such as: What strategies will help you reach the most of the right people with the least amount of time and energy? Which strategies do you most enjoy and, thus, are most likely to stick with? And what is your time frame and budget?
A big part of this is also simple trial and error. But don’t give up on a tactic after just one attempt. There’s a learning curve involved, and marketing requires frequency.
There’s truly no limit to the creative ways you can get your “offer” in front of more people and attract more clients. To get you started thinking broader, I’ve put together a list of 111 ways you can get your small business out in front of more eyeballs. If you offer a service or product that can improve people’s lives, then you’re doing a disservice to the world by not letting more people know about it.
All I ask is that you take one small step every week to expand your reach.
Live Events
1. Go to networking events
2. Attend professional conferences and seminars
3. Get paid to speak
4. Speak for free
5. Exhibit at trade shows, expos and fairs
6. Host a trade show hospitality suite
7. Sponsor events (charity, sporting, professional, community, etc.)
8. Host your own networking event
9. Invite target clients to an “open house” at your place of business
10. Hold a grand opening/re-opening of your business
11. Participate in charity or community events
12. Reserve a hospitality suite at sporting venues
13. Invite target clients to a wine tasting
14. Conduct a free or low-cost workshop in your community
Print and Direct Mail Materials
15. Create and distribute a catalog of your products
16. Develop a marketing brochure highlighting your services
17. Mail out a sales letter (send by FedEx or UPS to clients you really want to land)
18. Write a book
19. Send out postcards
20. Giveaway bookmarks, sticky notes, notebooks, etc.
21. Buy an ad in the local phone book (but be sure to get the online listing too)
22. Submit your business to local business directories
23. Place ads in local newsletters (i.e. community, church bulletins, etc.)
24. Hand out at least 10 business cards a week to people you meet
25. Send out yearly calendars with your branding
26. Wear logoed apparel (i.e. t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, etc.)
27. Carry a re-usable bag with your business logo when you go shopping
28. Put your brand prominently on all of your product packaging
Media Publicity & Advertising
29. Invest in magazine and newspaper advertising
30. Buy radio and TV spots in your local market
31. Send letters to the editor of your local paper
32. Write opinion editorials (OpEds) related to your area of expertise
33. Submit byline articles (i.e. articles written by you) to trade magazines
34. Give radio and TV interviews
35. Be an expert source for magazine or newspaper reporters
36. Record podcasts and post them on iTunes
37. Give internet and satellite radio interviews
38. Distribute press releases
39. Hold a press conference (if you have something really BIG to announce)
40. Author a recurring column in a local business publication
41. Go on a media tour (be sure to hire a PR pro 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. Get listed in expert directories (like Profnet)
Online Promotions
46. Have 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 e-zines
49. Submit articles to other people’s e-zines
50. Conduct cross promotions (like co-registration) with other e-zines
51. Publish 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 blog rolls
56. Sponsor banner ads on other people’s websites and blogs
57. Promote your business in your e-mail 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 e-book, special report or e-course
61. Host free audio seminars, podcasts or webcasts
62. Post videos showcasing your expertise
63. Submit articles to article databases
64. Send out video e-mails
65. Set up a free Google profile page
66. Submit your website to search engine listings
67. Craft online sales letters and squeeze pages
Social Media
68. Establish a Facebook personal profile
69. Start a Facebook “fan page” or “group”
70. Purchase 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 “bookmarking” sites
77. Create a members-only online network (i.e. Savor the Success)
78. Participate in online forum discussions
79. Hold a special promotion through sites like Groupon and LivingSocial.com
Outdoor Advertising
80. Buy billboard space
81. Have your vehicle decaled
82. Put magnets or stickers on your car
83. Invest in “yard” signs
84. Hang outdoor logoed banners
85. Pass out flyers
86. Purchase signage on the sides of buses
87. Advertise on taxi tops
88. Invest in airport terminal signage
89. Buy bus, train and subway station ads
90. Post announcements on community bulletin boards at coffee shops, etc.
91. Sponsor signage at sporting venues
92. Sponsor your local little league team’s uniforms
93. Hire those crazy guys twirling signs to stand near closest intersection
94. Pay a guy (or gal) to wear a costume and hand out coupons
95. Go all out with a “guerilla” marketing campaign
Special Promotions
96. Put “QR” codes linked to your website on your marketing materials
97. Have a custom iPhone App developed
98. Hold a sale or offer a special discount
99. Give out “refer a friend” coupons
100. Hold 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 opp
104. Give away free samples
105. Invite the local radio station to broadcast from your place of business
106. Hold a live demonstration (think Home Depot paint department)
107. Offer an autograph signing from a local celeb
108. Give away chachkas/chotskies (i.e. pens, key chains, mugs, magnets, etc.)
109. Sponsor an “experience” marketing event (i.e. rock climbing, “money” chambers, etc.)
110. Run a referral program contest – whoever refers the most people wins a prize
111. Create a loyalty programs (i.e. point programs)
Known as The Corporate Agent, Angelique Rewers, ABC, APR, teaches micro business owners and solopreneurs around the world how to grow their small business by working with Big Business. Get her FREE CD and articles at www.TheCorporateAgent.com.