For business owners, how you promote your business and entice sales has changed significantly. With the new year approaching, now is a great time to capitalize on the growing trends and to advertise your business.
Let’s look at the ultimate advertising avenues you should use to promote your business in the new year.
Key Takeaways:
- You can still promote your business through newspaper advertising, but the internet remains king
- Facebook is your go-to approach for advertising on social media.
- Google Ads has the most viability when you are looking for business leads
Newspapers
Believe it or not, newspapers are still an effective way to engage your prospective clients.
This “old school” approach to advertising has really stood the test of time. Reading on paper is a unique experience. Reading newspapers occupies senses of touch, sight, and smell, creating better understanding and engagement. The physical touch improves the reader’s ability to remember what they have read. People are less likely to be busy with something else when reading the paper, which gives you the benefit of grabbing attention.
Newspapers can also save you plenty of bucks. Think about it like this; your ad will be printed and circulated thousands of times, so you will end up paying a small amount per printed advertisement.
Regular newspaper advertising increases brand awareness in your local community and gives you the chance to receive discounted rates from the publication itself.
People still trust the paper. It has been proven that local community newspapers are still holding their own while fulfilling a crucial role in the groups they serve. Your potential customers are generally interested in what is happening around them, so they are inclined to peruse their local newspaper frequently.
Business Website
It’s all good being listed on google or sourcing customers through social media, but you still need a website for your business. Your business’ online presence can be a driving factor behind its success. Currently, there are businesses who don’t understand that many of their customers would like to visit their website before they decide to make a purchase.
Having a business website or not, can be the deciding factor when it comes to making more income.
Among the many reasons out there to have a business website, the biggest reason would be to build credibility.
You’re not the only business that provides a certain product or service. Yep, there are several providers offering a similar service or product to yours. However, a great way you can show some prominence is by having a website that clearly defines who you are and why they should engage with you.
Last but certainly not least is the ability to generate business leads. When potential buyers find your business online, they’ll become curious and do some investigating.
If your site is attractive, and your content is engaging they will want to know more. Make sure that you have enough contact information or direct links that will help move the sale along. There’s nothing more frustrating than not having direct communication when wanting to make a purchase with no help at all. So, in essence having sufficient contact information gives you the chance to increase your sales.
Creating a Facebook page for your business is a fantastic way to engage with customers using this gigantic social media platform. Here you can target your intended audience and market your business for next to nothing.
Creating a Facebook Business page is absolutely free. When you’re done setting it up, your page will function as a midpoint to your brand. Now Facebook users can learn about more about your business and what you do.
If you want to track your progress, you can do just that using Facebook’s Insights tool. This is where you will have a transparent view on how your page is perceived. You’ll be able to see:
- How many are engaging with your posts
- How many are following your page
- Comparing statistics when it comes to organic and paid content.
Google Ads
While Facebook reigns supreme in the spectrum of social marketing, Google is the meat and potatoes when it gets to online advertising. 85% of Google’s income stems from their Google Ads platform and may very well be what the doctor ordered for your business.
The evolution of Google ads’ popularity over the past decade has been astounding. For instance, there were over 160 billion monthly Google searches in 2019. Companies made an average of R20 for every R10 they spent on Google ads. One of the biggest paybacks of pay per click, also known as PPC, advertising is the fact that you only pay for what site visitors click on.
It doesn’t matter if you are a larger or small business, you can still take advantage of the supremacy of Google’s search engine at a tiny fee. With Google Ads you can target and test definite markets and run niche campaigns where consumer interest is significant. This approach is a cost-effective marketing strategy and reliable technique to entice potential buyers.
The only drawback is the opposition from other businesses who deliver the same good or services as you are. Because of the convenient access to Google Ads, many widespread markets have numerous advertisers competing for the highest spot.
E-mail Marketing
When you use e-mail marketing you will have the tools to provide you with a flowing and undisrupted gateway to your customers. More importantly, e-mail marketing is free or inexpensive at least, and allows you to build relationships with customers. It gives you the platform to speak directly to them, at a time that is convenient for them.
When done right, e-mail marketing can become one of your most effective marketing channels. To find out more about how you can profit from your e-mails click here.
Referrals
An overlooked approach to expanding your business reach is by asking for referrals. This is quite silly as the easiest ways to grow your business leads is simply to ask for help. Word-of-mouth has been a proven and successful tactic to reel in clients simply because people are eager to test a product or service recommended by someone they trust.
Get in touch with your friends and family and get the word spreading like wildfire. If you feel comfortable enough, try to gain the trust of non-profit organizations, schools, and colleges, who might need your product or services. Don’t go around being needy, just explain to them what you are all about and ask if they would be interested in your services. On the other hand, they might know someone who might be interested or actually need what you have to offer.
This might seem an approach that is easier said than done, but many of the best business deals happen because of a referral. It often happens that someone knows somebody else who needs your services.
How to promote your business locally with Google My Business
If you really want to bolster your online presence you should create a Google My Business page. Creating these pages are free and lets homegrown searchers find your business quick and easy.
In most cases people who find local, handy information in search results are most expected to go to the physical stores.
Besides giving information about your business, Google now lets you add offers to your listing. Naturally, these are promotions or encouragements to inspire people to contact your business.
If someone is already looking for a local business like yours, a small token with a substantial offer could be enough to boost engagement.
Video Content and Advertising
Since the inception of video platforms such as Youtube, video advertising has become a key strategic point to gaining customers. Not only does video advertising offer exposure on the platform, but the visual impact you create is also an outstanding way to build trust with your audience.
If a business uses more visual appeal and engaging content in their advertising the likelier, they are to have higher interest with their customers. Creating your very own channel and adding video marketing to your business can also powerup your website’s SEO.
You can really use video to your advantage to promote, teach, and connecting with your existing customers. You can even sneak in your videos as an extra part of your blog posts.
The other great thing about this, is that you can create these videos yourself using your smartphone. For very little, your business can set up an in-house studio and create high-quality videos.
Organic Web Traffic
It’s not stretch of the imagination that you want your website to be ranked on the first page of Google. If you do enough effort and research, there is still a substantial opening to increase your ranking through organic reach.
To get more organic traffic to your site your website will need to be rather useful and relevant. When you create a website that gives solutions to the problems of your potential customer while answering some of their questions, you will start attracting more customers. The more clicks you get onto your website, the better you will rank on Google.
Bonus Resources
Apart from the most popular methods listed above, there are two overlooked advertising techniques that many businesses fail to use effectively to gain more interest in their business.
Press Releases
If your business is doing something newsworthy, you can send out a press release to your local and regional newspaper. This is not the same as placing an advertisement and public relations is a prevailing means to generate publicity. Getting news out for free through trusted news sources means added exposure and possible engagement.
Citations
When it comes to business citations, I am talking about an online reference to a business which includes the business’ name, address, and phone number.
On the flip side, online citations refer to a group of distinct business listings on many sites.
Even though organic traffic is free, you need to put in a lot of effort to make it grow. It can also take time, so it is important to be patient. Keep making written and video content that you can share.
There are many kinds of citation websites available and it’s tricky to pinpoint which one is the most valuable.
Nevertheless, many businesses who use citations generally agrees that the following are highly preferred.
- Google My Business
- Bing Maps
- Yelp
Citations are well-thought-out as a ranking factor for local SEO. When your business is recorded on trusted online directories, Google receives signals to advance their level of confidence that your business is operational.
FAQ
What Makes a successful advertisement?
Preferably, advertising should captivate your potential buyers and entice them to use your product. Irrespective of the technique, all your advertising should be vibrant and reliably echo the sole placement of your business.
What is The Secret to Advertising?
The secret sauce to affective advertising is to know your customer as well as their needs and wants. When you get to grips with this, you can start planning and plotting out the best way to link with your target market. Before going out to find buyers, do your research on what they need and want.
How Can I Earn Money From Google?
Yes it’s true, you actually can earn money from Google. Do this by linking a Google AdSense account to your search engine to make money on applicable ads cited into the search results. Advertisers contend for a spot in the search results, and when someone clicks on one of their ads, you can make a slice of the income.
Conclusion
Remember that when you are paying for any form of advertising, you should be calculatingyour return rates. It’s fantastic to have increased visibility for your brand, but only if the method profitable.
Consider your ideal customer and the ways they spend their time on media platforms. If you can find an exact need that you can fulfil, go ahead and tell them about your solution. It’s possible they will try it at least once. As is everything when running a successful small business, be prepared and be patient. Don’t be afraid to explore new techniques in promoting your business.
These strategies should give you some ideas of how you can go about promoting your business. Every marketing effort you make should grow your brand awareness with your intended clients and customers.
