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Starting a new business comes with mixed feelings – excitement and hope for the future, but also a fear you won’t be noticed. Conventional wisdom now states that anyone with a laptop and strong bootstraps can start a business, so why should anyone use your services in particular?
The same busy world that has produced so many new businesses also has many ways to ensure customers everywhere will discover your great new business. You don’t want to spend a lot of money, and you don’t need to spend a lot of money. Try the following tips to help differentiate your business!
Social Media
Social media is absolutely everywhere now, and it’s one of the easiest and cheapest ways businesses can reach customers. Honestly, it’s a little amazing these services are free. Can you imagine, even twenty years ago, instantly marketing to thousands of people across the planet with just a few clicks of your mouse?
Funny thing is, so many companies out there aren’t taking advantage of what social media has to offer. Make sure to create an account on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn for your business. You don’t have to continue using all of them, as not every business will thrive on every social media site. But not trying them at all means you’ll never know what works best for you.
Go Outside
Making yourself heard sometimes means finding your niche. That niche may actually be waiting for you in your own local community, so go outside!
Find out if there are any upcoming community events like fundraisers or charity runs and sign up for them. If you can have a booth, that’s great, but not entirely necessary. The important thing is to simply go out and meet people in your local area.
Above all else you have to be enthusiastic about the community and your business. Your friends and neighbors want to know you’re dedicated to what you believe in and that you have a passion for your company. If you prove this to them it could lead to great things down the line, including their undying loyalty.
Online Communities
Speaking of communities, people tend to flock where they feel comfortable. When it comes to the digital world, that means heading to places where people can talk about the things they love without feeling guilty. There are online communities for literally everything you can imagine, including the items you sell in your shop or the services you provide.
Sometimes you have to go where the customers are and not the other way around, so hop online and find where they are! There could be a Facebook page dedicated to your industry or a chat forum somewhere with thousands of posts. You may even stumble across a weekly Twitter chat you could hop into.
Whatever the case, ease into it lightly. Don’t go in with guns blazing thinking you’re going to sell your services or products right away by spamming links to your website. Approach the community like you would customers on the street – ease into the conversation, actually talk to them like human beings. Eventually they’ll come around to checking out what you have to offer.
Think Geographically
Though you may have a business that can serve clients anywhere in the world, many clients will want a service provider just across town. So make use of free resources such as a free online YellowPages.com listing and an updated Yelp profile for your business. If you’re web savvy, add geotags on your website so people near you will have an easier time finding your web presence. If you choose to go the paid advertising route, target your Facebook or AdWords ads geographically, too.
How do you market your company on the cheap?
