Whether your small business is struggling and looking to increase sales, or it is flourishing and seeking to grow even further, advertising is the solution to your problems or ambitions. You can have the best products and services in the world, but if you do not properly advertise them, no one will know about them and no one will buy them.
Many small businesses have a limited advertising budget, which can constrain their ability to reach a large number of people. It is not impossible, but it takes a lot more thought about how you can spend that money to get the most benefit and visibility.
Prior to the internet, businesses would place advertisements in the phone book or in the local newspaper, in addition to billboards, posters, and flyers distributed through mailboxes. Now, online content is king, and even the smallest businesses understand the value of having a visible online presence and succeeding at search engine optimization (SEO) to rank highly.
A small business selling to a local demographic on the other hand must do everything possible to attract local customers, which includes a variety of advertising methods. Here, we’ll look at a few inexpensive options.
Wrap Your Car
You almost certainly drive some kind of vehicle. You drive to business meetings and events, as well as tasks unrelated to your jobs, such as school drop-offs and pick-ups, hobbies, and grocery shopping. Why not leverage the power of this by putting vinyl on your car to advertise your company? Put your name, logo, and contact information on it, and you have got yourself an effective advertising tool.
Social Media
Social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are useful marketing tools for small businesses. They enable you to reach a large number of people on a shoestring budget. Targeted ads allow you to zero in on a specific demographic, and you can also post ads in your local community or buying and selling groups.
Participate in Community Events
Participating in events and local causes is a great way to get your business name known in the area where you live or trade. Why not see if you can sponsor a local children’s soccer game or a school project? Organize a litter pick if you live in a rural or coastal area. In just about all cases, if you volunteer for a cause, you will have the opportunity to have your name printed somewhere so that others can see it or somehhwere to place corrugated plastic signs with your business name on it.. Not only will you be doing good for the community, but people will notice and be more likely to buy from you or use your services as a result.
Print Advertising
While most advertising is now done online, you should not underestimate the power of traditional print advertising. Many local newspapers and magazines provide a variety of advertising options, ranging from box ads and inserts to small business features and discussions.
These can be extremely useful, particularly the last one, as they allow you to go into greater detail about what you are offering and allow people to get to know the face behind the business, which is important if you want to attract local custom.
