Pump up the volume about your services and products more than ever now during these slow economic conditions. I know it is still bad out there and many businesses are struggling to keep running. I have witnessed several small businesses having to close their doors. All the more reason to get on the highest platform you can find and shout! That is, increase your marketing and public relations efforts. You do not have any money, you say? No problem. There are several strategies you can carry out that cost little or no money and can help increase your bottom line.
One-way that costs little or no money is to become known as an expert in your industry. As the expert you can and will increase your company’s visibility. Increased visibility means potential customers learn about your company and you remind current customers how great your products or services are so they come back around.
Here are a few suggestions to get you started:
1. Research and develop a media list of newspapers and their contact people. Building relationships with media contacts can be invaluable when something newsworthy happens with your business such as you win a business award or you are sponsoring an event that should go into the newspapers calendar. You can pitch story ideas to reporters. The idea is not to sell your product or service but rather to inform and educate the audience. Small local newspapers are always looking for interesting feature stories and story angles.
2. Research and develop a list of industry and other relevant publications and their contact people. Many different industry publications accept byline articles from outside sources. Again the articles should inform and educate not sell.
3. Research and develop a media list of radio and access television stations and their contact people. There are many local radio, online radio, access television stations that are always looking for story ideas, folks to interview for their weekly or monthly programming.
4. Develop a Blog. First spend time reading a few different Blogs about topics related to your industry. Before you start a Blog, make sure you will have the time to Blog regularly. A Blog Bust will happen if you do not maintain a regular presence.
5. Set up accounts and spend time daily or weekly on social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. In the “What are you doing” now section, offer information about your products or services that will be useful to readers. Not sales talk, but industry information or quotations that speak to your industry or product.
6. Offer tips and articles and other useful information for your customers on your website. When you go to networking events people always ask if you have a business card so they can go to your website and learn more about you and your company. If you change the content regularly it will keep customers curious so they keep coming back and you gain their trust. Customers buy from people they know and trust.
Do not panic because you are not a writer and do not know where to begin. You know everything you need to know about your products and services and what is going on in your industry. If not, learn. Focus your thoughts on a particular aspect of your industry and write an article. DO NOT send the article out or post a Blog or website content without having someone edit your work.
A sure way of wrecking all your credibility is putting something out there that has several errors. There are many editing services you can use for little cost. It is important to make sure what you write is right!
