Getting customers is as complicated or easy as you wish. Some businesses panic and advertise anywhere and everywhere with no great plan or logic.
This can be avoided if a business owner simply takes a deep breath and looks at the resources that they have to hand.
As a marketing communications consultant, I’m regularly talking to small and medium sized businesses as well as solo entrepreneurs. And there are a few things that I always start with when we work together. Clients are amazed when we talk about them – because getting started is not expensive and as a business owner, you have everything in your head and in your hands. Your success is within your reach.
Here are three very simple ways for you to use your resources within your own business to promote your business.
No Cost Marketing Tip No. 1 – Action your Clever Ideas
Everyone of you has great ideas….regularly! You know those ideas that pop into your head when you hear a radio programme, when you’re conversing with others, when you read a newspaper, those are your clever ideas. You just need to action them.
A client of mine that runs a bar recently had one of those ‘ah-ha’ moments. They decided to throw an end of the month party. They spent EUR300 on leaflets, man power and complimentary beverages. They made at least EUR3,500 on the night with the potential of more as they had many, happy customers leave the building.
No Cost Marketing Tip No. 2 – Get a Whiteboard or Flipchart
A whiteboard is unlike the blackboards of our school days. They don’t engender fear of writing 100 lines!!! (Although maybe I’ll get my prospects and clients to write 100 lines of the following – ‘I must keep marketing’)
However, I digress. Let’s get back to the subject at hand. A whiteboard is invaluable, as is a flip chart. Why? It allows brainstorming, it offers the people gathered around it the headspace to be creative. Even if there are just one or two of you – you’ll notice the difference. Most of us are visual people – we learn visually, we think visually. The whiteboard or flipchart encourages creativity. You can also use it to plan to implement your creative ideas.
There is something magical about seeing ideas on a larger page or medium than A4 or letter or the back of an envelope. Try it. You’ll see what I mean straight away.
When I mentioned this to a client, they told me about blackboard paint and whiteboard paint that is now available. They have painted their entire wall so can brainstorm and have meetings by the wall. Just another idea!
No Cost Marketing Tip No. 3 – Form Strategic Alliances
Every one of you that is reading this has a network around them – your friends, family, colleagues, staff, sports team, customers, clients, prospects. When you look at it, the list is endless.
Identify people within your network or within someone else’s network who are useful for your business and who have services that are complimentary to yours. These are ideal strategic alliance prospects.
If you’re a solo entrepreneur doing accounts, then perhaps an outsource payroll company and a book-keeping company would be ideal for you. The three companies could set up a power group that can refer business to each other.
Some strategic alliances offer a referral fee among themselves if they get business through the alliance. There are pros and cons to both approaches. The main thing to remember is that strategic alliances are built on trust but what a great way to get to know more people that complement your service.
These are three simple ideas that you have to hand – that I would encourage you to take action on them immediately. They may seem very basic and perhaps, not strictly speaking about promoting your business. But if you use them in your arsenal of tools for promoting your business, each item will work.
In summary,
1. Don’t ignore the clever ideas. Write them down and action them
2. Get creative by using visual aids
3. Identify providers of complimentary services and arrange a meeting…today
I use these ideas myself and with clients, especially at VIP Communication Strategy days and believe me they work! If you engage and implement ideas from these three topics, then you are well on the way to getting more customers. It’s all about creative action.
Let me know how you get on. I’d love to hear.
