Tips & Tricks To Promote Your Business

Whether you choose to promote your small business via Facebook ads, newsletters, or traditional print, you have a number of options at your disposal. But what is the best method for you?

1. Relations with the media

Media relations, or public relations, are simply the means by which publications and websites write about you and your business.

It could be that you have won a new contract, launched a new product or service, hired new employees, or achieved new records. You might have achieved a milestone, such as an anniversary, or sold a significant number of items within your business, or something quirky has happened. If you are willing to freely express your opinions or advice about a subject, you can also get coverage.

Why is PR beneficial?

A select number of trade publications will benefit you if you run an engineering business. You'll be seen by your target audience if you appear in the 'right' places. You should advertise your coffee in the local paper and magazines, however, if you want to increase awareness.

In addition to raising your company's profile, such media coverage promotes your company's culture and values.

Is it worth hiring a PR firm?

Reporters and journalists can be contacted directly, but it might seem overwhelming to do so, so you might consider working with a PR agency.

Identify business stories and deal with journalists
Identify the most appropriate places for your articles and help you with the pitching process
Content creation for your website that is original

The strength of the story is what determines whether your piece will appear; therefore, working with an agency is recommended since they know what works.

Interested in writing your first press release?

Discover what you should include in a successful press release with these free bite-sized videos.

2. Internet social networks

Marketing your business through social media can be highly effective if it is used effectively, and reaching such a huge audience is unmissable.

In fact, 58% of consumers view a brand's social pages before visiting its website, making social media an ideal way to connect with people who already engage with your brand.

Is there a business goal you are striving toward?

It is important to consider your business goals and marketing plan before developing a social media marketing campaign. Are you looking to reach a wider audience, increase traffic to your website or increase sales?

Choosing the right social media platform is crucial to reaching your target audience. In our guide to social media platforms you will find out what platforms are best for your industry.

My social media posts should be about what?

No matter what social media platform you use, whether it's Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, creating relevant content for your audience is crucial to its success. Create content that your audience wants to see, and provide them with valuable content in return for their attention, when you're creating it.

Your business can go a long way by providing free resources and tips – customers will turn to you for information when they need it, leading to potential new customers. To build a consistent brand identity for your brand or product, invest in photography and video, and use video whenever possible. Video is one of the most engaging assets.

The key to social media success is not just putting out great content. You have to engage your audience on a two-way basis so they feel a connection to your brand, allowing you to resonate with them and keep them interested.

Keeping an eye on your analytics is key to maximizing your results. Each social platform provides basic analytics. Using your analytics on a weekly or monthly basis allows you to analyze, review and tailor your strategy accordingly.

3. Advertising on the internet

A few of the benefits of marketing your company via digital advertising include targeting specific audiences, implementing data-driven strategies, and delivering measurable results. Digital advertising consists of three main channels: PPC (Pay-Per-Click), display, and paid social. They all work on mobile and desktop devices.

You can track the performance of your campaign down to the penny with digital advertising, which can be a minefield - but it's transparent and accountable.

Paid-Per-Click advertising, what is it?

Google Ads is Google's own online advertising platform, where search (PPC) campaigns are often run. Your ads will be shown only to people who have made a search related to your product or service, allowing you to target your target audience while optimizing your ad spend. PPC campaigns can be tailored so that they appear only to people who have made relevant searches.

Advertising on display is what it sounds like.

You should consider displaying advertising if you are more concerned with brand awareness than leads.

According to Google Display Network (GDN), 90% of all Internet users worldwide use the network to view websites, news sites, and blogs as well as videos on video platforms like YouTube.

Although users browsing within the GDN might not be interested right now in your product or service, you will still be able to pitch it to them. To remind users of the solutions your business offers them, you can even remarket to them if they have already visited your site but not converted.

Pay-per-click advertising: what is it?

In addition to setting up free social media profiles, consider investing in paid content on Facebook and Instagram. Paid content is simply a post that is assigned a budget, which increases its reach and allows more people to see it.

When it comes to advertising your business in a highly targeted way, Facebook is an excellent alternative to Google. Using ad campaigns, you can target users based on their age, gender, location, job title, interest, or behavior. In Facebook stories, in-stream videos, Facebook searches and messages, articles, and the Facebook app, they'll see videos, images, and text.

When hiring a digital advertising agency:

Ask questions until you understand what they are saying, and make sure you understand what they are saying
A fee will be charged in addition to the advertising spend for their consultation and implementation.

4. Promotions in the media

You must be bold and big when advertising in magazines and newspapers.

It's not worth it to buy advertising space if you don't make someone stop in their tracks.

In my advertisement, what should I include?

Think about what your target customers want or need before you write your headline, text, or images. Instead of focusing on what you want to say, consider what your target customers need or want.

Instead of focusing on its features, emphasize its benefits. Plumbers will want to know that your company manufactures underfloor heating so it's easy to install and will generate a good profit, but homeowners, on the other hand, will be looking for how it feels when they walk on it in the middle of a bitterly cold night.

A creative agency might be able to help you formulate ideas, as it can sometimes be difficult to think in this way. Paying someone to come up with ideas is worth the cost because you can then use them in other marketing materials - e-shots, mailers, posters - so you can adapt their ideas to all sorts of other marketing materials.

5. Mailings

It was commonplace in the pre-digital era for direct mail to be referred to as junk mail. Letters and leaflets would pile up on your door every morning. Unfortunately, all of the relevant and well-targeted messages had become lost in the clutter.

When you follow three key rules, direct mail can be incredibly effective:

Data quality is crucial, so if you manage your database, make sure it's constantly updated. If you don't, you can purchase data from a reputable data broker for a far more affordable rate.
Don't send in context-appropriate content. Putting a children's nursery on a database that is over 70 years old is pointless.
Your mailer should have an intriguing message that resonates with the recipient, and stand out from the crowd.

A direct mailer can offer a lot more impact and effectiveness compared to an e-shot. Emails can be easily deleted by recipients or ignored. A direct mailer has a longer shelf life and is far harder to ignore.

6. Optimizing websites for search engines

Most companies have become dependent on SEO as a means of marketing their businesses online. It has become essential for most businesses to have a well-optimized website, which is where SEO plays a crucial role. A web page needs to be optimized across three different areas, namely technical, on-page, and off-page if it is to appear for relevant search terms.

Having a technically sound website is only one element of great SEO. Technical SEO ensures Google can understand all your pages easily and quickly. To rank high in Google, your content needs to be high-quality, engaging, and optimized for users to read about your product or services.

Write online content with these tips

To convert users into customers, you should write for the user, not the search engine.
To rank a page, you need to optimize the title, headings, links within the code, and image description within your copy.

When you have an engaging piece of content online, you need external links that are relevant to the content. Via local link building, guest blogging, influencers, content marketing, and public relations campaigns, you can attract external links naturally, as well as by hand.

7. Sending emails

Communicating clearly and efficiently with your target audience is the key to generating great sales. Using emails as part of your regular marketing activities is a great way to create short-term urgency and increase revenue. You can use emails to promote new services, end-of-season sales, or limited-time offers.

It consists of:

Efficacious
Quantifiable
It is urgent
Flexible
Effective

Communicate with a specific audience

With your customer list in hand, you can tailor your messaging to the right audiences - customers who have previously purchased from you or used your services will likely be more engaged. Additionally, customers can pass along your email to their friends and contacts, bringing your brand to the attention of an audience that you may not otherwise reach. Your brand will stay top of mind if you stay in touch with existing customers and present them with new products and offers.

Follow your progress

The results of email marketing are instantaneous and you can see how many customers have opened your email, clicked on the links within it, and received it. When you look at your email's engagement, sales, and ROI, you will get a quick idea of how well it is performing.

In addition to providing you with actionable insights, the data can help you determine which types of content, products, services, or offers are most popular among any particular audience so that you can deliver tailored follow-up emails.

One of the best channels for 'return on investment' is email marketing, whether it's integrated into a wider campaign or used separately.

Got questions? Visit us @ www.sirkle.com and we’re happy to help.