Somewhere along the line, the process of gaining customers became more about attracting customers rather than actively finding them. “Build it and they will come” is an awesome ideal for small businesses, but there comes a point when you’ll need to get your hands dirty and seek out some customers on your own. So where do you look? How do actively let people know about your business rather than waiting around for them to notice you?
Target Your Ads
Gone are the days of simply putting an ad in the newspaper alerting readers of your latest business venture. Though the process is different and more extensive, today’s online ads are so much more effective, and once mastered, very easy, too. Directly from your business’s Facebook page, you can opt for the paid advertising when updating your next status. Though, instead of just updating your status and throwing $10 down, pay attention to who you’re targeting so the ad can actively reach those most likely to use your business. Facebook narrows this down by age, gender, and location. Now all you need to do is know your demographic. Once you zero in on your business’s demographic, the world of marketing changes.
Think Local
Even if your business is predominantly online, people like to support local business. Let your community know you’re there. Write a guest post for your local Patch Newspaper, put up business cards in local coffee shops, make your company’s name familiar around town. A lot of businesses these days, especially those who operate mostly online, don’t take advantage of local support because their office isn’t something like a restaurant or book store where customers can just wander in. But they’re missing out on a strong sense of local support that will just naturally be there for the simple fact that they are “local.”
Network
Networking is typically linked to creating partnerships—one business to another. Though partnerships, if done correctly, often lead to new customers. Partnerships are awesome because they introduce your business to a set of new customers that might not have otherwise found your business were you not introduced through your partnership. Attend networking events when you can. Even creating a smaller scale partnership, like agreeing to be cross-blogging partners once a month, is going to actively introduce your business to a new audience.
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