If you want to get your message out there, then you need to use as many channels as possible. Too many businesses put far too much emphasis on social media, but that’s just one way of reaching people.
The more channels you use and the more content you have, the more effective your marketing will be. There is a lot of evidence to support that. So here are 15 ideas of how you can get your message out there to expand your marketing. I hope you find it inspiring.
- Press releases – we all read news and we like to know what’s going on. So when you’ve got something to announce in your business make sure you send it out as a press release
- Case studies – I notice lots of businesses get testimonials, but they rarely have case studies, which are the stories of what you did and what the results were. These can really demonstrate to prospective customers how you work, and they can prove that you know what you’re doing
- Newsletters – whether it’s via hard copy or email (I’ve had success with both), this is a great way to regularly keep in touch with customers, both current and prospective
- Flyers – short, snappy flyers that sum up your products/services and values quickly can be a great way to easily get your message out there. If you’ve got the budget, you can circulate them in local newspapers, or if not, post them through letterboxes yourself, or have them handy when you attend events or networking
- Video/Podcast – lots of people do videos nowadays, but have you thought about how this could strategically work for you and really get you leads? What about a series of ‘how to’ videos? Think about the value the videos could offer and how you could get people really interested in them
- Dedicated Landing Page – most of us have websites, but what about a dedicated landing page? Sitting alongside your website, it could sum up who you are and what you do in a short, punchy way, like a taster of your business. You could even send people to this as a call to action and then monitor how effective the marketing activity was based on how many people visited this special page
- Ebook – a short guide that gives insight into your products or services and actually helps people could be very advantageous. Even a 6 page guide that people have to download from your website, but offers real value to customers, could give you lots of leads
- Sponsorship – I once worked with a client that sponsored a local children’s football club. The annual sponsorship cost £50 and then it cost about £100 to get the banner produced, which then stayed there for the year and showcased who we were and what we did at every match. How could you reach your target audience in a different way? Choosing the right thing to sponsor could be a very cost effective way to promote yourself, and you won’t have loads of competition fighting for attention
- Promotional goodies – pens, notepads, mugs, whatever it might be. If you have the budget then getting your prospective customers to use an item every day with your company details on can’t be a bad thing
- Industry directories – how many industry directories hold information about your company? There are dozens of online directories out there that allow businesses to post their details for free. This is not only great for your SEO, linking back to your website, but it’s another easy way to further help how people can find out about you
- Pop Up Banner – you don’t even have to leave the house nowadays for pop up banners to be useful. Why not have them in the background on your Zoom calls? Or take them with you to networking meetings, and have them ready when you get invited to an event
- Awards – have you ever nominated yourself for an award? Virtually every industry has some sort of award recognition nowadays, and many are free to enter. Even if you don’t win, getting nominated is both a fantastic story and a great way to get your brand noticed
- Guest Blogging – you might already write a blog, but have you thought about guest blogging? A lot of organisations actively look for other people to contribute content. It could be a way of reaching a new or larger audience
- Competition – we all like to win and so running a competition can help spread the word about what you do. But just make sure people will actually want to win the prize. If you want people to engage with it, you need to make them want to enter by having a prize they’re interested in
- Customer Loyalty – many businesses spend ages trying to engage with new clients and forget their existing ones. What about a customer loyalty programme or something similar? Make the people you already work with feel wanted and cared for. You never know, they might even start buying more
I hope there are at least some ideas here that you might find useful. But whatever you do, make sure there’s proper thinking behind it and you have a joined up approach. Scattergun marketing can look chaotic. However many ways you choose to communicate your business, make sure there’s a solid thread that runs through all your messages. To learn more about how you could improve your marketing, why not buy my marketing book?
