20 Ideas To Help Get Your Message Out There

There is a great deal of evidence that shows how using multiple channels in your marketing increases your chances of success. But that’s not hard to believe. It makes sense that the more people who see and hear about you, the more likely you are to win business.

If you’re not maximising all the tactics available to you, then maybe it’s time to take that step forward and do more. Here are 20 different ways that you could get your message out there. How many do you currently use? Adding in a few more could make a world of difference.

1. 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
2. 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
3. Newsletters – Whether it’s via hard copy or email (I’ve had success with both), newsletters are a great way to regularly keep in touch with customers, both current and prospective
4. 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 trade publications. Alternatively, post them through letterboxes yourself, or have them handy when you attend events
5. Video/Podcast – Lots of people do videos nowadays, but have you thought about how this could strategically work for you? 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
6. 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 if you’re sending out communication to people who won’t know you. You could even send people to this as a call to action and then monitor how effective your marketing activity has been based on how many people visited this special page
7. 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
8. 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 they were and what they 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
9. 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
10. 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 Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), linking back to your website, but it’s another easy way for people to find out about you
11. 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? You could take them with you to networking meetings, or have them ready when you get invited to an event
12. 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
13. 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
14. 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
15. Customer Loyalty – Many businesses spend ages trying to engage with new clients and forget about their existing ones. Why not think about introducing 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 from you
16. Telemarketing – Having real conversations with people can often work extremely well instead of just emailing all the time. You need to be targeted, have a good database and surround this with other marketing activity, but the results could be fantastic for you
17. Digital Advertising – This is now where most marketing budgets are being spent and the ROI potential is growing. This isn’t just social media advertising, but display advertising in other ways as well, across the internet. TV advertising using something like AdSmart from Sky is also becoming far more accessible for smaller businesses
18. Events – Before the pandemic, expos were becoming less and less attended, but it seems people are now enjoying getting out and about again. There are events held all across the country to suit virtually any budget. Start exploring what you could attend, as face to face events can generate good leads
19. Strategic partnerships – Have you explored who could help you gain success? Forging strategic partnerships with other businesses, where you either work together or share leads between you, can be an easy way to grow. You need to find the right partners, but there is power in numbers
20. Social media – This is a tactic that most businesses use, but you don’t have to keep using it in the same way. How can you get yourself heard in a new way against the noise? How can you find a new voice? If you’re stuck in a rut, is it time for fresh approach?

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 messaging.