Marketing a business locally generally follows a few tried and tested formats. You have probably placed adverts in the local press, community magazines, and perhaps paid for flyers and leaflets to be dropped through letterboxes. These techniques all work, but if you want to expand your business’s reach a bit further, it’s time to work that bit harder.
Here are some tips to promote and market a business beyond the confines of your local community. These tips can also be applied to any small business.
Build a Relevant Website
Even if your business is a niche one and you rely a great deal on word of mouth referrals from existing customers, you still need a website. Increasing numbers of people use the internet to find trades and services they need. If you don’t have a website, your business is effectively invisible online.
Building a website isn’t terribly complicated, but if you don’t have any relevant experience, you are better off spending your time on the nitty-gritty of running your business. If this is the case, hire a professional to build a suitable website and carry out some SEO work.
Work at Building a Social Media Presence
A social media presence is just as important as a fully-functioning website. Many people rely on social media for recommendations and suggestions when they need a service. For example, if they need a dormer leak fixing, they might ask their Facebook friends if they can suggest someone. If you have a strong Facebook presence with plenty of followers, you are much more likely to be recommended when someone needs your services.
Create a Facebook page and use Twitter to interact with customers. Encourage people to leave your feedback on social media. The more you work at building a good reputation, the easier it will be to attract new clients from outside the local area. Social media has a global reach, so make the most of it. You might not be able to help someone living overseas, but if they have a relative living in the next town, they can recommend you for the job!
PPC Ads
Pay Per Click ads operate via Google. These are the ads you see when you Google specific keywords and Google puts sponsored ads at the top of the page or on websites you visit. They can be very effective for niche services, but you have to target the right keywords. For best results, go for location-based keywords, but don’t limit your reach to a very small geographical area.
Social media ads can also be effective – and they are cheaper. Try Facebook ads to see how well they work for your business.
You don’t need to rely on a very small pool of potential customers if you follow the above tips. That way your business will continue to grow even if you can’t find work locally.
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