Marketing Tips for the Small Business Owner

With the frightening reality that the vast majority of small businesses are doomed to failure; it is critical when choosing a marketing strategy that it is one that is effective. While many marketing ploys are not overly expensive, some are and if you launch a dud campaign, it can be fatal to a small business.

Good Ideas

The good news is that many marketing strategies are the same ones that have worked for years, therefore there is a lot of information out there about what works and what doesn’t in regards to your specific business. If you’re a “bricks and mortar” business, most likely you’ll want to target customers in the local area. This can be done with mass-mailings, door-hangers, or coupons in a small local paper. It is critical to discover what works and what doesn’t, if the door-hangers bring in nothing, toss that idea in the garbage. Newsletters are a great idea to bring in new customers and to show present customers that you appreciate their business. The newsletters can contain cut-out coupons and even give friendly advice and interesting facts about things that have nothing to do with your business. What is important, is that your exhibiting an ongoing interest in your customers and potential customers. Another old-fashioned but sometimes very effective strategy is bartering. This helps keep costs down but still gets your message out there. Obviously the more companies you can collect in your bartering system the better.

More Advanced

Some of the more confident small businesses might elect to hold a seminar or open house. Make sure you get the word out and chances are a nice crowd will show up. With an open house or seminar you can really give your small business the exposure it deserves. Make sure you provide some food and drinks, or, if a seminar, charge a small fee. In the former case, you don’t want to appear cheap and in the latter case, people might have preconceived notions about a free seminar.

Make sure to stock up on xerox 016-1904-01, scissors, paper and other office supplies.