Are you looking to market your business to the general public, preferably your targeted market? Your targeted market should be the individuals who are most likely to need what your business has to offer. For instance, if you run a professional resume writing business, you will want to target those who are currently unemployed or those who are looking for jobs. As important as advertising is, it can sometimes get time consuming and costly. The costly part is what often causes many small business owners to cringe. The good news is that there are a number of different ways that you can go about advertising your small business without having to spend more money than you need to.
One of the best advertising methods that people fail to realize the importance of is word of mouth. In today’s society, many consumers like giving a company feedback or ratings, literally or figuratively. That is why many consumers tell their friends when they find a nice new store; one that is worth visiting, or a store that they had a bad experience at. You should never underestimate the power of the customers that you already have. Not only will keeping your current customers happy increase the chances of them coming back again, it also ups the chances of them recommending your business to those that they know.
Another easy and relatively cheap way that you can go about advertising your small business to your targeted market is by carefully choosing where you choose to advertise your business. In keeping with the above mentioned example of running a professional resume writing businesses, you may want to think about distributing flyers or business cards to local coffee shops or college campuses. The same can be done for other types of businesses. For instance, if you run a dog grooming salon, you can advertise your business in local pet supply stores, vet offices, and such. Of course, you will need to get permission from other businesses before placing your business cards or flyers on their properties, but you may find that most are willing to assist you. In fact, you may even want to think about doing a flyer or business card swap.
In addition to handing out traditional business cards or flyers, you may also want to think about giving away free coupons. There are many consumers who like free stuff, even if it is only a few coupons. When a customer has a money saving coupon, they are more likely to buy what you are selling, whether it is a product or a service. If you are trying to target a specific group of individuals, like your targeted market, you may want to carefully choose how you distribute your coupons and how much in savings you give away. If you are just trying to generate as many sales as possible or create a “buzz," you may want to think about contacting one of your local newspapers to put coupons inside their paper.
As it was previously mentioned, there are many consumers who love free stuff, even if it is just coupons. You are advised to take advantage of this well-known fact. For instance, you may want to think about holding a contest or a drawing for your customers. For instance, if you run a pet supply store, you may want to think about creating a pet gift basket, like one that may include food, treats, or grooming supplies. You will want to allow each of your customers, the ones who make a purchase, to enter into your contest. If the prize is nice enough, you may that some customers buy something just to get entered into the contest. Hosting a contest is a great way to generate sales and business “buzz."
The above mentioned approaches are just a few of the many low-cost, affordable ways that you can go about advertising your business to the general public or even just to your targeted market. The decision as to whether or not you want to use any of the above mentioned methods is yours to make, but they are at least worth looking into.
The best way to begin training people is to relate a story to them they can identify with. So here goes . . . In 2003 a person (let’s call her Joan) paid me to set up an online web design business for her. I had experience in setting up the web design business named YouOnLine.Net back in 1998, plus I am on the internet 10-12 hours per day so I can keep up with new developments. Therefore, Joan knew I had the expertise to do the job right.
I spent a little over two months setting up Joan’s business. From securing the domain name and SSL certificate to programming the HTML for the shopping cart – I did it all. In fact, on the day Joan chose to open her business, it would be fully functional and making money. Joan was happy, I was happy and I went back home feeling good about a new business being birthed and born.
But three weeks later (without warning) Joan hired an attorney who sent me a letter demanding all her money be returned. What happened?
After going through weeks of litigation (where the Complaint was finally dropped) I discovered that Joan had in her mind that she was going to make at least $5,000.00 per month. But when she only made $1,200.00 within the first three weeks she freaked out and thought the business was not going to work.
But Joan knew deep down that she was to blame for this decision. How do I know? Because Joan never contacted me about the problem. If I had done something wrong, Joan would have called me in a hot New York second. Instead, she chose to take the “sheepish" way out, regardless of who she hurt in the process.
However, this is only one example out of thousands. Yes – many people I work with and coach rarely understand the process of developing, building and growing a company. For some reason many people starting their business for the first time have this misconceived notion they will immediately make $1,000s of dollars without lifting a finger. I even had a customer call me on the phone and say: “I bought your book but have not made any money." I asked her if she read the book. She replied: “No. I didn’t know I was supposed to read it. I just thought I had to purchase it."
Let me give you a little insider piece of wisdom: The infomercials are really giving true information. The only thing they don’t tell you is that in order to make that kind of money, you must invest time, dedication and long hours building your company.
Here is a true life example of something that personally happened to me: One day I wrote a 15-page Report and converted it to PDF format. I sent out an announcement to my newsletter list and in one day, I made $6,000.00. I was shocked and overjoyed at the same time. However, I have not had that happen again. So I could go on television and say with all truthfulness “I made $6,000.00 in one day." But what I don’t tell you is that I had been in the web design business for over 3 years and it took me that long to build up a newsletter list of people who would buy my Report. Hopefully my story will help you to look at infomercials for the truth they are, and the truth they are not.
What a Business Really Is
A business is similar to birthing a child. You first decide to have a business, and then you decide what type of business to start. Then you spend time researching and reading everything you can find on the topic that relates to your business.
Next, you obtain training in the type of business you are going to start. You need to know your product or service before you can sell it. This means joining organizations, networking with others in your field and/or working for an employer in the field so you can understand the inner workings of the business.
Next, you purchase the right computer system and internet connection to run your business, give your business a name, secure a domain name and get your entire business set up before you open.
Finally, when you do open up your business it is very rare that you will make any money within the first 4-5 months. Of course this depends on the type of business you decide to open, and if you have a customer base in place to market your product or service to. If you do not have a customer base, it can take awhile before you make any money.
Joan’s Mistake
Where Joan made her mistake was in not understanding these simple rules. Although I provided Joan with URLs to organizations and other free information, she did not research them. Why? Because in all actuality, Joan was not looking for this type of business. She was simply looking for a way to make money.
Unfortunately, Joan had absolutely no idea of the gold mine she actually had. I had spent two months building her a functional business. Her first month brought in $1,200.00. That is amazing!! If you ask anyone who started a business how much they made their first month, even the best of them never made $1,200.00 the first month.
What Joan did not take into consideration was that her name was “unknown." People today are smart. They don’t purchase from a company unless they trust them. Joan had spent no time building trust with her potential customers, yet she still made $1,200.00 her first month. I wondered what in the world Joan could be upset about. She should be celebrating. But Joan didn’t look at it that way.
Are You Like Joan? If you are, you need to identify with your shortcomings right now. Then if you choose to continue being like Joan, it will be your own fault when you do not succeed in business.
One Last Thought
If you decided to become an Elementary Teacher, you would think nothing about spending money to attend college to obtain the degrees you needed. You also would not get upset if you had to start at the bottom and work for a lower salary when you begin your teaching career. Right?
If you decided to become a Paralegal, you would think nothing about spending money to enroll in a class to get your paralegal certificate. You also would think nothing about beginning your career working at the bottom until you received more on-the-job training. Right?
So if most people have the willingness to invest money and time into a career they enjoy – why do most people believe starting a business is any different? Answer this: Who do you know on the planet earth who started a business from the ground-up (with less than $500) and had a thriving enterprise making $5,000 per month within the first three weeks? Realize the truth: it is impossible!
Prayer of Relief
I pray this article helps to open your eyes to the truth about starting a business and give you the encouragement you need to build your business into a successful enterprise.
Both Deanna Mascle & Victoria Ring are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.