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Promoting a business online is an art and a science at the same time. There’s no one surefire method that works for everyone, but there are ways to get closer to narrowing down exactly what you should be doing to promote your business. There’s also a lot to think about when promoting your business to potential customers online. Here are three things to consider before starting any kind of advertising.
Your Budget
Your budget will determine the kinds of marketing activities you’ll implement. If your budget is on the smaller side, you won’t be able to purchase ad space or use pay-per-click advertising methods. However, if you have a moderate budget, you might consider promoting or “boosting” a social media post (typically one of your more popular ones). But in the world of online advertising, you have plenty of options when it comes to paid advertising methods.
For example, there are display ads, SEM (search engine marketing), paid ads like pay-per-click (PPC) or Cost Per Thousand (CPM), social media ads (organic and paid), native advertising (in-feed ads, search ads, promoted listings), remarketing/retargeting, video ads and email marketing. Do some research to determine the best method for you and your business.
Your Audience
Think about your target audience and where they spend the most time online. Is it online forums? Facebook? Instagram? Twitter? You’ll have to consider the demographics of your target audience and think about things like their spending habits, their likes and dislikes, and their general attitude toward certain things. Some companies opt to create buyer personas in order to determine how best to communicate with their audience.
A buyer persona is a fictional character (or set of characters) used to represent a certain demographic you’re targeting. For example, say you’re targeting middle-aged, stay-at-home moms. You might name her and add some characteristics that determine the type of customer you’re targeting. Examples include their hobbies and interests, their goals, their age, where they live, how much they make per year (if applicable), educational background, fears, common objections and anything else that would help you understand your target customer more. A quick internet search should garner tons of hits for buyer persona templates if you need them.
Your Company Brand and Reputation
Branding yourself in the beginning stages isn’t completely necessary, but it’s recommended. When promoting your business, you’ll have a much better chance of standing out if you brand your company. Branding lets customers know what to expect from you as a business. Defining your brand means asking questions like what the mission of your company is, what are the features and benefits of your product or service, and how you’re different from other companies offering similar products and/or services. Once you’ve determined that, you’ll need a logo and a “voice” for your company that reflects the brand. You’ll also want to create a tagline that’s both unforgettable and purposeful.
If you’ve been in business a while, it might be beneficial to consider your company’s current reputation. What do customers already think of your business? If your company has a less than favorable reputation, or the nature of your business is generally misunderstood, for example, the myths that surround Amway, you might want to do some damage control and figure out a way to clarify who you are and what your company does. Make sure it’s clear that you’re a legitimate business and that your potential customers can trust you.
Promoting your business takes some time and patience, but with a little research and consideration of the above three factors, you can start advertising your business effectively in no time — even on a shoestring budget. Decide what you’ll do to incorporate your new brand and your audience into your marketing efforts, and you should start seeing results. Good luck!