One of the biggest hurdles for any new start-up is getting the name out there. No company wants to just sit quietly among its rivals, and sometimes promotion can feel like just a big a task as sorting out the financial side. Promotion should always sit among any new company’s business plan. However, it’s more than just posting a few ads on social media or creating some interesting business logos. Here a few things to consider when promoting your company.
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Pop up
Depending on where you’re based, it might not be easy to get people through the door when you’re first starting out. Instead, attending business and industry fairs as a pop-up stall will help to promote your name in a relatively short space of time. This way, you offer a personal approach to promoting your company by greeting passers-by and explaining what it is you have to offer. This is particularly pertinent if you have a particular product to offer: it gives you a chance to let strangers sample your product and offer business cards to help spread the word. It’s even recommended that you give away items that will promote your brand name visibly such as stickers.
A new website launch
Any new company should start with a new website, which is the biggest online tool for showcasing everything your company has to offer. Just like designing a house, or decorating a room, your website should emanate the look and feel of your business, and leave visitors with an immediate positive impression about your company. Using website design tricks, such as using SEO and minimal amounts of high-quality content will all help to solidify this.
One way to promote your company is to have a website and business launch event. Advertising this on social media might help bring members of the community and people to network with at your launch. This can either be virtual or real-life. A virtual launch party could involve a countdown to your website launching to create buzz, as well as teasers about all your new and exciting features. Alternatively, you could host a physical event, and approach local business and invite them to join. Be sure to use this for photo opportunities, and offer visitors the option to subscribe to your mailing list. However, if this seems a bit too large-scale, then hosting coffee meet-ups to discuss your business will also show a keenness to integrate and network.
Create an app
If you think your company would benefit from an app, then it is a wise digital tool to invest in for customer service and management. Apps are great for getting a real understanding of your business’ demographic, as your devoted fan base are likely to be the ones using the app the most. It will enable them to interact with your brand, and help your business to maintain their loyalty. As with any online platform, it’s wise to create an app with the same attention and dedication as you would a website. You have to ask yourself why you want this app and why it would benefit your customers. Once you do launch it, encourage your followers to download it on all of your social media platforms – maybe even at that launch party.
A structured marketing plan
One of the biggest features of your promotion should be a marketing campaign. If you’re a small-scale business, you may not have given it much thought, other than what social media profiles you plan on using. However, to really get your name out there, you should have a comprehensive marketing plan to make sure you are seen. Here a few things to consider:
- Tone of voice: if you are a small scale business, it’s easy to just take on the tone of voice of the owner, or whoever is writing your social media posts. However, what tone do you wish to communicate with your brand? Do you want to be reassuring and maternal or cheery and enthusiastic? Deciding on this means that every single Tweet or blog that leaves your premises will have consistency.
- Social media: whichever platforms you decide to use will be a matter of suitability to your brand. If you are selling a particular product, you may want to prioritize Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, as these rely on shares and likes to gain traction on posts. Furthermore, be sure to use these platforms to their full advantage. Using trending hashtags, tagging relevant brands for support and even harnessing influencers who share your demographic are great ways of maximizing your reach on these platforms. However, if you are a large corporation, platforms such as Instagram might be completely unusable.
- YouTube: if your business has a unique set of expertise behind it, YouTube could be a great promotional creative outlet. Producing how-to videos or short information pieces could not only add some appealing visuals to your website, but also showcase your industry knowledge, would could encourage visitors to use your business. However, focus on the usefulness on your video – don’t second guess what will make you the most money.
- Create a mailing list: for every new customer or client you gain, encourage them to join a mailing list. This provides you with valuable information about the type of people who are interested in subscribing to your business and what they are actively clicking through onto. It also enables you to promote your wider social media platforms and website to them directly, keeping them up-to-date with anything your business has to offer.
Promoting a startup business is certainly a much more virtual task than it was a few decades ago. Nowadays it’s about engaging with online communities to promote your name online, as well as in the physical world. Encouraging likes and shares from local businesses and community groups can help put your business’ name out to others who otherwise may not have come across you before. However, aside from likes and shares, remember to get out there and attend trade shows and engage with potential customers face-to-face.