Excited to start your new business in the coming year? Whether you’re forming your company as a sole proprietorship or a Limited Liability Company (LLC), promoting a new business takes strategizing and fresh ideas. Otherwise, it’s challenging to get your new business noticed. Here are 10 ways to promote a new small business in 2021.
Business Name
Not to be overdramatic, but your business’s name could mean the difference between failure and success. You want to pick a name that not only tells consumers (whether B2B or B2C) what your company does but also targets the right customers and is a name you can build your brand around. Once you’ve narrowed the name down, don’t forget to research it with the state you intend to start your business in to see if anyone else has registered the name. If they haven’t, make sure you do! And if your goal is regional or national growth, check to see if the name is registered in the other states you intend to expand into.
Website
There is no doubt, today you must have a website for your business—it’s the first place potential customers will look to find out more about you. Think of your website as the business’s front door. Your business’s website needs to inform, excite, and promote your business’s products and/or services, so make sure you get expert advice on what to include.
Social Media
Depending on your type of business and your target audience, most of your digital marketing efforts will start with social media, but it’s important to know the platforms’ demographics.
- Facebook was the be-all of social media, if your target customers are teens or consumers in their early 20s, you won’t find many of them on Facebook anymore.
- Twitter users are primarily 18-24 and then 30-49.
- If you’re a B2B company, LinkedIn is a must.
- If you want to reach women of all ages, try Pinterest.
- Instagram users are primarily 18-29.
- Most Snapchat users are 15-25 years old.
Once you’ve created your social media pages, don’t forget to post consistently and study the platforms’ analytics to see where you’re getting the most activity. Then you can focus your efforts on the platforms where you know your customers are spending the most time.
Video Marketing
With 73% of all adults in the U.S. using YouTube, it’s apparent how crucial it is to create a video marketing plan. Not sure what kinds of videos to show your customers? As a new business, you have great options! Introducing your team, setting up your office, unpacking product boxes are all videos that humanize your company and show how excited you are about your new business. Then once you’re up and running, you can tape demonstrations of products or services, customer testimonials, and announcements of special promotions and events.
Blogging
Promoting your business online means creating ways for consumers to discover you online. Yes, advertising works, but you need to include content on your website for organic promotional purposes. Blogging increases SEO power and improves your website’s search ranking. Blogging also shows potential customers you are an expert in your field and on top of the latest trends. Once you post a blog, promote it on your social media platforms to increase traffic to your website.
Print Advertising
While major metro newspapers are still selling advertising, the prices for a money-strapped new business are likely prohibitive. Check your local city papers for more affordable options. Local papers often offer promotional deals to attract local business advertising.
Direct Mail
If you’ve noticed you’re getting more direct mail advertising, it’s because direct mail has had a resurgence in popularity in recent years. Postcards, sales letters, and brochures can be an effective way to get the word out about your new business—especially if you include a coupon or other promotional enticement. You can also check with local coupon companies, like Valpak, that send out multiple offers in one mailing. The U.S. Postal Service also offers direct mail options.
Online Advertising
There are several options available for effective online ads. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising targets customers using specific keywords in the ads—you pay when a customer clicks on the ad. For banner ads, check with websites that reach your target market for their ad rates. Search engine advertising, like Google Ads, have comprehensive campaign strategies and will help you craft and place ads to get results.
Email Marketing
Because you’re starting, it’s tempting to buy lists from a third-party list company. Marketing experts warn against buying these lists. Also, emailing random people you don’t have permission to contact may flag your business as a scam or label your email as spam. That’s a fast way to ruin your reputation. A better idea is to slowly build an email list of interested customers on your own. Include a form on your website for customers to get more information and then get their permission to be added to your email database. Ask customers to join your mailing list at every opportunity, whether that’s in person, in your video promotions, and on social media. Make sure when you send out email promotions you abide by CAN-SPAM
Local Search
Some of the places customers look for new business recommendations are online local search directories such as Yelp, Google My Business, Bing Places, and Yahoo Local. Make sure the directories have all your correct and current information such as address, hours of operation, and phone number. Potential customers tend to ask many questions on these search directories and go on to another company if you don’t answer quickly.
Establishing and marketing your new business takes a lot of time and effort, so let CorpNet help you with the organization and compliance details like filing important documents. Contact us today!
