How to Advertise for a Small Business
Advertising for a small business is the same as for any other business, except, in most cases, small businesses have much smaller budgets. This means that they need to strategically choose more cost-effective advertising methods that are right for their products and services. There are a wide variety of advertising mediums to choose from, including print, broadcast and online advertising channels. You need to be creative when promoting your business to the local community and beyond.
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Instructions
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Start by identifying your target customer. Be sure you can answer questions about the demographics, shopping habits, wants and needs. Look online for research about media consumption habits as well.
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Determine your budget. Figure out how much money you can spend on your advertising campaign before you start. Set a budget and stick to it.
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Develop a website. This seems obvious, but some companies still don't have websites, which is crucial for small businesses. Don't start advertising until you've built, or hired someone to develop, your site.
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One of the best ways to advertise your product or service is to hand out a sample for free. For example, if you're in the plumbing business, you can give away a free report on your website entitled, "How to fix leaks before they start." This can be a digital file that you create yourself, saving you money on advertising costs.
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Research your successful competitors to see how they're advertising. If your biggest competitor is sending out direct mail pieces and advertising on the radio, then consider replicating these methods.
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Experiment with a mix of different advertising methods, based on the preferences of your customer base, your budget and what your competitors are doing. If your target customers tend to spend a significant amount of time online (information you can find by conducting strategic searches on the Internet), then create an online advertising campaign with Google AdWords. If your customer base reads trade magazines, then consider creating a magazine ad to reach these consumers. Try out different methods such as TV, radio, direct mail, billboards and newspaper, journal and online ads. Effective advertising should focus on the benefits that your product or service offers your customers.
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Use free advertising methods. Place on advertisement on several free online classified ad sites. You also may rely on word-of-mouth, which means reaching out to your contacts and talking to them about your business. Tell them about a special you're offering and ask family and friends to spread the word about your business. You can never get too much free publicity.
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References
Resources
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