You’ve had a great idea you’ve turned into a business. But if no-one knows about how brilliant you are, you’re just the world’s best secret. Here are some ideas on how to get the word out without spending the Earth.
A fertile ground for sharing ideas, connecting with like-minded people and offering a platform for your business, free networking events are a good place to start. Eventbrite is a useful resource to find them, and small business bodies like the Federation of Small Businesses often host taster events. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Why not host your own event?
Its free and flexible format makes online social networking an ideal resource for promotion. But choose carefully. We suggest you do one channel well rather than several badly. Do you have time to maintain several channels in a compelling and useful way that ties into your business strategy? Also, ensure it’s a two-way exchange – don’t just shout at your audience, try to start conversations.
Paying for promotion offers success – as long as you’re targeting the right audience on the right platform for your money. At Work.Life, our interactive screens and noticeboards are an effective way to raise awareness about your business – and they’re free. Placed at the heart of each location, you can guarantee footfall, noticeability and a receptive network on your doorstep.
‘Free’ doesn’t have to be a scary word. In fact, it could reap exponential benefits. Offering a taster of your expertise for, say 30 minutes, gives you a forum to share your offering and a chance for potential clients to find out more for no obligation. It starts a conversation and relationship that could turn into more.
How about offering a day of your time for free for any client that refers you to a new paying customer? It means your current client further benefits from your expertise while you could potentially reach new markets.
This form of promotion sees two or more businesses piggybacking on each other’s client base. For example, Business A, a life coaching company, has an arrangement with Business B, a personal trainer, to offer an hour’s free coaching session to B’s clients. Reciprocally, B provides a complimentary half hour of gym training to A’s customers.
Working together in this way is a great means of discovering potential new clients while your core offering is enhanced with complementary services.
Chocolate and alcohol has its place in prize draws but it’s definitely a jackpot if someone wins your product or service, right? Offering your skills as a prize is a great way to show community spirit – especially if it’s for a charity event – and an ideal way to get the word out about what you offer. Plus, you might also be mentioned in the press and publicity for the event – free extra promotion.
Get your creative juices flowing and devise some devilishly unique ways to create a buzz about your business. There’s potential to get it covered by the media or a video that could go viral. Your idea should be focused, legal and show off what your brand is about. If you’re on a budget it can be as simple as fun giveaways or some cool merch.
If you think a school, charity or community group could benefit from your experience, why not offer to speak at an upcoming event? This is not about hard sell but sharing your business skills and advice with a receptive audience. It’s great practice for speaking in front of a crowd, takes a limited time out of your day, and sets you apart as a business that cares about giving back to their community.
With time a premium, sometimes just picking up the phone or sending an email is the best way to introduce yourself. With Work.Life’s soundproof booths you can call in privacy and our reliable WiFi means you’ll always be connected. But make sure any communication is targeted and personal – no ‘insert name here’. And we’re social at Work.Life – face-to-face approaches are also one of our favourite ways to get noticed!
Good luck!
