How to promote business

                       

 A promotion strategy is a plan to create or increase demand for a product. It outlines the tactics you’ll use to raise awareness about your product and get people interested in buying it.

The goal of a promotion strategy is to introduce potential customers to your product and convince them to make a purchase. You want to move them along the buyer’s journey—the path customers take from realizing a need, considering your product as a solution, and finally deciding to buy.

Take advantage of local listings

Register your business with Google — it's the new yellow pages. It allows potential customers to find your company's location and hours of operation easily. Customers can also post reviews of your business. By setting up a Google My Business, Opens overlay account, you can make your company more visible in online searches, extending your reach with a free form of advertising.

                                       

Use social media

Over time, social media has become less of a nice-to-have and more of a business necessity. These platforms allow you to actively inform, attract and engage with your followers. Best of all, it is completely free to set up a business account on most social media sites, making it one of the more affordable ways to advertise your business. Creating paid posts and other forms of social media ads will still require an investment, however.

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS ONLINE

Even with your website, blog, social media and online review system set up, there are even more ways to promote your business online. Even small businesses can use online advertising to strengthen their brand, reach new clients and stand out in a crowded market. It isn’t free, but with the level of targeting that is possible, you can typically keep costs low and make the most of your money.

Facebook ads can be very targeted to a certain group of people while Google Ads can utilize keywords that your target audience is searching for. There’s also advertising on LinkedIn and Instagram with banner or retargeting ads to keep your business in front of your customers, as well as chatbots that you can implement on your website to grab your audience’s attention and keep it by answering questions in real time or providing discounts when they visit your site or social media page.

Sales that create a sense of urgency

Another way to promote your business and drive purchases is by offering flash sales. Because they're for such a limited time, flash sales create a sense of urgency and encourage customers to complete a purchase right away, before the sale ends. You can promote these sales across your social media channels and via email. Flash sales may apply to a specific product, which can also be a great way to move inventory that's been hanging around.

Get local and online press

 

                      

Press is a great way to promote your business within your industry and with potential customers. Have you recently expanded your product line? Opened a new location? Sponsored a local charitable event? Send out a press release to see if your local newspaper or magazine might cover it.

The hard part of this business promotion strategy is that you actually have to offer some newsworthy content to get in local press pieces. To avoid over-promotion, save the good stuff to send over infrequently so your updates seem more newsworthy.

Network often

Networking helps you build connections with those that could support your brand and may be willing to provide referrals. Attend business-related seminars, and seek networking events that allow you to converse with like-minded individuals. Hand out your business cards to give others that physical reminder they need to visit your website or contact you for details about your business.

Offer discounts

Discounts are a cost-effective way to gain more customers. Select products or services that aren't selling especially well, then create discounts to encourage customer visits. Send mailers about the discounts, and post them across your social media accounts. Not only does this method help you clear out underperforming inventory, but it also helps spread the word about your brand.