Editor’s Note: Here at Dispatches, we are always looking for ways to help our readers do things. For some of our readers, that means helping navigate the working world, for others, it means assisting in the ever challenging question,“what’s for dinner?” For still others, it means figuring out how to balance family life with everything else. In an effort to aid in all of these endeavors, we have collaborated on this article written specifically for our readers.
I’ve written before on how important it is to be aware of various kinds of marketing techniques. Marketing doesn’t have to be hard and you likely already possess most of the necessary skills (For example: making friends is a form of marketing yourself and sharing information is another form of marketing). As you read the rest of this, keep in mind marketing is simply a fancy way to say: conveying a message easily and effectively.
There are several things you are probably already doing that are core elements of marketing. If you aren’t already one or two these four things, consider exploring them. If you’re already doing all four, kudos!
Regularly Update Your Website
The consumers of today want new content like never before. But all too often, websites remain stale and lack interesting new features. If nothing else, make sure you update the copyright date. Nothing says outdated like a 2014 copyright in 2016.
You should be thinking of your website as a free advertising platform. Review the contents regularly and ask yourself if each element is still relevant to your business. The website should be easy to navigate and contain relevant and current content. You can also do a quick search on how to increase your search engine ranking or consider hiring a company to help you move higher up the result pages. Bonus: If you haven’t already searched your business on the various search engines, make it a habit. Use keywords, use the business name, use location. This will also give you a sneak peek into your competition.
Hire A Marketing Company
Many small businesses believe that they have to do all their marketing in-house. But even a one-person solopreneurship can benefit from at least consulting with a marketing expert. You might find the advice practical and the time not as cost prohibitive as you originally thought. (Did you know this consultation is something J & A Creative Group offers in person and online? Check it out!)
You could also consider taking the consultation a step further and actually hire a marketing company to take care of conveying your message easily and effectively. It’s not as tricky to do as it might sound. The ultimate goal is to make sure the match is a good one. A good marketing business will make sure there is a personality match, match of expectations and a match of time and resources. Of course, J & A Creative Group would love to be a good match for everyone, but the truth is we aren’t pizza or aa $100 bill and we won’t be a good fit for every company. If you’re looking ways to find a partner, check out nklik.
Nklik has entire pages dedicated to describing how to find the best firms in the business. A crucial note is to make sure the organization you are working with is not just working to drive more traffic to your website. You want to make sure the ultimate goal is to help visitors find what they’re looking for so that they’re more likely to work with you.
Use A Press Release Service
Small businesses tend to be exciting places. They’re dynamic and always looking for new opportunities. Consider all the new things a business owner does: creates a business, hires people, does something new and innovative. All of these elements are good reasons to write a press release. Most towns have a newspaper which includes items such as a Business Beat. While the reporter might not write an entire article about you or your business, getting even a few sentences can help you reach more customers and lends an air of legitimacy to your business.
Writing a press release can be scary. Of course, J & A Creative Group would love to help you with this task, but you might be looking for something bigger than just the release itself and that’s where a press release service could come in. Press release services send out news stories about your business to a bunch of relevant news outlets. These outlets then publish the story, getting the information about your company in front of your target audience. Press releases are great whenever a new business is launching, or whether you’re launching a new product.
Start Blogging
As mentioned earlier, people want genuine quality content from your business. Spamming the same old marketing material on your website isn’t the best use of your time and resources. A way to keep your content fresh is to consider adding a blog. Blogging is an excellent way to build up a following and generate interest in your business. Keep it regularly updated with great content and you’ll keep your existing and new subscribers interested. If you’re looking for blog ideas, J & A Creative Group can help you brainstorm an expansive list, but our top recommendations are:
- About your product or service
- Why you got started in your business
- How your customers or clients can get the most out of your product or service
- A day in the life (behind the scenes at your business)
- Anything new (new product line, new service, etc.)
Good luck!
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