Tag: advertising strategies

What to Do When Advertising Is Not Enough

Scott Asai2 Comments

Collaborative post – may contain affiliate links

No matter where you look, you’ll stumble across hundreds, if not thousands of tips to help your new business grow. These tips range from the obvious (of course you need a website) to those that bring a eureka moment (failure is an essential part of success, for example). If you’re trying to improve your business you need to recognize which tips are most suited to your situation, as every business is slightly different. 

But, if there’s one thing that connects companies great and small, it’s marketing. Without marketing, your business will never increase your customer base. You won’t be able to spread brand awareness, and you won’t experience the growth you planned. One element of marketing is advertising, but what can you do when advertising is not enough? 

Improve Your Look 

You (and your team) will be many people’s first exposure to your business, and if you don’t look the part, why would anyone want to do business with you? Although many discuss a society that doesn’t care about looks, it’s difficult to make significant and lasting changes so quickly. 

And this is why making sure you look the part and meet client or customer expectations is so important. Depending on your industry, you can make an excellent first impression by providing employee uniforms. Brick and mortar stores can enhance curb appeal by freshening up their storefront with a fresh coat of paint. 

The more you improve your look, the more people will respect you. It might be an unconscious bias they hold, but such biases will work in your favor. 

Rethink Your Approach 

Perhaps your problem is not the advertisement itself. The ad might be the best ad that customers have ever seen, yet it doesn’t resonate with them the way you hoped. This is fine, not everyone loves everything; this is a fact of life. 

But, rather than stubbornly stick to your guns, you can make changes by rethinking your marketing approach. There are multiple ways you can market your product, service, or even your brand. Things like Media Duplication Services or going back-to-basics and relying on traditional marketing efforts can offer something new. 

Your customers are certainly bombarded by digital ads wherever they go, so trying something different will feel like a breath of fresh air and could be the difference between a successful ad, and one that ends up in the bargain bin.  

Diversify Your Placements 

Previous ad approaches used commercials, radio, and billboards, among others. But times have changed. People don’t watch TV as much as they used to, and when they do, they prefer streaming services rather than live feeds. Likewise, the road trip radio is making way for carefully curated playlists, so you need to think of other ways to promote your product. 

Luckily, you have the power of social media to help you. Yes, we mentioned your customers are bombarded with ads like this, but you can still use this to your advantage. 

It might be that your ads are not on the right platforms. It’s well known that Facebook has been taken over by the Boomers, but Instagram or Tik Tok? This is where Millennial-owned businesses can thrive. Don’t neglect the power of popularity and test your ad placement in new spheres. 

Plan Your Content 

Content creation is hard. You get an idea that sounds like the one, only to find out that you already did something like this a few months ago. This can affect SEO ranking and cause customers to wonder if they’ve wandered into Groundhog Day. 

With a content calendar, you never need to worry about this ever again. Not only will you know what you have already posted, but you’ll also know when which will prevent sharing posts or images too soon. 

Your content calendar also allows you to prepare something to launch later in the year. Holidays and events can come around quicker than you expect, but if you start work on them early, you’ll have everything ready once the clock strikes midnight, allowing you to be the first one to make a statement. 

Work With Consultants 

Sometimes, you cannot see the forest for the trees. No matter how many angles you look at, you can’t figure out what is wrong with your ads. Not every business owner has the humility to bring in a consultant, but those that do will usually find better success. 

A consultant will provide expert advice and guide you in the right direction. This means you don’t waste hours of time and resources chopping and changing things. Instead, you can get to the bottom of your issues quickly and see the desirable results. 

You may encounter a problem with the consultant’s cost; they don’t come cheap. But, you may want to consider whether the cost is worth it to help your business thrive. 

Improve Your Reputation 

No one wants to purchase goods or services from a company that shows a blatant disregard for equality, for the climate, for worker’s rights, and just about everything else that’s in the news cycle. You might have wanted to avoid controversy by keeping any feelings to yourself, but passionate customers will tell you that this is just as bad. 

A damaged reputation can take years to repair, and even if you do, there will be some people who still don’t want to use your business. If your ads aren’t working, it could be a symptom of your public perception. 

Customers and clients want to work with companies that stand for something and show strong morals and ethics. If you’re trying to appeal to a certain demographic, it pays to know what they value in a business. But, your matching values must be genuine, because consumers will see right through you otherwise. 

Retrain Your Customer Service Team 

Every customer service agent has had customers scream that they are never using your store again. Many would even say it is a rite of passage, and you’re not a true customer service worker if this has never happened to you. 

You can laugh about these customers, especially when you see them in the store the following week, but this doesn’t mean your customers will not require some important retraining every once in a while. This is no comment on their ability, but rather their conflict resolution skills. 

Many customer service reps are kids fresh out of college, and they can struggle with the seemingly constant berating. If you provide training, you can give them the tools to minimize blow-ups, which will prevent unhappy customers and therefore prevent any unfortunate word-of-mouth (if untrue) rumors spreading about your business. 

Be Honest 

Honesty is the best policy that all companies should consider, and this applies to your advertising. Using dishonest tactics to sell your product will cause news to travel fast. With this, it doesn’t matter how eye-catching your marketing is, no one will want to use it. 

Bad news travels fast, and whether you sell a product on Amazon or via your website (or both) bad reviews can severely affect your standing. 

You should also be careful when responding to dissatisfied customers. As frustrating as it can be when dealing with people who never seem happy, remaining professional and stating the facts as opposed to hearsay, demonstrates professionalism and can support your case when striving for honesty. 

Actually Deliver On Promises 

Businesses should also be sure to deliver on promises. This is something that applies to every step in your company journey. If you tell a client you will send them a proposal or completed project, make sure you do it. If you have a predicted shipping time, fulfill this promise. 

Some business experts will tell you to underpromise and overdeliver. There is truth to this, especially when just getting started. However, this can lead to complacency. If you believe you can do it by a specific date or time, proving it will help your business thrive. 

Of course, some things can upset your promises. Usually, they are unavoidable, but this doesn’t mean you can just shrug your shoulders. Instead, act fast and inform the customer. They will be much more understanding. 

Get Accredited 

With the number of businesses cropping up every day, it can be challenging for customers to know which companies are legitimate and which are trying to cash in. 

Getting accredited will add legitimacy to your business, and this allows your ads and marketing to carry more weight. If you bring these accreditations and certifications into your marketing with banners and medals, you will immediately stand out from competitors. 

Some businesses will find images of these online and photoshop them in. This is something to avoid at all costs, as it will only harm your business in the future. 

Doing More 

Every business owner, whether they are brand new or have years of experience, should identify how they can do more to build their business. Even the most simple services have evolved throughout their existence. If you want to ensure your business continues to grow and thrives in the ever-changing industry landscape, you must recognize how to make changes, especially when things are not working.

Four Ways To Advertise Your Business

Scott Asai2 Comments

Collaborative post – may contain affiliate links

Advertising your business is a challenge in this day and age because there is so much competition to deal with both online and offline. As much as it can be more of an advantage to set up a business, getting it seen is a different matter. Here are four ways to advertise your business and give it the best chance of being noticed.

Customized Freebies

When it comes to taking your business to events, whether that be conferences, networking events, or events that you set up yourself, having your brand everywhere is important. It’s especially so when you’re competing against other brands and businesses. Customized freebies are certainly a good way to get your business noticed, especially when they are products like alexasprings.com. You want to pick customized freebies that are actually going to be used by the people you give them to, rather than it being a keyring that might end up in the bin or in the bottom of someone’s kitchen drawer for years. Get creative because everyone loves a good freebie, and when your brand is on the front of it, it needs to be something that’s memorable and not be a waste of money.

Collaborate With Other Companies

Collaborations are important to a business because they can often be the cause of receiving a wave of new customers and traffic to the business. Those potential customers can be created by collaborating with other companies either in your industry or with similar audiences. If you can find something where you and the other company can benefit, it’s worth collaborating. Of course, there’s always competition out there, but that doesn’t mean you can’t collaborate with them or with others to mutually benefit both businesses or all of those collectively involved.

Get Active On Social Media

Social media can offer a lot for your business, but it’s important you use it and you learn how to use it properly. Being active on social media through the various channels can be a great way of building an audience and boosting your presence not just on a national scale but also on a global scale. Look at what platforms might work for your business and focus on them, rather than dipping into every single social platform out there. Some will work for you, whilst others might not be worth investing your time in yet.

Boost Word Of Mouth

Word of mouth is quite possibly one of the best forms of advertising because it requires nothing from you, and it’s free. Boosting word of mouth though is something that is going to take time, and it’s also something you’re going to want to work on with your current customers. Building those relationships with your customers is important, and when you get to that point where you’ve created a community, it can have a ripple effect. Focus on your customers, and you’ll likely boost word of mouth.

Advertising your business is essential to its growth and success, so use these to help it along.

Can You Turn Your Smallholding Into A Money Making Startup?

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Collaborative post – may contain affiliate links

Many of us love the idea of getting back to nature, being a little more self-sufficient and learning the skills to help us grow our own vegetables. A select few will take their organic dreams to the next level and will seek to make money from their newfound nature adventure. Turning your passion for growing vegetables into a business is easier said than done. A smallholding is just that; it’s small and is designed to provide vegetables for you and your family. Scaling up is a tougher endeavor. Read on to discover how you could take your foray into self-sufficiency and turn it into a new and thriving startup.

What Makes Money?

Potatoes and carrots may be easy to grow, but they won’t be a very profitable unit to sell. Instead, consider the most cost effective things to grow or produce which you can then sell on for a hefty profit. Consider purchasing a flock of egg laying hens and selling their highly coveted deposits a half dozen at a time. If you are interested in poultry, look into the more unique breeds that produce more interesting flavors of eggs. The Golden Comet hen is a great all rounder that produces fine yields for sale. Forget the tomatoes and cucumbers, and utilize your greenhouse for more exotic courgette flowers, eggplants and chili peppers. The more unique produce will command a higher price at a farmers market.

Think Big

Scaling up your operation can seem like a challenge. However, by pacing yourself and walking before you run, you can manage a sensible and profitable increase in your produce, demand and custom. If you have the space, think about zoning out some of your acreage. By creating distinct zones, you could grow crops, produce eggs, have some milking cows, rear pigs and look into the growing market of edible flowers or herbs. You don’t have to do all of these things, but having the option means you always have space to diversify and expand. Look into the sorts of domestic and industrial farm sheds that you could build on your smallholding to house your equipment, tools and seeds. Scaling up means that you will have to create a secure and protected space to shield your stock from the elements.

Advertise

There is no point developing a farm or smallholding that generates such wonderful produce if there is no one willing to buy from you. You must get your business out there to begin generating the custom you need to make a success of your venture. Check out local farmers markets and get yourself a pitch. Get your new venture onto Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and show off your produce and wares. By displaying your eggs, marjoram and celeriac, you can join a network of local growers. There is strength in numbers when it comes to small businesses and you will find a supportive web of contacts to help you on your journey.

If you adore your smallholding and want to take it to the next level, start small and scale up gradually. Before long, you could have a solid customer base eagerly awaiting your next batch of organic eggs!

Smart Ways to Advertise to the Public

Scott Asai1 Comment

Collaborative post – may contain affiliate links

It’s in the best interest of your company to reach as many people as possible. While you’ll be doing a lot to advertise your business on the web, it’s important that you don’t overlook marketing your products and services in “the real world,” too, even if you’re an exclusively online organization (the people walking the streets also use the internet, let’s remember). And the good news is that there are plenty of smart ways you can advertise to people in your area, using innovative and creative campaigns. We take a look at a few methods below.

Guerilla Marketing

If you’re a young and innovative startup that’s intent on disrupting the game, then why not look at developing some street cred by engaging in a guerilla marketing tactics? There are plenty of ways you can do it — you can leave stickers in bars, hang posters on walls, or even hire a spray painter to create a custom piece. Of course, you’ll have to make sure that whatever you’re doing is legal, but if you’re more of an alternative company, then this could be the right way to go. More traditional companies should look elsewhere.

Driving Around

You’re going to spend a lot of time in your vehicle for both business and personal reasons. And just think: how many people do you think you drive past every day? While most people don’t look up at all the cars that pass them by, they do pay attention to the vehicles that seem to have something a bit different about them. Consider wrapping your car with your branding, and you’ll have an eye-catching vehicle that promotes your brand. If you’re located in a smallish area, then people will eventually recognize the car — and pay attention to the name on the side, too.

At Your Space

Your offices or worksite may fundamentally be a place for you to work, and not generally open to the public, but it doesn’t always have to be this way. One effective way to gain interest in your business is to host events at your premises. This could be a social event (wine and music), a market stall, or business event — the type will depend on what your company does/what the space is suitable for. For maximum impact, you’ll want to subtly convey the message of your company by incorporating wall graphics and displays, and showcasing your products and services. You’ll have a fun event that will push your business forward, and also gain the interest of potential new customers.

Pop-Up Street Stalls

Finally, look at taking your company directly to the streets, if it’s appropriate. If you’ve done your market research correctly, then you’ll have a pretty solid idea of who it is you’re targeting. Set up a stall in an area that’s heavily populated by people who fall within that demographic, and showcase your company. To get the most interest, it’s best that you have something to offer to passersby, such as a free sample or trial of your product.