Marketing is one of the hardest parts of running a business for many entrepreneurs. After all, the human mind is a very complicated thing, and people who focus on learning to run a business rarely have the time to study psychology as well. Fortunately, there are a few broad methods that have been shown to work. They all offer a lot of room for personalization, so you can use your creativity to help make your business stand out from the pack.
Design Promotional Merchandise
People love to get free stuff, so handing out promotional merchandise is a great way to build goodwill. There are a lot of different options, but the items should be distinctive enough to remind people of your business and see frequent use so they act as constant reminders. Pens are perfect for that, but printed bags and any other household item can also be useful. Try to make your designs as tasteful as possible to make sure people are comfortable using them, but you must also make them unique and tie them to your business. That can be hard, so it may be wise to consider hiring a designer to help you get through the process.
Host Events
Successful businesses often become fixtures in the community, and businesses that engage with the community tend to become more successful. You can take advantage of that trend by hosting local events, either by holding them at your place of business or by sponsoring them elsewhere. That makes sure that everyone in the area knows your name, and a successful event can make people like you much more.
You can often get the best results by hosting events that tie into your business in some way, but that isn’t always necessary. Simple charity events are a great way to build your reputation even if they don’t relate to your professional activities. You may even be able to get volunteers from the public to help you with the work if you are doing it for a good cause!
Viral Strategies
Going viral is the holy grail of modern marketing. It allows you to teach a huge number of people at a remarkably low cost. It is also one of the hardest things to do. While you can’t count on being on the front page of every social media service, you can do a lot of good by using viral techniques to get people to talk about your products.
Marketing your product over social media can help, especially if you make those advertisements funny. People often share ads that make them laugh, which creates the viral buzz. Some businesses may also be able to get some free marketing by sending their products to content creators on social media, who will then use the products or show them off to their viewers.
Use Franklin’s Method
Promoting a business requires you to understand how the human brain works. Ben Franklin discovered an interesting mental trend that is useful for marketing, and smart businesses owners and salesmen have been using it ever since. The Ben Franklin effect occurs when you get someone else to do a favor for you. That causes them to like you more than they did before, and even more than they would if you had done a favor for them.
All you need to do is ask for something small as you go into meetings with people, such as getting them to hold the door for you or lend you a pen. Keep them small to make sure that people will do them and to make sure you still look competent and professional. A little goes a long way with this technique!
Offer Training
Consider offering free or discounted training classes for your products if you sell things that require skill to use. The students will get a good impression of you and be used to using your products instead of other brands, which encourages them to buy from you in the future. It also creates more demand for your goods, since people are much more likely to use things that they understand than those that they find difficult or confusing.
