What Is One Thing You Can Do To Start Promoting Your Business Or Brand Or Yourself Right Now?
Here’s the thing when it comes to marketing: yes, getting the maximum return on your efforts is always important. But not doing anything because you’re obsessing over ensuring you’re perfect before you launch so you don’t actually launch anything is worse than just getting yourself out there and adjusting as needed.
Now, some marketing costs can be tons of money. This doesn’t mean go spend $10K on a marketing plan. And it doesn’t mean be totally irresponsible and reckless. This just means start with something and go from there. You don’t have to fit into a perfect box to start. If anything, over-polished and over perfect has been found to be less effective as people prefer more genuine connections.
Really, how many times do you watch a commercial or see something on social media, or read an ad and go “Wow, the production value of this video is so high! What amazing editing! I’m going to go shop at that store because they cast such a pretty actress!”
Most likely, if you are like most people in the world today, you are going to shop at that store because they have what you need in a price range that works for you, and you like what they offer, and their products are good and worth your time and effort and money being spent there.
Beyond that, if they are cool people, and you support them as people too (for small businesses but even for larger box stores), or if you really love their work or their products you might start shopping there or calling them more often or something like that.
The same goes for the people who see you out in the world. They are going to hire you because you have a good product that they need at a price point they can afford, and they will stick around because it is quality service.
So how can you start?
Here’s a simple list of things you can do, and you can pick just one to start:
Go to a networking meeting or event in your local community
Join your local Chamber of Commerce
Run a print ad in a local magazine
Sponsor a local school or non-profit event
Go to an expo as a vendor sharing your work or go as an attendee with business cards and connect with people
Set up a sales funnel and a landing page on your website
Set up a social media account and use it to show your work (and you!)
Join Facebook groups and engage with actual people in them
Join NextDoor and connect with your neighbors and other local businesses
Send out email updates to past clients offering them a referral fee or other bonus for new clients, or offering them new services or sales
Offer an email update list people can sign up for (and then use it to send email updates)
Join local networking groups in your community
Join industry networking groups for your industry
Go to events or trade shows and connect with people
Some of those are free, some cost money, but any one of them will start you with meeting the people you need to connect with to get your business or brand out there!
For anything, remember that in life you usually have to spend time or you have to spend money. Allocate which you can spend, and pick the thing you want to start with. Then go from there! Pick your next thing, and do that.
As you grow you can get more detailed. And if you have a bigger budget, you can hire people to support you, or you can more meticulously plan. But even as you do that, make sure you’re being intentional in the money you’re investing and put it where you’ll reach people in a genuine way and they can connect with you and become clients or customers.