There are many creative ways to advertise a new business.
When you start a new business, one of the most important concerns is find customers or help your customers find you. You should give careful consideration to who your customers are and how best to reach them. You probably thought about this before you opened, but there are some special techniques that can help get the word out once you're open for business.
Non-Traditional Advertising
Because your business is new, think about non-traditional ways to get the word out. For example, you could host an open house to introduce your business to the community, hire teens to distribute door hangers in your target neighborhood(s) or have T-shirts made that advertise your business and sell them at cost or give them away. You also could hire someone to stand in front of your store with a sign and wave at passing drivers. If your business is near a train station or bus stop, you could hand out flyers to commuters.
Think outside the box. For example, if you have a pet-walking service, parade dogs down the street with signs advertising your business.
Networking
Get involved in your local neighborhood or business association to meet fellow business owners. Often these type of organizations will sponsor workshops on topics such as marketing your business in a particular area. You may also find another owner who is willing to mentor you.
When a local business district is strong, all businesses benefit. If there is no organization like this in your area, consider starting one and approach other successful owners to ask for their participation.
Print vs. Viral Marketing
You can see if your local newspaper will run a feature story on your new venture, but the importance of print advertising is declining, so you also may wish to invest in viral marketing. Collect email lists and begin to grow your customer base this way. Offer a small incentive for customers who share their email addresses. Make a video of your business in action and upload it to YouTube.
Remember, it takes many reminders before customers are motivated to act, so advertising should be an ongoing process for your business.
Internet
Make sure that you have a website. Many people will check it out before visiting your store, or you can allow them to order from the site. It's important that you launch your site at the same time you open your doors so those who want to know more about the business can check it out.
Think of it as a virtual showroom. Make sure your website offers a good description of your products or services along with an obvious way to get in touch with you by either phone or email. Think about adding a coupon that potential customers can print out and bring in to drive traffic to your store. If you offer a service, profile the staff who provides the service so customers feel comfortable immediately.
Your site doesn't need to be big. You can start with a few web pages and add more as needed. If you are also selling your product online, you can use commercially available "shopping cart" software to handle the payment aspects.
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