Running a small business can be incredibly difficult in this climate. Unless you’re ready to really put yourself out there, your business can go unnoticed and the competition can take the lead.
Ever since the recession, jobs have been harder to come by, but the digital age has made it easier than ever to set up your own business. This means its more important than ever to learn how to stand out. More and more people are creating their own opportunities, meaning small businesses have more competition that ever.
Whether you’re a sole trader running a micro business, or own a small to medium enterprise, growth should always be on your mind.
One of the best ways to grow your profits is to spend time and money on getting your business noticed. While it’s always a good idea to work on customer retention, customer attraction is what is ultimately going to help you grow.
3 Ways To Get Your Business Noticed
Getting your business noticed can be done in many ways. If you’re not sure where your ideal clientele is, it’s best to do a bit of market research. If one method of customer attraction works better for you than others, aim to put about 80% of your effort into that and 20% into the less successful methods. It helps to have your finger in many pies, but it’s important to take note of what works and use your time and budget efficiently.
Attend Trade Shows
Trade shows are an excellent place for networking, and a great way to introduce yourself to customers. No matter what your business does, there will always be a trade show for it. If you don’t feel confident hosting a stand on your first visit, then attend on your own and get a feel for the place, meet your competitors and attend talks.
Hosting a stand at a trade show is an even better way to get your name out there. Bespoke exhibition stands will bring your business to life and help put you up there with the big players. Making your trade show stand look as professional as possible. Even if your business is a tiny outfit, if you’re up there with large corporations looking just as professional as they do, it’ll give a great impression and help you get seen.
Attract Customers on Social Media
All marketers will tell you that social media is where you need to be concentrating, and that’s correct to some extent. Social media is an ever-evolving beast, where the demographics vary wildly from platform to platform. For example, there are far fewer 18-year-olds spending their time on Facebook compared to TikTok, but if your key demographic is 55-year-olds, there will no doubt be more of them on Facebook than TikTok. It’s all about knowing where to find your audience.
While its important to have a social media presence, spending lots of time on a platform that doesn’t benefit you will only waste resources.
If you’re not sure where your audience is, pay a social media manager to find out, set up accounts on the right platforms and create an ongoing social media plan for customer attraction.
Get involved in the local community
People gravitate towards brands they feel they can trust, and gaining that trust tends to involve the customer feeling like they know your brand well. This means they need to see your brand around, get recommendations from people they know, and come into contact with your brand details naturally. The best way to help that happen is to get involved in community events.
There are a number or ways to do this, even if your business isn’t a bricks and mortar shop, or sells services over products. Whether you’re a plumber or a own a cafe (and everything in between) it’s easy to get involved with the community.
The best way to start is join local Facebook groups and look out community gatherings. If the local school is holding a fund raiser raffle – donate a prize. If there’s a Christmas fayre in your neighbourhood, ask if you can sponsor something there (perhaps you can pay for a hot chocolate station and have “sponsored by” sign on the table. Get creative and find new ways you can get your business involved with the local area. People trust things that feel familiar so getting seen any way you can is a priority.