Best ways to advertise a small business
Are you starting a business on a low budget or you’re in need of ways to advertise your small business? Business promotion is one of the biggest challenges small businesses face.
But you don’t need to worry as this post got you covered with the one that works.
Whether you’re just starting out your business or you have been running your business for years, these proven advertising strategies will help your business find new customers without spending a fortune.
The types of advertising this post will be featuring include;
- Traditional Advertising
- Online Advertising
- Social Media Advertising
- Local Advertising
- Outdoor Advertising
Here are the 20 best ways to advertise a small business;
Traditional Advertising
Traditional advertising is a mass media that delivers commercial messages to mass audiences. Mass media is also referred to as “paid media.” It includes television, outdoor billboards, radio, and print media.
The following are some of the best traditional advertising strategies for a small business:
Sponsor a Radio Contest or Giveaway
One of the best ways to advertise a small business is by sponsoring a contest for radio listeners. Offer one of your business’ products as a prize or sponsor a special prize such as a trip or a cruise in exchange for the radio station crediting your business.
Find the Right Format for a Newspaper Ad
Newspapers are a great medium for reaching local customers. Restaurants, cafes, and bars owners can target the weekend entertainment section. Service providers can target classified ads, which are particularly cost-effective.
Some newspapers offer paid announcement options that allow businesses to sponsor written content to educate people on a solution to an issue.
Sponsor a Trade Show or Industry Event
What if your small business is focused on a particular industry or niche rather than a geographic area? Exhibiting your business and products at trade shows or sponsoring industry events is tailor-made for you.
Set up a Customer Referral Program
You can offer your existing customers free products, free months of service, or some other reward for bringing in new customers.
Also, keep in mind that word of mouth is powerful stuff, so friends informing friends about your business is very valuable.
Online Advertising
Online advertising is a form of marketing and advertising which makes use of the Internet to deliver promotional marketing pitches to consumers.
It is also known as online marketing, digital advertising, Internet advertising, or web advertising,
Set Up a Google My Business Page
Your Google My Business profile is a free local online advertising tool that can make users find you on Google in a couple of ways.
But, that’s not the only way this free local online advertising platform can help you win over local customers.
You can include the Q&A section of your Google Business Profile to emphasize important features and boost customer confidence.
You can also post events, photos, products, and promotions to your profile to give customers more reasons to do business with you.
CPA Advertising
CPA which is sometimes referred to as cost per action/acquisition is an online advertising measurement and pricing model that refers to a specified action.
Some of the actions it refers to include sales, clicks, or form submits (e.g. contact request, newsletter sign up, registration, etc.)
The goal to be reached is set up by the advertiser. Some of the action CPA advertising platforms offer to advertisers includes;
1. Download – Cost Per Download (CPD)
2. Sales – Cost Per Sales (CPS)
3. Signup – Cost Per Registration (CPR)
4. Traffic – Cost Per Click (CPC)
5. Call – Cost Per Call
To start CPA advertising and to start benefiting from the various types of CPA Ads, you will require a well-known company in that niche. One of the best CPA Advertising companies out there is Adbirt.
It is a CPA advertising platform that helps advertisers achieve their goals at their own budget. On this platform, advertisers can set up a campaign with as little as $0.1.
To create an account, you just need to visit Adbirt.com and sign up as an advertiser.
Then create an account, fund your wallet, create your first ads, and set your budget.
After creating an account, you can now create your first campaign and let affiliates or publishers promote your brand/products across their websites, blog, and all social media platforms.
You also get charged only when your action is performed on your Ad.
Purchase Search Advertising
Purchasing search advertising is another one of the best ways to advertise a small business. Google AdWords or Bing Ads bring potential customers who are actively searching for certain items.
These ads help your business show up on searches for when people search for relevant phrases you bid on.
Use Basic SEO on your website
SEO (search engine optimization) means setting up your web pages so that search engines can easily crawl through the content of the pages and place your web page on the search engine result page.
Although some organizations spend a lot of money on SEO, there are some things you can do yourself to improve the SEO of your site. Some of them include;
- Using a different title for each page on your website
- Using keywords people search for in the page title
- Placing those keywords well in your web pages.
Email Marketing
To start email marketing, you need to Sign up for an email service and send an email newsletter and/or promotional offers to your potential and existing customers.
Do make sure you ask for authorization to send an email before adding any person’s email name on your list.
One of the best ways to build a permission-based email list of people is to give something away. It could be a free ebook or even a free tip-sheet on how to accomplish something related to your business.
Social Media Advertising
Almost everyone has a social media account (whether it is Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, or any other social media platform. The following are some of the best social media advertising strategies:
Advertise on Facebook
Facebook is the most well-known social media platform with over 1.4 billion daily users. Advertising options for small businesses range from placing ads that promote your product to boosting the reach of a post— starting at under $10.00.
While you’ll have to spend more than $10 for better results, the point is that Facebook ad campaigns can fit your small business budget.
Use LinkedIn Ads
For businesses that are looking for professionals or other businesses, LinkedIn ads will be a nice thing to try out. Though it is more expensive than other social platforms, LinkedIn ads may be more targeted than other social media platforms.
For B2B businesses, they may be really worth the trial.
Work with Influencers on a Campaign
Working with influencers is another one of the best ways to advertise a small business. You should work with influencers that are relevant to your target audience to spread the word about a certain campaign.
Find influencers with a substantial following and urge them to share their experience with your product. Be sure to disclose per FTC Rules, as required.
Local Advertising
Local advertising is another form of advertising that includes business card promotion and sponsoring local events. The following are some of the many local advertising strategies and methods out there;
Make the Most of Business Cards
Business cards can fill in as low budget advertising. You can also include a discount code on the back of your business card, and place a stack on your reception desk or checkout counter.
People will definitely pick one up if there’s an incentive. Or you can give every satisfied customer a few of your business cards (with or without a discount code) so they can give their neighbors and friends. It’s a nice way to encourage referrals.
Forge Industry Partnerships
Forging industry partnerships is one of the best ways to advertise a small business. Collaborate with a business related to your industry (but not a direct competitor) for a joint project.
You can do this locally offline via a special event, online with a webinar or promotional giveaway. Partnering with another business means you’ll get twice as much notice.
If you’re teaming up with an industry-relevant business, you’re getting acquainted with an entirely new audience related to your niche.
Sponsor a Local Event
Sponsoring a local event is another one of the best ways to advertise a small business. Donate financially towards local charitable or community events or you can donate an in-kind product.
By donating one of your products, you’ll likely get signage or otherwise get your business in front of participants. And you’ll also get the gratification of supporting a community cause.
Become Actively involved in Professional groups
Being very active in professional groups will give you more opportunity to meet possible prospects. But keep in mind that opportunists are quickly spotted for what they are, and get little business.
While you won’t want to become involved in many groups that need a lot of your time in, you can –and should– create real contributions to all of them by providing useful ideas and helping with projects when possible. Being active in local groups can bring you a beneficial word of mouth marketing.
List Your Business in the Yellow Pages
Printed Yellow Pages may reduce in popularity but they are not gone. They are evolving into the online world. To increase visibility, get a free listing and then examine testing out a larger listing space.
Outdoor Advertising
Outdoor advertising includes all forms of advertising that are placed outdoor for a large number of people to see. The following are sone of the best outdoor advertising strategies and ideas;
Add Signage to Your Location
Here is another one of the best ways to advertise a small business. The area right outside your store or business is very important. Make sure to comply with any local zoning rules and then put in a well-lit and visible sign that advertises your business admiringly.
Purchase Billboard Space
To get your promotional message in front of local customers, you can buy space on a local billboard. This is especially suitable for drive-by businesses, like convenience stores or restaurants.
Wrap Your Vehicle
If your business has vehicles that take you to service jobs, like plumbing or HVAC trucks, you can buy vehicle wraps that transform your mode of transportation into a mobile advertisement.
Better yet, always park your wrapped vehicle in front of your business store or location when it’s not in use.
Conclusion
With this post on 20 Best ways to advertise a small business, you can now take your small business to greater heights.
You can start by testing out each of the strategies featured in this post, then double down on what works best.