Cutting through the noise of marketing and making your message stand out can sometimes feel like a challenge. Especially when you’re trying to reach new markets. Trust me when I say you’ve never exhausted all your options! There is always a new way to reach your target market, you just need to think! Luckily we’ve done the thinking for you, so you can get on with getting more sales.
For our third installation of our promotions series we’re back with our final set of tips in the “80 Ways To Boost Sales” series. So here they come! Our remaining 26 tips to get publicity for your business:
Related: 80 Ways To Boost Your Sales – Promotion Ideas (Part 1); 80 Ways To Boost Sales – Direct Marketing (Part 2)
Set a meeting with the press. And no, I don’t mean sending them an email… Go to their office and talk to any members of the media. Let them know of your product, give out brochures and request for a feature in their publication. This may sound a little strong, but with plenty of competition, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to get ahead!
Send out a press release to online press release sites. If you’re not having any luck getting your business published in a local newspaper, why not send your press releases to online press release sites? There are thousands of them! Mashable have listed a few free ones for you!
Reach out to local celebrities and market leads. You might think they’re “unreachable”, but they’re not. Most of the local celebrities and market leaders are open to getting to know a new product, which they can advertise / promote on their social media pages and accounts.
Contact bloggers and vloggers. Bloggers and vloggers (video bloggers) may not be celebrities, but some of them have a huge following. In fact, a vlogger owns the most number of following in Youtube… not even a celebrity can compare, check out BF vs GF… These guys are the most followed channel on Youtube… So try reaching out to bloggers and vloggers as well and see if they’d like to promote your business in one of their posts. (note: Some have media kits or do contra…)
Create a blog. One to assist in positioning yourself as a leader in the industry is by creating a blog. Through your posts, you can explain the benefits that customers will get if they choose YOU vs. your competitors.
Related: 101 Blog Ideas like no other…
Create your own video channel. If you’re having difficulty finding a vblogger in your niche, why not create your own video channel? Starting one in Youtube is free… and with the channel, you can have your very own show!
Try your luck at SourceBottle. Source Bottle is one of the sites where you can get free publicity. The site connects you to journalists and bloggers so they can cite you as credible sources. We love SourceBottle!
Talk to schools. Depending on your target market, talking to schools is a great place to get mass exposure to mum’s, dad’s and students. Get involved in Newsletters, their social media make it exciting and students will usually tell their parents, resulting in more leads for you.
Go to industry related events. This is an obvious one! Be it free or paid, this one of the best ways to meet like-minded people. Free events are great for networking, but we recommend for serious business connections going to paid events. Also take advantage of trade shows, these can sometimes be expensive but they are full of great buyers who are ready to take your product on board! (FYI – Consumer trade shows don’t have the same cut through as industry only)
Choose a charity to support. Charities appreciate all the help they can get, especially if done from the heart. In return, charities usually include you in their speeches and website posts… so it’s a win-win. This also looks great for new prospects.
Put up a stall in a store. Some stores accept other businesses to put up a little stall inside their place of business. This is a great way to get publicity from their customers and to sell at the same time. Brand Build and Corso Mio did a great job of this in Melbourne recently. They even collaborated on social media. It was perfect!
Be a sponsor in an event. If you want a major publicity, sponsor an event where majority of the attendees fit your ideal customer. By doing this, you are helping the success of an event, and getting a huge boost in publicity as well.
Attend business forums. Be on the lookout for business forums in your area. These events usually have tickets, but are the best way to meet and engage with people who are already interested in your products. Tip: Prepare a lot of business cards!
Submit an article on a popular website. Some websites accept editorials written for them, so search for on that is related to your industry and submit an article. For higher chances of getting your write-up accepted, make sure that you tackle important issues, and only lightly include your business. Hot tip: title you subject heading “story idea”
Write an e-Book. eBooks are everywhere… but some of them are not free. To gain publicity, you must research about the pains of your customers, and write an eBook about it. This usually take time, but when done right (with loads of valuable information), they usually get passed on from one person to another.
Add your business website to your email signature. How many emails do you send in a day? There may be a lot. It’s time to use that opportunity in getting your business noticed by your correspondents. Add a link to your site, or better yet, add your business logo – Most businesses do this because it’s a no brainer… But if you’re not… change this now!
Share your thoughts on online forums. Much like attending business forums, but you’re at the comfort of your home. Create a profile and join online forums in your industry. Slowly build your reputation by sharing your expertise, answering questions, and joining conversations. Linkedin can be a good place for this. Remember don’t give away your trade secrets, use it as a lead generation strategy. Give something in goodwill, but not everything.
Attend a webinar. If you’re not familiar yet, Webinar is a seminar done on the web / internet. Thousands of businesses hold webinars every day. If you see one related to your industry, join it and meet like-minded people.
Host a webinar. If there isn’t any… then it’s good news for you! Host your very own webinar and be the first to share a one of a kind experience to your customers and leads. Position yourself as the leader in your industry.
Host a company party / getaway. Your employees are your best marketing team! They know your business to a tee, so treat them well. One of the ways to make your employees feel valued is by throwing a company getaway. It could be indoors… but more would love to break away from stress and relax elsewhere. Get a hashtag going on and encourage social sharing of your day!
Plan a flash mob in a crowded area. This trick has been used for years… but it never gets old! Create a team of 10 or more and plan your very own flash mob. Do it in a crowded area for more publicity. Practice is tiring, but it will be worth it! Hello viral video!
Send a holiday gift to your customers. With the advent of technology, publicity is so much easier to do! One way to go about it is by sending a holiday card to your customers. Attach some coupons and send it as a surprise so they‘d share it to their social media networks. Think outside the box on this one. Something we love is Fruit Only…
Invest on a fancy wrapper. It may add to your list of expenses, but a product wrapped in a fancy wrapper is always “Instagram-worthy”. Get it branded, The Iconic and Birdsnest do an exceptional job of this.
Try some business partnerships. If there are products that will go well with yours, contact the business owner and see if you can start a partnership. Not only do you get more sales, you get to put yourself in front of their customers.
Publicity can be a major problem for businesses, especially the small ones who do not have enough money to invest in big-scale activities. Fortunately, there are better ways to promote without hurting your wallet!
…and we’re done! That’s it! With these tips, I’m sure you will get more sales and leads for your business.