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Congratulations on starting your new business, now it’s time to start bringing in some customers by getting your company name and products out there through strategic advertising. Advertising has come a long way since the days of billboards, print advertisements in the media and TV commercials, so here are 5 ways you can advertise your new business that won’t break the bank but will bring you in new customers.
1. Hand out business cards
In the early days of your new start-up business, many of your new clients will come from direct face to face contact and business networking which means you need to be prepared with a set of business cards to hand out when people ask you for one. Your business cards should be simple yet informative and contain all of your relevant contact information. To make sure they leave a good impression, try to keep them as on-brand as possible so that they are instantly recognizable as related to your business.
2. Build an informative website
In this digital age, every business needs a little piece of the internet in the form of a website. Your website is like your own billboard and is your chance to tell your story and sell your products and with sites such as Squarespace and Wix, it’s now easier than ever to get started building a site that reflects your brand at a relatively low cost.
3. Use Pay Per Click and Search Engine Optimization
Having built a website it’s time to make sure that people searching for terms that fit your description find it and you can do that by paying attention to basic SEO principles which will help you rank naturally on search engines such as Google, or by investing a little time and effort into PPC which will place you in one of the top advertising spots on the search engine for whichever search terms you bid for.
4. Use social media
Perhaps the easiest way to get your business name out into the world is through the clever use of social media and a content marketing strategy. Create a profile or page for your business on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram (though make sure they are relevant to your target market and adjust those you choose accordingly) and begin posting business-relevant content which links back to your company website. Social media is a great free advertisement strategy, though you can also begin experimenting with low cost targeted advertising if you really want to increase your reach.
5. Have clear business signage
Store signs, car wraps and other promotional business signage is another great way to get your brand and message out into the world and in front of the eyes of potential customers. If you own business premises such as a warehouse or shop, then be sure to use it as free advertising space to promote your company, and if you own a company car then purchase a car wrap to turn your vehicle into a mobile advertising board.
