Here are six ways to market your home business successfully.
(1) Plan out your marketing
No matter how busy you are in your business, you have to spend the first hour or two driving new business to your home enterprise. This is what really separates a successful home based business from a fledging one.
The problem with most home business is that they stop marketing once they have too much work on their hands. They start marketing again once their leads and news business have dried up. This leaves most business in a constant state of ‘feast-and-famine’.
Hence to prevent this from happening in your home business, you have to plan out your marketing activities every month. It can be a simple email thanking a customer or a letter to inform them of a new product or service. The point is you have to continue to market everyday in order to generate new business to keep your business healthy.
(2) Know your customer
The key to great marketing is to know your customer. Find out what publications they read, what program they watch and where they find out about your product or service initially. A simple question to ask most clients who call in for the first time is “By the way, how did you find out about us?” Once you have this information, it tells you where to market to reach similar groups of customers. It also tells you what type of marketing will work to reach out to them.
(3) Provide great customer service
This is also an aspect of marketing. If you continue to provide great customer service in your business, you will generate word-of-mouth marketing that will in turn send new customers your way.
(4) Send out information about you with every mailing
A simple way to continue to market your business and keep you at the ‘top-of-mind’ with your customer is to send out relevant information about your company with each mailing.
For instance, you can send out
· Information about new products or services
· Awards you have won
· Coupons for discounts in their next purchase or coupons for related services your customers will purchase.
(5) Send out press releases on new products or services
Whenever you have a new product or service, be sure to send out a press release to your local newspapers or community newsletter to publicize your new service. This provides your business with exposure for a fraction of the price it will take to advertise it. By using a third-party to announce your new service, you can create instant credibility.
(6) Give away something for free
This works well especially if you are after new businesses. In order to create credibility and trust amongst your customers, you can send out something for free that serves as a sampler of the product or service you provide. For example, if you are an accountant serving small business owners in your community, you can send out a free tips booklet on how to save on taxes near tax filing period in order to let potential customers know about your expertise in this area.
In marketing, it is extremely important to start observing people and their buying habits. This is the best way to create great marketing that works for your business. However regardless of what you are selling, do not forget to have fun in your marketing. An element of ‘fun’ can be addictive and serves as a great tool for attracting potential customers.