The Top 5 Ways to Market Your New Business

One of the most important steps in launching a new business is marketing that business to your target audience. There are lots of different and creative ways to go about this but in the early stages, you will want, at the very least, to embrace a mix of outside the box thinking with tried and true marketing tactics. To that end, we have put together this list of the top 5 ways to market your new business to give you a bit of a push in the right direction. Here is our advice on where to start:  

1) Create Valuable Web Content

One of the most important things you can do to market your new business is to post valuable content on your business website. Your website is your ‘home’ on the web and it will tell visitors everything they need to know about you. Not only will the content you post and share on your site endear customers to you, but it will also help you climb the rankings in Google search results. Consider posting relevant blog content about your product, service, or industry that will be of use to your audience. Write how-to guides or content that is related to your business but not a direct pitch. For example, if your business is an event planning platform, post blogs about trending catering ideas or share ideas on how to sell sponsorship for a virtual event. This content will position you as an authority and generate organic search traffic. But don’t limit yourself to blogs. Depending on the nature of your business, it might make more sense to produce videos, podcasts, and/or infographics. Whatever you can do to convey value to your potential customers while positioning yourself as a thought leader will help you grow a strong and supportive audience.  If you do not have the time or the ability to create this content on your own, consider using Fiverr to find the right freelancer for the job!

2) Leverage Social Media Platforms

Globally, there are an estimated 3.5 billion people using social media, this number is almost half of the world’s population. If you are not marketing your business on social media, you are missing an opportunity to reach your audience on a platform they use on a regular basis. Perform some audience research to determine where your ideal customer spends their time. If your target is professionals in their 40s and 50s, for example, it makes sense to create a business profile on LinkedIn instead of putting the focus on a platform that skews younger like Tik-Tok.Facebook is a great place to market your business as you can share a variety of post types and include detailed contact information and links to your business website. Instagram and Twitter are also useful platforms. If your audience hangs out on multiple platforms, create profiles on each one. But if you are new to social media marketing, choose the most popular platform amongst your base and begin there. Every time you create a new piece of content, push it out to your audience. If you have the budget, consider using paid advertising to increase your reach and engagement.

3) Run Contests or Giveaways

Who doesn’t love free gifts? Use contests and giveaways as a way to make people stop and take notice! If it makes sense, you can give away one of your products or exclusive access to your services, or, you can give away an ebook or a white paper. Tie this giveaway into your social media channels. Create a post announcing the giveaway and instruct people that to be eligible, they need to like the post, comment on it, share it on their own feed, and tag you in the shared post. These qualifications will help spread the word about the contest but also help you increase brand awareness and reach a much wider audience than the content may have found on its own.

4) Focus on Community

When starting a new business, one of the best things you can do is garner support in your own community. Get involved in your local community or your industry sector. Sponsoring events is a useful way to increase brand awareness and show people that you are an active and engaged member of that particular community. If you have the funds, the skills, and the time, consider running your own event, charity function, or awareness campaign to benefit others in the community. Find a cause near and dear to your heart and offer to make a sizable donation or match funds raised and encourage other local businesses to do the same. Even if your operations are largely online, getting involved with a cause is good for everyone!

5) Find Partners

Reach out to other complementary businesses and see if you can partner together. Perhaps you can come up with a sales package that includes discounted products and services that are shared both ways.  A new craft beer company, for example, can come up with an ideal food pairing, or create a recipe that uses one of their brews, and then partner with a local restaurant to create that exclusive recipe or food pairing. When trying to find businesses to partner with, look for ones that have a similar target audience. An established business or brand has earned the trust of its base and their recommendation or endorsement of your business will carry more weight than if you had tried to access this market on your own. Marketing a new business or brand is never easy and the best strategy largely depends on your industry and target audience. Establishing authority and trust in a relatively short period of time is possible but it takes a bit of effort. By enacting any of the marketing tactics listed above, you can kick start the process and get the right people talking about your business in all of the right ways!