Because the economy is struggling, more small home improvement businesses are struggling to stay afloat. If you are looking for new ideas to promote your business, this article is for you! I will list many of the tactics that I have used to promote my three businesses over the years, as well as two of the newer ones I have found to be very effective!
For those of you who are looking for basic proven Ideas to promote your business, I have listed 10 tried and proven methods below. No one method is going to successful promote a business. Several used in coordination with each other will build a customer base, brand your business, and allow you to gain the new clients that you need.
Proven Traditional Marketing
1) As you run your business day-to-day use well-developed stationary i.e. business cards, letter head, envelopes, and promotional materials with your URL, phone number, and email address on them.
2) Give free, no obligation consultations and estimates to as many potential clients as possible. Even if they do not hire you it will promote referrals.
3) Giving out promotional items (such as pens, hats, and jackets) is a staple promotion for most small home improvement businesses. Get these items, as well as your business cards, in as many hands as possible. Talk to vendors you work with and give them your materials. Post cards and fliers at supermarkets etc.
4) Asking your clients for referrals and permission to put a sign in their yard is a good promotion.
5) Send direct mail: Even small businesses do direct mail campaigns. This can be a costly way to get new clients, but keep it in mind as a proven tool. There are many mailing lists available if you would want to purchase one. Just run "direct mailing lists" with your city or state in any search engine to find the companies selling lists in your area.
6) Newspaper ads and magazines do sell. This is another promotion that costs some investment but usually has a reasonable return.
7) Telemarketing is a dying industry, but it is still used successfully for local business. It must be done in a low-key, low pressure way. I would be very leery of hiring a third-party marketing company now days, but it may be something you would have a few people do from their home.
8) Promote what is unique about you, your business, and your expertise. This should be the basis for your promotional campaigns.
9) Network with others doing similar work in your area.
10) Paint your company information and promotional material on vehicles.
Ways to Promote Your Home Improvement Business Online
Over the last few years I have taken my business promotion largely online with major success. Anyone can master several simple ways to promote any produce, service, or opportunity online. Most potential customers will at least jump online to check for a website and basic information before making any large purchase. Because of this, small businesses that do not have an online presence are getting pushed out of business. All of the promotional techniques below are either free or can be done for a very minimal investment.
Here is a List of Basic Ways to Promote Your Business Online
1) Set up a website for your business
2) Set up a blog. There are countess free blogs or you can build your own.
3) Write articles on free online services such as Ezinearticles.
4) Post on online forums and discussion groups concerning your business
5) Press Releases. Two free ones are PRWeb and PRleap.
6) Advertise on free directories online. There are hundreds of them.
7) Use social networking such as Facebook and Twitter
Another Tool I Have Recently Found
I have recently come across what I believe to be a great promotional tool for any small business. The business is called SentOutCards and you can Google it to find affiliates selling a membership package. It allows small businesses to easily send post cards and greeting cards out to their customers. It's a great way to get referrals, and promote any small business.
I hope this article has provided you with some concrete ideas. I have learned and implemented about 15 ways to promote my business online over the last year. I do it all for free! If you have some spare time and would like to learn how click here now! I will personally show you what I believe to be the best internet marketing training available. It has over 700 hours of training. Learning to build websites, blogs, and use social networking is much easier than I ever thought.