Business owners face many challenges, one of them being how to get their name, product, or service out to consumers. There are thousands of marketing techniques available, but not all will work for every business. Let’s take a look at a few marketing techniques that are effective and will work for just about any business: Email Build an email contact list and use it. One extremely important key to making email marketing effective is to have an email list of people that fit the companies target audience.

Sending out hundreds of emails to people who do not need your services or use your products is useless. A few ways to build an email list is to obtain addresses from your current customers or clients. If they fill out forms when they come to your office, have a space for the email address and ask if you can use it to contact them. If you have a store, you can have a form or contact sheet for customers to fill out with their name and email address. When customers contact the business from your website have them provide an email address. Again, you may want to ask if it is alright to contact them via email in the future. Once your email list is built, use it. Send out emails to let your customers know about sales, new inventory that has arrived, holiday greetings, coupons they can print and bring with them on their next visit.

There are many different possibilities to market using email. Rewards Offer your customers and clients’ rewards for referring a friend. This form of marketing works well and speaks highly of your business. Customers are only going to refer a friend if they appreciate your products or services. Rewards can be discounts, free services, free items, store credit, or gift certificate. You can use your email list by sending the email to your customers and asking them to forward it to a friend. Have the friend print it out and bring it into your business with the person’s name who sent it to them circled or written on the email. This works especially well for small businesses that are able to have close personal relationships with their customers. Online Presence Having a website set up for the business is essential these days. In addition to the company website, businesses should do some social networking. There are many social networks available that allow for business profiles.

Business owners should take time to become familiar with the social networks and work to build a presence on them. At minimum, these sites should be visited once a week. If time allows, a few times a week is more efficient. These are 3 marketing tips you should consider for your business. No matter what type of business you have, these will help spread the word and bring in more customers.

Business owners face many challenges, one of them being how to get their name, product, or service out to consumers. There are thousands of marketing techniques available, but not all will work for every business. Let’s take a look at a few marketing techniques that are effective and will work for just about any business:

Email

Build an email contact list and use it. One extremely important key to making email marketing effective is to have an email list of people that fit the companies target audience. Sending out hundreds of emails to people who do not need your services or use your products is useless. A few ways to build an email list is to obtain addresses from your current customers or clients. If they fill out forms when they come to your office, have a space for the email address and ask if you can use it to contact them. If you have a store, you can have a form or contact sheet for customers to fill out with their name and email address. When customers contact the business from your website have them provide an email address. Again, you may want to ask if it is alright to contact them via email in the future.

Once your email list is built, use it. Send out emails to let your customers know about sales, new inventory that has arrived, holiday greetings, coupons they can print and bring with them on their next visit. There are many different possibilities to market using email.

Rewards

Offer your customers and clients’ rewards for referring a friend. This form of marketing works well and speaks highly of your business. Customers are only going to refer a friend if they appreciate your products or services.
Rewards can be discounts, free services, free items, store credit, or gift certificate. You can use your email list by sending the email to your customers and asking them to forward it to a friend. Have the friend print it out and bring it into your business with the person’s name who sent it to them circled or written on the email. This works especially well for small businesses that are able to have close personal relationships with their customers.

Online Presence

Having a website set up for the business is essential these days. In addition to the company website, businesses should do some social networking. There are many social networks available that allow for business profiles. Business owners should take time to become familiar with the social networks and work to build a presence on them. At minimum, these sites should be visited once a week. If time allows, a few times a week is more efficient.

These are 3 marketing tips you should consider for your business. No matter what type of business you have, these will help spread the word and bring in more customers.