Increase Brand Awareness and Attract Customers You believe in your products and services. You have probably invested a lot of time, energy, and resources into perfecting your brand. The troops have been rallied, and you are streamlining your processes to be more productive and responsive to your valued customers. There’s just one thing—the customers aren’t beating down your doors. Don’t panic! Chances are there are some simple, inexpensive steps you can take to market your products and services on a broader scale.

Here are some tips to help you market online and stay within your budget:

1. An Online Presence—Do you have a website? If so, does it look like it was designed by the makers of Atari? More than ever, customers are turning to the internet to locate businesses and services. It doesn’t matter if you are marketing locally in businesses in Medina, Ohio or are seeking a global audience, your business will benefit from an up-to-date, professional looking website. Worried about the expense? Luckily there are plenty of affordable options out there. You can even build your own website from a template for less than $5 a month with sites like GoDaddy.com!

2. An Active Blog—Blogging is a great way to raise brand awareness and increase your customer base if done consistently. Why? Every bit of content you publish gets indexed by search engines. A blog can provide your audience with valuable, relevant information AND boost search engine optimization (SEO) simultaneously, which will result in increased website traffic. Your blog posts don’t need to be long (300 words or more), but they do need to provide helpful information. Consider writing “how-to’s” to help your readers with a specific issue, sharing industry news, or solving a problem that your potential or current customers have by stating the common problem and then subtly introducing a product or service to solve it. Don’t forget to add links within your blog posts that take readers to the products/services pages on your website.

3. Social Media—I know what you are thinking. You don’t have time to waste tweeting, “liking,” and sharing on various social media sites. Business owners and managers are crunched for time as it is. But in today’s marketplace, you can’t afford not to. In fact, according to Social Media Examiner, 50% of small business owners reported gaining new customers with social media (mainly Facebook and LinkedIn). Hint: If you do nothing else, set up a company page on Google+. Blogs and other posts will receive a higher priority in search results because, well, it’s Google. Rather than dismissing social media, use your leadership skills and delegate it! Are you an army of one? Choose a couple social media sites that cater to your audience. For more tips on getting started with social media, check out this blog post to help you choose which social media platforms are best for your unique business needs.

Hopefully these quick tips will help you grow your business with minimal expense. If you found this helpful, follow us on LinkedIn for daily tips, blog posts, special offers, and even some comic relief. We also offer business coaching and management consulting services to help you analyze your current situation, troubleshoot weak spots, and utilize your strengths to help you reach your personal and business goals.

*image courtesy of Toa55/freedigitalphotos.net