You’ve got an idea, but you’re the only one who knows about it. The endless hours of work have brought you to a place where the world needs to hear about your business – but how do you tell them? Ads are enormously expensive and you don’t have a Microsoft budget – not to worry, you’re not the first entrepreneur to be in this place. After interviewing a whole batch of entrepreneurs, we picked out some of their most effective marketing strategies they use – here they are.
YouTube – There are literally billions of views on YouTube every day, and not all of those views are of someone’s cat dancing. One of the companies we interviewed chose to start their marketing campaign on YouTube, copying keywords from popular videos (which we don’t condone by the way) and using the views to draw in customers. Starting a You Tube channel and regularly posting interesting content will draw you a crowd that can be turned into customers.
Contests – The idea of winning a prize strikes a chord with people, and crowds will flock to a contest. The great thing about a contest is that people will check back to see who won and you can use those check backs to draw in your target customers. One entrepreneur we talked to gave away $5000 cash every month and used that gimmick to attract millions of views on their website.
Public Speaking – There are opportunities to speak if you have the machismo to pursue them. Join a speaking circuit and promote yourself in your speech conclusions. Not only will people hear about your company, but they’ll have a face to associate with your business. Even if you’re not good at speaking, people will still see you making a fool of yourself and check out your product.
Good Old Networking – A majority of entrepreneurs we interview go about their marketing in a traditional sense. Start with friends and family, allow the word to spread slowly but surely, and before you know it you’ll have a loyal clientele. The major downside to this method is that it inevitably takes time; trying to strong-arm people into “liking” your product or service will only push them away. However, this is the best way to build loyal customers – if people hear about your business through a friend they’re more likely to trust in you.
Write Write Write – If you are trying to break into the blogging market or become an authority on any subject, the best thing you can do is write. Get your voice out there and let people talk about you. If you’re too scared to let others critique you then blogging and content creation are not industries you should enter. Remember, any press is good press to some extent – you’ve got to get your name out there.
Whether your business sells a high priced product or offers a free service, you need customers. Marketing is the most difficult and time consuming part of any startup, the more strategies you employ the better. Let the world know you are here and ready to do business!
After starting several companies and selling them off, Josh Haynam dedicated himself to helping others become their own bosses. His site www.entrepreneur-stories.com features stories from highly successful entrepreneurs and is designed to bridge the gap between having the desire to start a company and actually a business.
