Do you sell handmade goods on Etsy and stand out amongst other sellers? Are you based in London and does your accounting business need to attract more clients ahead of the next tax season? The owners of home-based businesses might not have to commute to work but they have to work just as hard as businesses based out of commercial establishments in order to get ahead of competition. Regardless of what you’re selling, you need clients, and to get clients, your business needs exposure.
Most of the time, business owners have to pay steep fees to get exposure in the hopes of gaining enough new business to offset what they’ve paid. These next four suggestions for getting more publicity as a small business owner are absolutely guaranteed to get your company more positive attention. Rent a unique venue in London for your grand opening or even an awards show. Create a virtual social influencer and breathe new life into your company. Do whatever it takes to get a buzz about your home business going and use these suggestions to get the ball rolling.
1. Get Super Active on Social Media
This one is really a no-brainer. Unfortunately, lots of home-based businesses either aren’t taking advantage of social media exposure or they’re going about things entirely the wrong way. First, identify which social media websites are frequented most often by your main buyers. For businesses in the handmade goods industry, Pinterest is the perfect platform to become active on. Does your company sell herbal weight loss and beauty products? Go on over to Instagram, make an account and start putting up as many pictures as possible. You’ll gain followers and likes, which will lead more potential customers directly to your doorstep.
2. Host an Awards Ceremony
Anyone can elect to announce and then host an awards ceremony, but the success of the event counts on a couple of main things. First, the location is vital. You can’t have a well-publicized awards ceremony on a dimly lit street corner. No, you need to find a unique venue in a major city that has access to public transportation. Second, what is your awards ceremony going to be based on? You can’t just hand out a bunch of awards to your own home-based business and think that the public is going to have any interest. Consider honouring pioneers in your industry or even cutting-edge companies that have made the industry in which you operate a lot more relevant. Lastly, the awards that you present have to be professionally made. Spend some extra money on getting plaques, trophies, and certificates made up.
3. Pay for Better Branding
Free logo makers are really good for home business owners on a shoestring budget but as soon as things get better financially, you should consider upping your business branding game. Realise that your business brand is crucial in getting more exposure. Pay attention to the font that you use on your website as visitors won’t want to read anything if the text is harsh on their eyes. Ensure there is cohesion between your letterhead and business cards. Every time your home-based business gets talked about on the web, there should be an identifiable and professional brand that it gets associated with. Additionally, rebranding your company is another easy way to get exposure. Announce that you are having a grand re-opening or simply that your company is revealing a bigger and better business brand.
4. Contact News Outlets
Is the story behind your home-based business really interesting or inspiring? Have you gone from living in a council flat to becoming a landlord? It doesn’t hurt to pen a few press releases and send them directly to local and international news companies, along with a personal note. Everything from whitepapers to blog posts should be publicised far and wide. Eventually a news company could stumble upon your company and request an interview, or you could try to take matters into your own hands by reaching out frequently. If you have a home-based business that sells ugly Christmas sweaters, start sending out feelers to the press in the autumn. For people that have evergreen businesses, it’s always a good time to contact major press companies.
Standing outside your home whilst passing out flyers probably won’t get you a good amount of exposure that is going to translate into more customers. The methods that you use to garner attention have to frame your home-based business in a positive light, and they also have to put you in front of the customers that you want to buy from your company. Social media is good for attracting millennials whilst postcards are going to attract an older crowd. Stay positive and stay at it to get scores of potential clients talking about your home-based business and spreading the word on your behalf.
