When it comes to promoting your business, there’s nothing wrong with tooting your own horn. And while you’re at it, you may as well start beating the drum. Promotion is all about attracting attention; and to do that you need to make some noise. We’re not suggesting you stand on street corners shouting at passersby or carpet bombing your neighborhood with flyers—not all attention is good. Instead you should develop a strategy for promoting your business regularly.
Promotion gives you an opportunity to inform, persuade, and remind customers and prospects about your products and services, gaining mindshare and encouraging future orders. You can be the best chef in the city, but if no one knows who you are, your business won’t thrive. As eHow contributor Miranda Brookins pointed out in her article, Why is Promotion Important for Business?, “Without business promotion, companies would be stagnant and lack substantial growth because their brands would have low visibility in the market.” To build, retain, and grow a loyal customer base, it’s up to you to get the word out.
Most marketing and promotion strategies do involve a financial investment, but when done right, they pay for themselves. Promotion doesn’t need to be expensive; there are a lot of inexpensive (and even free) options. Social media is a very popular way to attract attention and create awareness about your business. You can use popular networks like Facebook and Twitter to post specials and news, keeping your followers informed. In addition to social media, DIY email campaigns and print materials can also be effective. You can email customers about offers or distribute flyers about important changes to your products and services. Try a variety of methods and frequently evaluate the results to help you strategize future marketing efforts.
Overall, it’s important that you consistently promote your business. That’s why we’ve built tools into our platform to help our clients promote their CaterTrax ordering sites and their businesses as a whole. We provide a variety of professionally designed, customizable site launch materials, including email templates, PowerPoint presentations, and print templates as well as a sample marketing plan. These materials can also be used post launch to help continue to drive new customers to the site. To support ongoing marketing efforts, we offer a variety of built in tools, including the email message center, loyalty point programs, coupons, QR codes, and twitter functionality.
To build a positive reputation for your business and spread brand awareness, you must promote your products, services, and events. From acquiring new customers to maintaining relationships, you need to get out there and make some noise.