Of all the changes that have taken place since the internet entrepreneurship thing took off, the effectiveness of traditional advertising has got to be one of the biggest. Audiences have much more control over what they see now, so traditional ways of getting your business in front of your clients aren’t nearly as effective. But there’s an upside: it’s now much, much easier to speak directly to the people in your target market and get instant feedback from them. Instead of spending loads on a marketing campaign, try getting exposure by…
Social media
OK, so lots of people have a website these days, and most people at least have a Facebook page for their business. But to get the most out of social media, you can’t just show up, post the same content across the board, and expect people to respond.
Instead, you need to figure out where your target market hangs out online, whether that’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or somewhere else entirely, then grow your relationship with them there by posting content that fits in with the ethos of that channel. And most importantly, when people do connect with you, respond! Some big businesses are terrible about this, so it’s a great chance for you to differentiate yourself and make your customers really love hearing from you.
Volunteer to be featured in podcasts and posts
One of the side effects of the huge increase in online content is that people are always looking for things to post about. You can get lots of great exposure by writing a guest post, getting interviewed, or guest hosting a podcast that’s appealing to your target audience. It’s almost always free, and it also positions you as an expert in your field.
Live events
We’re not talking about the types of networking events you already attend — most likely those that are focused on your industry. Instead, try attending events that the people in your target market attend. You can get to hear first hand what kinds of problems they’re dealing with and get your business card in the hands of people who are very likely to be interested in your business. Even better, try to be a speaker or a panelist. Then you can show up as an expert and get your business’s name and logo in front of hundreds or even thousands of people.
Build a community
It’s easy to get caught up in how easy the internet makes it to connect with customers and forget that you probably have customers and potential customers near you in the real world. You can get a lot of exposure for your business by attending or hosting live events, or even by hosting drop-in events at a local coffee shop.
This applies even if you aren’t a brick and mortar business though. Think of ways that you can get into your community, even if its purely virtual. Are there awards, events, seminars, or Tweetchats that you can participate in?
How about you? What are your favourite ways to get exposure for your company? Tell us in the comments below!
