PROMOTING YOUR BUSINESS LIKE NEVER BEFORE

Your business is open – now what? Well, it is time to sit down and build your marketing plan. Your current and potential customers need to know that you are open and ready for business. Here are some ideas on how you can promote your business: Videos – people love videos. Short and sweet. Some ideas include testimonials from customers, updates from employees, showing what you are doing to provide a safe place to visit, employees promoting products, a day in the life of your business, behind the scenes footage, etc. Social media – there is SO much. I recommend that you utilize a program that allows you to gather all of our social media platforms so you can create one post and share on a variety of platforms. Know that you can also schedule your social media, which allows you to dedicate time each week to create your posts and schedule them. Print ads – I know, you are thinking “what year is she living in”. Well, print is still out there. Find publications that fit your target market. Track any customers you get through the print ads so you know where your money is best spent. Digital ads – the opportunity for digital ads is endless. You can place digital ads at the bottom of apps, on social media sites, on news stations and more. Be sure to acquire stats from the program so you know where you money is best spent. Press releases – use press releases to promote your business when you hire a new employee, host a ribbon cutting, new products and more. Signs/banners – could make signs/banners for opening of your store, sales, upcoming events, etc. be sure to check on the sign ordinance in your city. TV/Radio – could promote upcoming events, sales, your products, etc. Check with your local tv and radio stations on pricing. Digital highway billboard – designed to promote your company with your logo, tag line and contact information. You can work with billboard companies on cost and location. E-mail – promote your information to your customers. Be sure to have a resource to acquire their e-mail addresses and work with a program that will allow you to keep a database and send out scheduled e-mails. Chamber of Commerce – make a list of all of the membership benefits your Chamber provides and work with the Chamber on the best use of your advertising dollar. Some suggestions include placing items in new resident packets, placing an ad on their weekly e-mail, developing a digital ad for the Chamber’s app, attending networking events, placing flyers on the Chamber’s website – there are so many more but we are out of space! If the Troy/Maryville/St. Jacob/Marine Chamber of Commerce can be of service, please contact us at 618-667-8769, e-mail dawn@troymaryvillecoc.com or visit their website at www.troymaryvillecoc.com.