Starting a new business venture of any kind is sometimes terrifying, often exciting, and involves a lot of other emotions along the way. It’s not for the faint-hearted and it’s certainly not something that everyone can do successfully.
While starting a business might be the easier part, making it a successful one is a whole different ball game. Drawing attention to your business is key, but increasing your visibility often stumps seasoned business owners, not to mention newbies.
How do you get noticed with so much noise from other competitors?
Here are some tricks and tips that will help draw the right kind of attention to your business.
If you’re someone who has never done event work before, you might consider a vendor event or industry convention. When they're targeted to the right audience, they can help you attract a number of clients quickly. I've done events where I've booked 10-20 new clients in a single afternoon.
If you want more visibility, think vertical. You'll want something eye-catching to dress your booth. You might invest in an 8x8 banner for your next event and other eye-catching decor to dress your stand. Remember, there will be a multitude of businesses all there for the same purpose of getting attention. If your booth doesn't stand out from the crowd (or can't be seen across the convention room floor), it will be difficult to get traffic to stick around at your station.
One of my favorite and inexpensive ways to do this is with some helium balloons. Tie them to the top of your booth so that people can see you from a distance. Then, you can just say "look for the balloons" and direct people to your booth from anywhere in the venue.
The online world may be messy, but social media is also a huge part of making most online businesses successful. For a new business, it's free advertising that will help build your credibility in the marketplace when done right.
A multi-channel approach can help you find more of your right audience in a cost-effective manner. Don't spread yourself too thin, though. It's important to be where your people are, but not at the sake of your health and budget.
Be sure to network with other business owners when it comes to your business venture. There are a lot of companies out there, all starting out and all needing to make their own moves within the industry to garner success.
Some businesses might be able to help you get your foot in the door with certain clients or collaborations that will rocket your business to success.
Networking is something that needs to be done on a regular basis. If you’re not connecting with people that can support you or your business, then it's going to be a long, hard, and lonely road ahead.
Even if it's just a "brochure" site, your website is your brand’s image in a digital capacity. That means when prospective leads or customers head to your site, the website is the first thing that they’ll see. Think about what you want your customers or prospective leads to learn when they come onto the site. If you're in e-commerce, think about how clients use the site. Is it easy for them to navigate? Your digital "front door" should help people feel like they belong and that you're open for business!
The online world remains one of the most powerful tools that you can use for your business venture. If you’re struggling to find ways to help add exposure to your business, then consider listing it on any websites that people will look at actively.
You could also reach out to higher-ranking websites to get some free advertising or link exchanges to help get your business noticed across the internet.
Finally, don’t be afraid to partner with other businesses. There will be plenty of businesses out there that are actively looking for other companies to partner up with. It saves money for both parties and can help reach audiences, whether those be similar audiences for both or completely different.
Drawing attention to your new business venture is a great way to help it get the notice it needs and more importantly, to drive sales and success.