Quite often I hear entrepreneurs say, I don’t believe in advertising. I have been in business for years and have never advertised. Unbeknownst to them, they advertise everyday – advertising is simply putting your product, service and company on display. However, intentional advertising gives businesses the opportunity to carefully craft advertising strategies that will win the interest of consumers.

Also, when some entrepreneurs hear the word ‘advertising’ they immediately think of ‘paid advertising’ and become dismissive, but there are several ways in which a small business with limited financial budget can give their business a public presence. Here are a few:

∑ Get Savvy on Social Media: Establishing a presence on a couple social media platforms can help you build up relationship with your customers. Maintaining several social media platforms can be time consuming, therefore, start small and schedule your posts. Ensure they are engaging and that they promote your business.

∑ Attend Networking Events: Many people hide behind digital marketing, but face-to-face networking holds great importance in the world of business marketing. Join the Chamber of Industry and Commerce and attend networking events relevant to your area of business.

∑ Write a Blog or a Column: Writing and regularly updating a blog helps to increase your brand awareness and improve your website’s ranking on search engines. Work out a deal with a newspaper company to write a weekly column, it is an economical way to have a consistent presence in the public, while sharing engaging content.

Entrepreneurs who do not believe in ‘paid advertising’ rely heavily on word of mouth advertising. However, while word of mouth is valuable, it cannot be enough. Remember that negative word of mouth advertising is as damaging as positive word of mouth marketing is effective. It is twice more likely for people to share a negative experience than a positive one. Also, word of mouth marketing limits your audience and you cannot control how many people share your content or what they share.

Visit us at www.searchlight.vc or https://www.facebook.com/Searchlight1.We’ll help you get noticed.
Reference Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead, Small Business Trend