​Getting the Word Out: Easy Marketing Tips and Tricks to Promote Yourself

Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur, a start-up, a new small business, or are a team of one with little but an idea and a dream, one thing remains the same: to make it, you have to market yourself. It’s the number one skill that any person who wants to have any kind of success simply must have. 

We aren’t born natural marketers, so how do you cultivate this skill in a way that brings you real success? Becoming a whiz at marketing is easier than you think.

There are easy tips and tricks you can use – that don’t break the bank or take up tons of yoru time – to promote yourself and get brand recognition. We’ve laid out a few of these ideas below. 

Branded Merch, Promotional Items and More

Promoting yourself can be so much more than just printing a few business cards to give out. These days, entrepreneurs and businesses are giving out all kinds of cool merchandise to promote their business and provide little perks to their clients and customers. Items from sunglasses emblazoned with your logo, to toys like yo-yos and spinning tops, more traditional, professional items like pens and lanyards, and pretty much anything else in the world you can envision your logo on.

Online companies like dynamicgift.com.au can work with you to design great merchandise, bought in bulk at affordable prices, so you can shower your clients with nice little gifts that will remind them of your company and basically do the promotion for you. 

Many companies get really creative with these ideas, printing their logo on highly-sought after items like beer mugs and coffee cups, t-shirts and sweatshirts, ball caps and much more. It’s up to you if you want to go big with an item like this or just get some smaller printed merch like buttons and stickers to start out, but either way – branded merchandise is a great way to market yourself without having to spend a ton. People love merch so much more than business cards (though of course you should have those, too). 

Rebranding and Graphics

Before you go printing that logo on everything, have you thought about polishing it up a bit? Studies show that companies who “launch” or “rebrand” with a shiny new logo, updated graphics and new themes/color schemes, often have more brand engagement than those who stick to the same old thing. 

It doesn’t have to be a complete overhaul, but if you’ve already been thinking that you’d like to spruce things up a bit, why not now? Giving your website, logo, app or marketing material a shiny new upgrade can make all the difference in brand recognition and customer engagement.

People love something nice to look at. You can even make it an interactive experience by advertising your “relaunch” on social media and utilizing sites like Instagram to get more eyes on your brand. 

You could always hire a graphic design whiz to help you with your design, or go it on your own, with the help of free/cheap sites like Canva. 

Social Media, Email Marketing, and More

You’re likely no stranger to social media – is anybody these days? But you need to know how to use it correctly to promote your business. 

No matter what industry you’re in, whether you’re a small one-person startup or a bigger company, you should have a social media person who is a whiz at marketing and customer engagement. Having a page for your business on all the “big” sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and more, is definitely key.

Scheduling posts, using add-ons like hootsuite or tweetdeck, and keeping up with analytics will all help you succeed. Pay attention to the posts that garner the most engagement from users, as well as what types of users are responding to your posts. Give clients and customers opportunities to share feedback, to participate in polls and giveaways, and be sure to thank them for their loyalty with incentives and perks. 

Another good “old-fashioned” way to keep your customers in the loop is an email list. You might think those have fallen out of favor these days, but you’d be wrong. Many businesses still see great success with an email list. It allows people to opt in and gives you a customized list of already-interested clients who you can go to with your promotions, new products and ideas. Treat your email list like gold, because that’s exactly what it is. 

Taking the time to analyze your Google data and other analytics is also really important. Look at things like SEO rankings and do what you can to boost them. You may not have tons of money to sink into it, but there are little tricks you can utilize. 

You may also want to look into creating an app for your business. This is especially true if you have a company that offers goods and services. People love to engage with apps, especially if it offers them further discounts, incentives or exclusive perks. If nothing else, make sure your website is mobile-optimized, as more and more people are primarily using their phones for all of their online business. 

Good Old Fashioned Advertising

Placing an ad in a local newspaper, website or sponsoring something local in exchange for logo placement will never go out of style. These methods of advertisement still remain one of the most successful. So, when in doubt, go with the tried and true. 

Marketing is a game, but it’s one you can learn to be good at. Using your own intuition, creativity and savvy – the same ones that led you to start your business – will take you far. If you try just one or two of these easy ideas, you’ll be able to promote your business easily and without having to spend a ton of money or outsource anything. Just believing in yourself and your business is half the battle, so you’re already well on your way!