I have mentioned before that I am self employed and I work from home. My income can be really good one month and really poor the next; it’s all about how much work I get given throughout the month. I do have some long term clients that give me work every month and others who pop up needing work done just the once. But how do they find me?
Here are my three top tools for promoting your business:
An online presence
Nowadays everyone uses the internet for everything. If you are looking for someone to do something in particular, where is the first place you turn? The internet. Whilst my freelance blog isn’t updated all too often thanks to being busy with work, I ensure my portfolio and testimonials are kept up to date and provide my contact details so people can easily email me to find out more. If you’ve bought a franchise (franchise local is a great place to find opportunities) with help from places like Franchise Info, you may already have an online presence, but promotion is still key. I actually had someone find my site recently and get in contact – however they thought I was the Rebecca Smith who writes for The Telegraph and I sadly had to disappoint them!
Another thing to note would be the speed of your internet when it comes to building a strong online presence. You just really need to keep in mind that it’s going to be incredibly hard to know if your internet is slow or even if it’s just crashing fairly often. This might even mean that you’ll need to switch internet companies if you can, and it might even be tempting to test Starlink speeds in your area, as this just might be a good option. But in general, try to keep all of these in mind, it’s really important! No business can function without internet.
Personalised Items
If you are going to a networking event, you want people to remember you. A unique way of making them remember you is by giving them a personalised item or by wearing one of your own personalised t-shirts, adorned with your business logo. Giving them a visual aid to remember you and your business is perfect for networking and can often lead to some discussion about you, your business and even where you purchased your personalised items. When people develop an interest in you because of them, they are going to want to try it for themselves too. A great site to purchase these is Printsome.
You can also go further with personalised items that fully support your networking efforts in business environments. For instance, it can be helpful to join business groups and participate in educational conferences and debates. You can also bring custom folders with you, as these are perfect to hold relevant materials about the event you are joining as well as tailored marketing info about your business. Granted, it may require more work than putting your logo on a pen or a notebook, but it makes your business more memorable too.
Business Cards
They may seem cliché and what everyone uses – but there is a reason why! As well as being able to grab one from your wallet or handbag and give to someone quickly, there is also the potential to advertise your business elsewhere. My local sandwich shop has a tray for local businesses to put their business cards in and a couple of the shops/convenience stores allow you to put your business card in the window for a very small charge. Even the Post Office lets you put your business card in the window. This advertising is so cheap and can get so many eyes on it; why wouldn’t you take advantage of a print business cards now as they are a practical way to ensure that potential clients and consumers have your contact information as well as a reminder of an impending appointments. This also help boost sales and brand exposure, you can hand them away after you make a sale or leave a display with other businesses.
These are my top three tools for promoting my business – what would you say are yours?
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