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Gaining Exposure for a New Business

So you’ve started your new business and sent out your press releases, now you are waiting on the clients to come knocking on your door. How can you get more exposure? Following are several methods that are a sure fire way to hit the ground running.

AdWords by Google: This program will put your ad in spots that’s are relevant to search terms. If you are a florist, when you use AdWords and “flowers” is the query, your business listing would be one of those that Google lists.

Email Marketing: There are several companies who sponsor email marketing campaigns. Start a newsletter about your business and send it via email to prospective clients.

Host an Open House: Provide refreshments, have brochures about your business on hand and invite the community to come out and see what you are all about. This is an excellent way to meet the community and speak face to face with prospective clients. Invite local dignitaries and business leaders the more power players in the community that know you the more exposure you can expect.

Send prospective clients an impression. Browse marketing brochures for inexpensive yet memorable items to be imprinted with your company name and logo. Send an assistant around to pass them out.

Attend local job fairs and trade shows. These not only bring you exposure to the other businesses but also to prospective employees for when your business grows.

Direct Mail Campaign: A little more expensive but in the right scenario can be invaluable. Check your local community for companies that send out “Value Pak” coupon advertising. These companies include you and your ‘coupon’ in their package for much less than the cost of you sending out individual flyers to the entire community.

Always keep your business cards on your person and treat everyone you meet as the next million dollar account.

 

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Gaining Exposure For New Businesses

It is natural for an individual planning to set up a new business to feel apprehensive and anxious. There are businesses that survive and have grown stronger over the years, but there are some that failed after 3 to 5 years of operation. The US Small Business Administration showed that at least 50% of the small businesses fail within their first years. At least 95% of newly established businesses fail after 5 years.

Entrepreneurs today need to have ample knowledge on the steps necessary to build new businesses. Understanding the principle of investing and gaining profit is very basic. Successful business simply means greater earnings and minimal loss. It is therefore essential for entrepreneurs to become informed on how the market dictates money, rates and value. They need to be observant on how different businesses become vulnerable if the economy is unstable.

Gaining much exposure would involve extensive research. Good understanding on business permits, payment of taxes, advertisements, stakeholders, clients, customers, service providers, financial system, returns of investments (ROI), market shares, and market demands is a requirement. Knowing what kind of business and how to operate will show your level of commitment in the business role as well. It will help one to get focused and determined. If you are uncertain about on what product or service to sell, it could lead to a waste of resources.

Having a mentor in the business world, especially a person who is a veteran in the marketplace, an prove to be most helpful. Learning from others’ mistakes may save an individual time and effort. It takes a longer period of time to learn what ideas work or not from trial and error. Mentors can serve as a guide and the eyes to see opportunities and potential problems that can be encountered along the way. A mentors coaching and advice can make it easier for one to take the necessary steps to run an enterprise.

An aspiring entrepreneur should also consider location. He needs to expose, himself, to places where his planned business will thrive. A coffee shop in a place where people seldom goes will definitely be a bad spot. Selling coffee may not gain him profit because there are not enough customers to patronize the product. It may be more prudent if that coffee shop is located near schools, marketplaces, malls etc.

 

 Starting Out With Public Relations [2:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (18)

Public Relations

Starting a new business is a daunting task in and of itself; getting your business in front of potential clients can seem like an even bigger task. Using a few simple investigative tools, even small businesses can position themselves to be forerunners in the name recognition game.

Start by identifying which media venues your targeted audience is more involved with. For example, if you are opening a car dealership you know that a lot of car shoppers browse the local newspaper. If you are starting a wholesale business you know most purchasers search the Internet. Once you have identified the media outlets you want to pursue, read or listen to their advertising and find out who is in charge of putting it together. Start a contact list for future use.

Create an outline of points about your business that stand out. Write a brief story or synopsis of your business that makes it sound interesting. You want to make the reporter or ad writer interested in your business. Once this has been accomplished, send those contacts you collected a press release or email statement about yourself and your new venture. Follow up to make sure they received it and will be using it in their publication.

Media coverage is a good thing; however, it is not an end to PR. In order to position yourself as a front runner in your area of business, you need to have your name known. Providing quality and service will help keep clients, but to get Clients to your business, people must know you are there. Join community events such as the local golf tournament for charity – register with your business name and have plenty of business cards to hand out. Become involved in civic groups and local clubs. Donate to charities in your community and advertise on local sports park billboards. You want your company name to be the one that people stop and say “oh yeah, that was the company that helped with the Children’s Hospital Dinner, I think we should call them”.

Public relations is more than an advertising campaign, it is about becoming a part of the community, becoming a household name that people know and call on for whatever service you offer.

Biz N Need, launches the “Let’s Make It Great In 2008″ small business PR campaign. The campaign is designed to provide small businesses nationwide with an effective, yet affordable avenue to spark public awareness and gain much needed exposure, without breaking the bank. “Two of the greatest challenges facing small business growth today are financing and cost effective marketing, “says Sophia Crooks Biz N Need PR and Branding Manager. “Our new program is strategically designed to address those needs, with proven techniques, regardless of industry.”

New York, NY (Bizinneed News) February 12, 2008 — The core principle of the Let’s Make It Great In 2008 campaign is its niche. Going against the grain and use of the everyday PR catch word, Biz N Need describes its niche as its client. “Our niche is you; I do not believe there is a one size fits all formula that should be applied solely based on industry. Our approach is completely client centric and caters to our client’s goal. When we say you are our niche, we simply mean that the strategies we implement, while being modern, creative and effective, are chosen based on their compatibility to your corporate image, overall message, industry, budget and desired results. Once effective strategies are chosen, they are then implemented in a way that offers the most measurable return on your investment.”

The unmistakable value of effective PR, Branding and Marketing is even more apparent today. Entrepreneurs all over the nation saw much more than the Giants beat the Patriots 17:14 during Super Bowl XXXVII. The keen entrepreneurial mind would have taken note and probably later researched the ROI on a 30 second $2.1 million ad. Unfortunately, too many small businesses find advertising rates to be so astronomical that they become intimidated and miss out on other, far less costly options. “While $2.1 million may prove to be a great extreme, doing nothing is much worse. The thing to keep in mind is that most of those corporate moguls started off in a similar position to that of most small businesses today - on a very tight budget - most are successful today as a result of really great PR,” says Sophia. “Even with a limited budget, there are still many effective options available to small business owners that can be implemented today to have such a dramatic impact on the business, that this time next year they’ll look back and say wow! 2008 was great.” Options such as podcasts, mobile marketing, blog syndication/RSS feeds, press release and article distribution, social bookmarking and various business networks, (all offered by Biz N Need) are proven avenues for cost effective promotion.

As a part of the new campaign, Biz N Need offers a complimentary PR Starter Kit to all new clients. A $1,500 value, the kit includes a website analysis (image and use of colors, SEO and keywords), PR checklist, PR & Marketing Campaign Consultation and a Customized Introductory Letter. The company will release its beta iSocialize™, a web 2.0 social network toolkit in mid April.