40 Ways to Promote Your Business

The key to success in promoting your business is to be flexible. Your marketing shouldn’t be one-dimensional. It has to be fluid and come from multiple angles. Sticking to a single approach can lead to stagnation whereas a multi-pronged approach ensures that your audience is always different and varied.

In this article, we go over the different ways you can promote your business, from using traditional tools such as signs and banners to new techniques that take advantage of technology. Read on!

Traditional Ways to Promote Your Business

1. Handouts – Print flyers and brochures to advertise your business. Give these print ads away in the vicinity of your establishment so passersby have a point of reference. Hand out flyers with details of your grand reopening, special sales, seasonal offers, and more.

2. Direct mail – Take advantage of direct mail services to expand your customer base. These services help you communicate to communities directly, whether you’re new in town or a local fixture.

3. Print ads – Raise awareness for your brand by printing ads in the local newspaper or magazines. These tend to be expensive but provide a lot of exposure, especially if the publication’s readership is large. Printing on glossies also lets you target specific niche markets.

4. Banners – Putting up vinyl banners is a tried-and-tested way of promoting businesses. It’s affordable, durable, and can be used indoors and outdoors. Large banners work well with generic messages while smaller ones are great for specific, detailed designs.

5. Storefront signs – Use window clings or A-frame signs to communicate directly to customers. Clings on store windows can display store hours, accepted payment methods, and other important information. Restaurants, bars, and cafes can use A-frames to display daily specials, new items on the menu, or announce happy hour.

6. Car magnets – Sticking magnetic signs on vehicles lets you advertise on the road. Car magnets let you take your branding everywhere you go and make your messaging visible to drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. These are best used for car fleets and delivery trucks.

7. Tradeshow events – These events bring potential customers to you, but give you a limited space to advertise. Never go plain and unprepared because your booth will get swallowed up by the crowd. You have to stand out. Decorate your booth with retractable banners and a custom tablecloth to attract attention from all directions.

8. Billboards – For a big splash, nothing beats a large billboard. This is an extremely expensive but effective advertising method. You can put up billboards if you’re about to run a massive marketing campaign and want to drum up hype about your brand.

9. Sponsored events and competitions – Another way of promoting your business is to become a sponsor and attach your name to events. Sponsor the uniforms of a Little League team, fund an up-and-coming e-sports athlete, or have a tie-up with a local marathon. Your brand will be included in all marketing materials for the event.

10. Charity and other non-profit activities – While branding shouldn’t be your main objective, you can make a charitable donation in the name of your business. You can also tie up with organizations with specific advocacies that are in line with your brand.

11. Broadcasting – Airing radio and TV ads is another traditional way of promoting your brand. Create engaging advertisements that will attract viewers and listeners. The effectiveness of broadcast ads relies on repetition, so this option will be an expensive one.

12. Cold-calling – While it is not as effective as it used to be, cold-calling is another option to consider. Take care to not be pushy as it will place your name in a bad light.

13. Referral – Word-of-mouth marketing is powerful. You can get the help of existing customers to promote your business. Offer rewards such as discounts or freebies for every new customer referral made.

Digital Ways to Promote Your Business

14. Build a website – One of the most popular ways to check if a business is legitimate is if they have a website. As a business, having one is crucial. Make it look good and update it regularly so that potential customers know that you’re putting in the work to make your business relevant.

15. Create social media pages – Social media plays an important part for businesses nowadays. It lets you simultaneously advertise and communicate directly in real-time with customers. Remember to be professional since your socials represent your business. If budget permits, hire a dedicated social media manager.

16. Create a Google Business Profile – Google remains the king of search engines. They have 4.3 billion users worldwide and 246 million unique users in the US. It should go without saying that you have to list your business on their platform. By doing so, your establishment will show up on searches and maps. Customers will also be able to leave feedback if they were happy with your services.

17. List your business on directory listings – Aside from Google, don’t forget to list your business on other directories as well, such as Yelp, yellow pages, etc. This creates more results when potential customers search your establishment online.

18. Email marketing – Send periodic emails to remind subscribers about new products, potential deals, and pertinent business information. This is also an opportune situation to send promo codes they can use in-store. Take care not to spam customers so that they don’t unsubscribe from your list.

19. Make the most of your email signature – As far as marketing goes, you have to take advantage of every inch available. You can tailor your email signature to promote your business. Aside from your contact information, you can add a logo, social media links, or even a landing page link.

20. Create an e-brochure – Make sure you have a downloadable brochure that promotes the products you have. The best example of this would be look books for fashion and apparel. They’re attractive, easy to share, and contains everything you need.

21. Start a business blog – Visibility in the internet is important. Set up a blog where you can deliver the latest updates from your brand. A well-maintained blog increases your credibility in the long run. You can even publish content that’s exclusive to your blog to build anticipation among readers.

22. Make connections on LinkedIn – LinkedIn is the most important social network for professionals. Being active here lets you connect and network with professionals in your industry.

23. Join Facebook Groups – Joining (or creating) Facebook groups lets you promote, advertise, and talk to a specific, targeted community. If it’s not your own group, remember to read the rules regarding posting ads and promotions so that you won’t get kicked or banned. Creating your own group is beneficial for your brand as you can directly address concerns from your customers and reward loyal supporters.

24. Use Facebook ads – Use the algorithm to your advantage. Facebook ads are effective because of the analytics the platform offers. You can see firsthand the specific times where engagement is high, and the exact times when you should avoid posting anything.

25. Guest post on other people’s blogs – Cross-posting on different blogs and platforms lets you widen your reach and speak to a new audience. You can create a guest post on a blog in the same industry or one that’s entirely different. Sharing a different perspective, even when you’re promoting something, is always welcome.

26. Take advantage of forums – Online forums such as Reddit let you talk to like-minded individuals or people who work in the same industry. Normally these platforms frown upon direct advertising, but you can post with a soft-sell approach to avoid being called out for shilling.

27. Optimize your site for search engines – Search engine optimization is required to build your online presence. Use important keywords for your industry on your website so that your search rankings get higher over time. Take care not to go overboard with the keywords as search algorithms will know if you’re trying to game them. Use search terms sparingly and naturally.

28. Create a promo video – Nowadays, video content reigns supreme. You can upload Instagram Reels, TikTok videos, YouTube shorts, and so on. Short, digestible videos are easily shared, making it the perfect platform for promotions. You can collaborate with content creators to tap into their audience.

29. Turn a post into an infographic – The attention span of customers are getting shorter and shorter. Try to condense articles with an attractive infographic that people can share with their own networks. You can still keep long-form content, but infographics are easier to digest, and the chances of it going viral is higher.

30. Promote your blog everywhere – Your blog is a powerful tool that can reach a lot of customers. Make an effort to advertise your blog and website by adding links or QR codes on your marketing materials such as business cards, posters, brochures, and more.

31. Create a newsletter sign-up – Build your email directory by advertising newsletter signups. Make it more attractive by offering discount vouchers for every subscription. To deter customers from unsubscribing, you can also send out promotional codes in email newsletters every now and then.

32. Join affiliate programs – Affiliate programs let other people sell your products online using special links and earn a commission. This option isn’t for everyone, but is a good option to consider especially for retail products.

33. Add live chat to your website – Live chat support can help convert sales that may have otherwise been lost. Customers who are on the fence can be convinced by your customer service agents immediately. Deferring queries to email or calls will increase the likelihood that they will abandon the sale. Even if they don’t buy, the mere fact that they got immediate help will leave a good impression.

34. Start a podcast – Podcasts are all the rage nowadays. You can speak as a guest on existing podcasts or create your own. It is free and you have the freedom to speak your mind and promote anything.

35. Create a Q&A video series – You can collate the most common questions that your business receives and create engaging videos or podcasts that answer these queries. You get to create engaging content, as well as clarify areas of your business that customers might be having trouble with.

36. Add share buttons to your blog images – People love to share images. Instead of them screen grabbing your content, include a share button. This way, clicks redirect to your site and potential customers will be exposed to your brand.

37. Create press releases – Whenever you have a new product, a special event, or a seasonal promotion, create a press release and seed it to media channels. There is no assurance that they will run it, but there’s no harm in trying.

38. Give bloggers a free sample – While influencer marketing has slowed down a little, offering dedicated bloggers and influencers products to try out can still lead to great press. Make sure to choose experts in their respective fields so that they can promote your product with credibility

39. Create an online contest – Holding online competitions is a good way to increase engagement at a low cost. For your followers, it can be as simple as retweeting a specific post or submitting a homemade video. This can increase your brand visibility while at the same time, giving you more content to use in the future.

40. Add online coupon codes/discount codes – Everybody loves coupons, even digital ones! Periodically offer coupons and discount codes on your website and/or socials to reward customers who engage with your content.

Promote Your Business With the Best of Both Worlds

In promoting your business, it’s important that you don’t shy away from opportunities. Especially in this digital age we live in, there are always new innovations and technologies that you can take advantage of to increase awareness. However, it’s equally important to use traditional marketing methods. Vinyl banners, yard signs, and so on have stood the test of time, simply because they work. Combining the new and the old is an effective formula that maximizes every opportunity for your business to succeed.