| It's time to get fruity with some great small business | | | | 11. Open House. Host an open evening at your |
| marketing ideas that will help you explode your clients | | | | premises. Invite both potential and regular customers |
| (not literally!). As a small business, marketing can | | | | for drinks and nibbles and a chance to see/test your |
| sometimes be daunting, but take these 20 ideas and | | | | latest products, with a discount for purchases or |
| implement one idea every day. Put a tick list on your | | | | orders placed on the night. |
| desk and take massive action. | | | | 12. Join an Online Booking Service. If you run a |
| 1. Brand your Business Clearly. Make sure your | | | | hospitality business (hotel, bar, pub, café or coffee |
| business name or logo clearly identifies the ultimate | | | | shop) consider joining one of the online booking |
| benefit of what you are offering, in a way which will | | | | services, such as Top Table, or Gourmet Society. This |
| appeal to your market; keep it simple, short and | | | | will bring you to the attention of travellers from other |
| memorable. A store called "Gifts for Garden-lovers" or | | | | areas who might not otherwise find you, and you can |
| "Green-finger Gifts" is precise and clear; one called | | | | also offer special deals through some sites. This can |
| "Smith's Store" or "Universal Wonder" gives no clue. | | | | be a two-edged sword, of course, as the site will |
| 2. Be Seen in All the Right Places. Think about where | | | | probably also carry reviews by your customers - but if |
| your target customers go and try to arrange to | | | | you offer high-quality service and excellent food and |
| advertise by displaying leaflets or posters there. For | | | | drink, good reviews will boost your reputation. |
| the youth market, use Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or | | | | 13. Carry Out a Survey. Have a supply of small cards |
| other online resources. For adults and young families it | | | | by the till as each customer completes their |
| might be the local supermarket, the library, the gym, or | | | | transaction with you, asking the customer to complete |
| the "mother and toddler" group. For the senior market, | | | | a short survey on their experience with your business, |
| target locations your potential customers visit such as | | | | and to fill in their details (especially email address). |
| libraries, doctors' and dentists' waiting rooms, church | | | | Offer a small monthly prize as an incentive. This will |
| halls, community centres etc. or advertise in the local | | | | not only give you valuable feedback on your success |
| paper or free-sheet, perhaps with a promotional | | | | (or otherwise), but you will build up a database of email |
| discount voucher. | | | | addresses, which you can use for promotional emails, |
| 3. Give Your Knowledge Away. What you know | | | | newsletters etc. For ideas on how to use these, click |
| about your business and your industry is interesting and | | | | on. |
| potentially valuable to others. Without giving away any | | | | 14. Collect Business Cards. Copy those city centre |
| really sensitive information, offer to speak at schools | | | | restaurants and have a large glass bowl by the cash |
| and colleges, women's groups or business clubs on a | | | | desk, to collect business cards (or hand-written |
| topic related to your business; write for the local paper | | | | contact details slips) from customers, with a monthly |
| or speak on the local radio and you will gain valuable | | | | draw for, say, a free bottle of wine or champagne - |
| exposure. Make your website as informative as | | | | this is another way of building a database for future |
| possible. Tell potential customers exactly how you will | | | | marketing activities. |
| help their business, or benefit them personally. If you | | | | 15. New Image Party. When you re-decorate your |
| can, reveal a few "tricks of the trade" to help them | | | | premises, hold a "New Image" party, inviting local press, |
| make best use of what you sell. Very few people will | | | | radio, community dignitaries, neighbours, the general |
| actually steal your knowledge to set up for | | | | public and previous customers from your database, to |
| themselves, but many of your customers will feel | | | | show off your new premises, and launch new |
| gratified that you are willing to be open and honest | | | | products or services. |
| with them. | | | | 16. Professional Brochure or Leaflet. With desktop |
| 4. Word of Mouth. This can be a very valuable | | | | publishing software available on every PC and laptop, |
| marketing tool - and is absolutely free! Make sure all | | | | there is no excuse for unprofessional looking publicity |
| your customers leave you 100% happy and satisfied | | | | material. Have a nit-picking friend read through any |
| with the service you have provided to them, and they | | | | leaflet/flyer/poster you propose to use, to check for |
| will become ambassadors for your business. | | | | grammatical, punctuation and spelling mistakes. |
| 5. Investigate the Competition. Use a friend or a paid | | | | 17. Error-free Website. The same applies to your |
| "Mystery Shopper" to call on other businesses in your | | | | website - your professionalism is in doubt right away if |
| area to see how they operate. Get hold of their | | | | your website is riddled with typing errors, misplaced |
| advertising literature and compare their offering with | | | | apostrophes, poor punctuation and grammatical |
| yours. Check out their websites. What can you do to | | | | mistakes. Don't assume your website designer will |
| make your business stand out? | | | | correct your text - he or she is an expert in |
| 6. Offer Discounts. Produce Discount Vouchers to be | | | | computers not grammar. If you can't afford a |
| used at your store or business (perhaps on certain | | | | proofreader, ask a fussy friend or relation to check it |
| slower moving products, or on certain days when your | | | | for you. |
| trade is usually slack). Add an expiry date to generate | | | | 18. Superior Telephone Service. Is your telephone |
| a sense of urgency. You could include a discount | | | | system as good as it could be? During working hours, |
| voucher in your advertising, hand them to each | | | | make sure every call is answered within 3 rings and |
| customer, or mail them to previous clients. | | | | that the greeting you give is friendly and personal. |
| 7. Give-Aways. Hand out free samples in your local | | | | Ensure that the person who answers your calls is |
| high street; give customers a small free product with | | | | trained to deal with the majority of customers' |
| each purchase over a certain value; or have "3 for 2" | | | | questions themselves. After hours or at busy times, |
| offers or "Buy -1-Get-1-Free" promotions. | | | | make sure your answerphone message is |
| 8. Linked Purchases. Offer a deal where customers | | | | professional, helpful, and proactive. Not just "please |
| who buy product A get product B at a reduced price. | | | | leave a message" but "we are so sorry that no-one is |
| This can encourage customers to buy two products, | | | | able to help you right away, but we promise to call you |
| when they would otherwise only have bought one. | | | | back by 9:30am tomorrow if you would be kind |
| 9. Loyalty or Reward Schemes. Issue a card to be | | | | enough to leave your number" or something similar. |
| stamped each time the customer buys, with a full card | | | | And make certain you always deliver on that promise. |
| entitling the customer to a free product, or a discount | | | | 19. Community Visibility. Join fellow Business people at |
| on their next purchase (but make sure the cards and | | | | the local Chamber of Commerce, Business Clubs, |
| stamps are kept under control, or you could end up | | | | Rotary Club, Round Table etc. Get involved in local |
| with an unexpected rush of claims!) | | | | charity events, so you gain a positive reputation for |
| 10. Competitions. Run a competition and choose an | | | | contributing to the community. |
| exciting prize from your range of products or services, | | | | 20. Get Involved in Local Events and Activities. If there |
| which will not cost you a great deal but which will be | | | | is a community event in your town, make sure you are |
| very appealing to your potential customers. Advertise | | | | there to publicise your business - maybe you can have |
| the competition widely in the locality, send a press | | | | small samples to give away, or hand out a voucher for |
| release about it to the local press and radio and, if | | | | a discount at your business. If there is a local charity |
| appropriate, make sure people have to call at your | | | | event, take part yourself (or sponsor someone else to |
| business in order to enter - which gives you a chance | | | | do so) carrying/wearing your business name. |
| to promote your business to them in person. Invite the | | | | I really hope you enjoyed those 20 tips. Just one that |
| local press to be present when the prize is awarded, | | | | works should help you to explode your profits! |
| to get some more free publicity. | | | | |