Can Your Customers Find You?

It might be hard to believe, but the simplest forms of advertising can result in business. Having a small business is time consuming, from collecting payments, shipping out items, ordering inventory, paying bills, figuring out advertising, the small business owner is definitely responsible for multiple items. So it’s no surprise that some things might have been overseen. Most of the time when we are talking about advertising it has dollar bill signs in the conversation. But not today! No cash out of your pocket, and no need to get a working capital loan.  These are all free forms of advertising that will help your customers better find your business. First on the list is going to help you with your local customers. There are two main sites you will want to be listed with when it comes to local search, and the first one being the largest is Google Places. The process is simple and free to have your business listed with Google. You can list your hours of operation, phone number, address and even add photos. Second on the list will be YellowBook.com, also known as Yellow Pages or Ad Solutions. This too will be free and will take very little time to get your business listed with them. This one can be a little trickier; they also offer a paid listing as well. Here is the link for the free listing for YellowBook.com. Now there are some other ways of getting your business listed on the Internet for free. Social media plays a huge roll in today’s online marketing. If you haven’t already signed up wit the following Social Media sites, we strongly recommend in doing so.

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Yelp

Depending on the type of business you are running, some of these can have a huge benefit of getting the word out to other potential customers. If you have a restaurant, diner or yogurt shop having social media will be your best friend. Now days, everyone is talking about where they are going, eating and what they are doing. It’s so easy for someone to take a picture of their food they are enjoying, upload it to several sites like Facebook or Twitter all by using their cell phone. Take advantage of others spreading the word about your company if you think you can benefit from social media in this manner. Don’t forget about the old school approach, offline marketing. If your business phone line is with AT&T, you can also get your business listed on their printed phonebook for free. I know what you’re thinking… no one uses those anymore… But if it doesn’t cost you money, it can’t hurt having your business listed in another place! Don’t forget, you want to get your business listed in as many places as possible. If you have other printed marketing material, like business cards or brochures, menus, etc. make sure you get all your business info on those items; that would include your business phone number, business address, website, email, and even your social media info. Offline marketing will still generate leads, don’t dismiss it and keep at it.