Thinking up solutions for problems might be the thing that you do best, after all, that’s the skill that led you to the realisation of your invention. However, when it comes to solving the problem of letting people know about your great new product or service, your powers of solution-finding seem to be leaving a little to be desired. That’s nothing to worry about. Plenty of entrepreneurs struggle with the marketing side of business, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t learn how to do it. These tips will help you give your fledgling business the boost that it needs. Plus, they’re explained in a way that’s totally jargon-free, no marketing degree necessary to understand what’s going on here.
Something For Nothing
If getting people to try out your product or service is going to be your main hurdle, then the simplest way to do it is to give them it for free. This might sound like a huge money pit, but you could apply some parameters to prevent it from becoming so. For example, lots of people want to play at free spins casinos, they offer them free spins to use on slot machines and in return players choose them over their less generous competitors. So huge is the competition that companies like VegasSlotsOnline exist, that show customers exactly which sites are offering free spins and how it is best to take advantage of those offers. Free spins are a sure-fire way for casino sites to get customers ‘through the door’ so to speak. However, what if a customer has a huge win, won’t it cost casino companies loads? Well, generally speaking, free spins work only within set parameters, which are often that however many free spins you use, you need to wager that amount in your own money before you can withdraw any winnings. This means that although companies will pay out your wins, they aren’t losing money by offering them out. The tricky bit in all of this is working out how you are going to make this work for your own company, but with an entrepreneurial mindset, that shouldn’t be too difficult.
It’s Not What You Know
The adage, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know, really is based in truth. So many people are able to get a leg up on the career ladder, or push their product that bit further because of a connection that they made with someone somewhere down the line. Of course, networking isn’t just important for making business connections, it can also be a super effective marketing tool. In order to network effectively the first step is to make sure that you’re actually attending networking events. These are great places to meet like-minded people who are often in a similar business sphere to you. Making connections with people who could be potential investors or even partners is not to be underestimated, but also, these people might end up just being your customers. Meeting the person behind a product can be really inspiring, so if you explain your product well, you might end up meeting a new loyal customer. There’s no marketing as effective as a word of mouth recommendation, so treat every meeting as though you’re not only meeting a potential investor, but that you want to deliver them that perfect elevator pitch too.
Sometimes, Less Really Is More
There are so many different methods of marketing that it can be all too easy to get bogged down in it all. Whilst it’s absolutely essential that you do some marketing, don’t get stuck in the trap of feeling like you have to do all of it. Instead of casting your net far and wide, try a handful of different marketing strategies at first and see which one makes the biggest difference. Be sure to measure the effectiveness accurately so that you can make a truly informed decision. Once you’ve pinpointed the techniques that are giving the biggest return on your time, then stick to just a couple of them. Get these one or two techniques down to a fine art and once you’re happy with how they’re working, outsource them. Outsourcing does require a bit of capital initially, but if you’ve truly perfected the techniques that you’re outsourcing, then you’ll be able to give clear and detailed instructions on exactly how you want things done. This means that whilst your original marketing techniques are getting done by somebody else, you can work on the next strategies in your marketing plan. Eventually you’ll have a dozen or so different marketing strategies, all working flawlessly and all being completed by other people, freeing up your time for the things you really excel at.
Photo by Firmbee.com on Unsplash