3.) Social Media
Almost everybody has a Facebook account, and many people also have a Twitter account. What most people do not have, however, is an understanding of how they can use this technology to their benefit. Posting a message or two on Facebook is only one way to get people to pay attention to your business. One thing that Facebook offers that can help a business receive more attention, as well as be able to interact with their followers, is to consider having an app created. For instance, imagine you have an app created where you can get people who are on your list to share photos/stories that relate to your business or even communicate with each other and exchange recipes if you run a bakery or show off their wedding albums if you are a photographer.
One person who does a great job with her Facebook business page is Leah Haddock, who is a wedding photographer in N.H. While she does not use anything expensive or fancy to run her Facebook page, she has a tremendous following of customers and pending customers who are eager to receive her updates because she provides content that interests her readers – new wedding photos.
4.) Free Publicity
One method that has proven successful for some businesses is the ability to get their name in the papers. Usually, you have to come up with an angle that fits more as a story than an advertisement, but you may notice that your local newspapers have stories about local businesses and the reason they have a write up is because something they have either contributed to the neighborhood or something they have done to help another local citizen, was deemed worthy of printing. Take a look at your local newspapers and see if you can find examples of businesses being spotlighted either in a specific section of the newspaper (such as something reserved for local events) or an example that is listed as a story itself.
A method many business owners use is to offer readers advice that establishes them as an ‘expert’ in a field or they might host an event for the community that the newspaper wants to talk about. Whether you are sponsoring a race or simply hosting an event to raise money for a charity, if you can convince an editor that you are offering something newsworthy and valuable to the community, then the odds are you have a chance at getting a write-up.
To submit your press release for free, you can visit this website. If you would like to use another press release service that does require a fee, you should consider PR Web.
Please note that if you wish to offer a Press Release, learn how to write one effectively and really take the time to find an angle that will appeal to an editor and the reader. This is not a method that should be jumped into without research and planning but, if used effectively, can create a lot more qualified visitors to your website than a simple advertisement might. Not to mention the fact that free publicity can create a ‘halo effect’ which means people will likely be more trusting of a company referred by a trusted source than a company that simply places an advertisement. The reason the ‘halo effect’ takes place is that it’s in our nature to trust a newspaper will do their research on a company they talk about, whereas an advertisement is only controlled by the company placing the ad – and they can say anything they want to convince you that you should do business with them.
Even if you need months to prepare for it, I strongly recommend that you put in the time and research to find a way to use free publicity to your advantage. If you need inspiration, consider the amazing story of Paul Hartunian, the man ‘who sold the Brooklyn Bridge’ in the early 1980s. He has provided a lot of anecdotes and free advice over the years as to how to use free publicity for your business.
5.) Affiliate Programs
This is an interesting method that has been around for a long while, but it is not a method that gets talked about very often. An affiliate program, or a rewards program, allows you to track sales that are referred by existing customers by using a special ‘affiliate link’ which tells the website, “This sale came from Judy Smith”. Each affiliate has its own unique affiliate URL that it can use to promote a product or service. Usually, a 15-20% commission is paid for every sale to the person who refers a sale.
Some website owners may balk at the idea of sharing their profits with somebody but what they may not realize is that you are receiving sales, without any cost, that would not have existed without the affiliate program. Instead of having to pay $100 for an ad that generates five sales, for example, you may find that an effective affiliate program may generate 20 extra sales a month without you having to spend a dime. You are not paying anything because the affiliates are promoting you. In a small ‘internet marketing’ niche, where e-commerce site owners focus on information products mostly, it has been shown that an affiliate program can dramatically improve your sales figures.
To set up an affiliate program, you can either find software that sets this up for you or you can have a system custom-built for you. Contact us if you need help with this, as I have years of experience developing software that ties into Paypal’s ‘mass pay’ system that allows you to pay all affiliates with a Paypal account all at once. This means if you have 100 affiliates who have earned a sale and use Paypal, you can upload a CSV of these affiliates into Paypal and use ‘mass pay’ to pay all of them at once. This is one method I highly recommend if you are a small business that takes Paypal payments.
Please note that hosting an affiliate program is a serious responsibility. Those who find the most success with affiliate programs are the ones who invest the most time and energy into making their affiliates successful. For instance, do not hesitate to create custom google AdWords ads for them or articles that may interest their visitors. You essentially want to create your own ads and content but instead of paying for it yourself over time, allow your affiliates to do that for you.
Summary
The more time you take to research these options while learning from success stories, the more ideas you will have about boosting your traffic and, hopefully, sales without relying solely on expensive and sometimes unproductive advertising. Take inspiration from the few examples you have seen and try to find more that are more targeted towards your niche. You may be surprised to see what kind of inspiration you receive. If you have any questions about how to use any of these methods for your website, please do not hesitate to contact us by calling or leaving a comment below. Good luck!!
Magento Development Lead
