How to Promote a Local Business

As an owner of a local business, you probably found out by now that promotion is one of the most important steps for your business to succeed. A chalkboard with special offers written on it can attract a few pairs of eyes, but will only get attention to those passing by. There are many online and offline methods to promote your local business and knowing them all will get your business closer to success.

Add Your Business to Yellow Pages or Craiglist

These two websites are used by many business owners. You can add and locate your store online, so that other people can find your business online. As you may know by now, most people check all their news and updates via internet so do not be left out and make sure your business is visible on websites like Craigslist and Yellow Pages.

Signs

Signs are also a good way to promote your business. It is an old game played by many business owners, but it's still a great way to spread the word. Place your sign at popular places, add your latest promotions or products to attract customers. Make sure your sign is placed near your targeted audience. If you place an advertisement for pub near a church or a hospital, it's not going to do you any good.

Create a Website

Nowadays, most people get all the information from websites. People buy and sell products online, as it is fast and comfortable this way. Therefore, make sure you set up a website where you can promote and let people know about your business, this way people can freely find out all about it from home or work.

Reviews and Ratings

Encouraging your customers to write a review about your business is a great way of promoting. This is another online method of promotion and it's highly working. The reviews are written to reveal all the pros and cons of the product or service a customer previously used. This way people are able to better discover your local business, based on a word of mouth. And although negative comments are never pleasurable to see, but you can, however, find out all there is wrong and start providing the highest quality possible. Here is a list of websites, where you can add your business and allow people to review.

Develop a Unique Selling Proposition

A Unique Selling Proposition (also known as USP) is a factor presented by a seller as the reason that one product or service is different from and better than that of the competition . This applies to business owners that sell a similar product to the ones around him. http://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2014/04/07/unique-selling-proposition to learn more about USP and start promoting your business the way you want people to know.

Provide Coupons and Discounts

Using websites like Groupon can help your business attract more customers. By launching attractive packages and discounts you are sure to bring in more customers to your local business. Another example is Living Social. Make sure you provide coupons for people that do not use such websites. People love discounts and offers so make sure you deliver them any way possible for a limited time.

Social Networking

If you are using Facebook, you probably know that it is the biggest social network on the internet. Here, people socialize with friends and family as well as share and give updates. By creating a Facebook webpage for your local business, you are connecting with the world. Additionally, people can tag your business, allowing a word of mouth being spread around his or her friends. Check http://www.thesocialsavior.com/facebook-marketing/ to better understand how Facebook works and how to target the right audience.

Attend Meetings of Professional Groups

Another smart way to promote your business is by simply attending meetings and chatting with people who offer similar services or products to you. Professional groups like Rotary Club or chamber of Commerce are an example. Do not forget to socialize and ask people what they do. Have business cards ready and provide professional impression to people surrounding you.

All pictures used in this article are licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication. This article was created as a part of an educational program in overseas high schools aimed at improving English language. Thank you for reading!