5 Free Ways to Market your Business

Welcome to “5 Free ways to market your business,” a series on entrepreneurial success.

In part 2 we’re going to explore networking and giving seminars as very lucrative ways to market your business for free. I say lucrative because even though they’re great ways to get the word out about your business they have the potential to turn into sales effortlessly. Get your pen and paper out, school is in session!

5 Free Ways to Market your business: Introduction | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Networking – I can’t stress how important it is for you to get out there on behalf of your business. People won’t know your business if you never show yourself. A great way to accomplish this and generate leads at the same time is business networking. There is always a small business event or networking opportunity going on in your area. Great resources for finding them would be; the events calendar in the business section of your local newspaper, the business journals website has an event calendar that organizations use to market their events, don’t forget the business section of the library and community bulletin board. Networking gives you an opportunity to meet face to face with potential clients, competition, and unique opportunities. It gives people a chance to match a face with your flyers, business cards, and other marketing materials that you’ve produced. Going to networking events is about presentation and preparation. It’s about how you present yourself and how prepared you are for possible new customers. If you walk in wearing a t-shirt and pair of jeans then you’re definitely not presenting your business in the greatest light. If you run out of business cards while you’re networking then you were not properly prepared for unexpected opportunities. How much does it cost to talk to a room full of potential clients about your business? An arm and a leg if you DON’T do it!

Tip: Get together an event calendar of your own. Research events using the methods above, mark your calendars, and make it a goal to pass out business cards at each one.

Tip #2: Stand out from the crowd! I already know everyone there is going to be dressed either in a suit or in business casual dress clothes. I make myself stand out by wearing all black. Be creative, but keep your appearance neat and sophisticated.

Tip #3: Most events will require you to wear a sticky badge where you write your name on it. Ex. “Hello, my name is …” Write your company name or website in big letters and see how many inquiries you get!

Free Seminars – Educating potential clients is great way to build trust and relationship in a way that a cold call can never do. When you teach someone you position yourself as an expert in your field. People are always more inclined to listen to an expert than a “Joe Schmoe.” When you give your seminar for free then it becomes valuable to your attendees. You can give a seminar on the benefits of using your product or service at your place of business, your home, or partner with a local company who targets the same market and do it at their headquarters. To run a successful seminar remember a few key things; a. keep it short (people start to squirm in their chairs if being held for too long.), b. don’t – make a sales presentation/ do – give useful information up front and ask for the sale afterward, c. offer door prizes, gifts, and other specials for attendees, d. offer to present a free seminar for local business networks, groups, and organizations. Being a resource increases your company image, customer database, and bottom line. Did I mention that you can implement this technique for free? God bless America!

Note: I was a nervous wreck while planning my first seminar for The Small Business Learning Series. As a matter of fact that’s all I did . . . plan. “What if no one shows up, what about a location, what if this happens, what if that happens?” All these thoughts plagued my mind. My mom brought it to my attention that I already had the necessary resources, tools, and expertise to host it. As she elegantly put it, “Just do it!” So, I did it and I’ve been doing it ever since. If God gave you the vision then believe He’ll definitely give you the tools to build it. All you have to do is “…do it!”

Do you see the power of maximizing your resources to market your business or venture for free? All you have to do is get out there and do it. In part 3 we’ll take a look at building a customer referral program. It’s yet another awesome way to market your company absolutely free!

Conversation Starter – How many networking events do you go to a month? Have you ever considered presenting your product or service in a seminar like setting? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

5 Free Ways to Market your business: Introduction | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

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