If you’re the entrepreneur behind a small business, then your best bet for success is to gain customers from your local community. This can be difficult to achieve, but there are a number of ways that you can get the word out about your business. Here are a few tips to keep your small business afloat and appeal to your local community:
Create a website.
Regardless of how small your business is, people will look your business up online. You’ll need to set up a website, even if you don’t hire a web design team to build it. Add information about your business’ products, services and company culture to the site. You can also offer valuable content on your website, such as a how-to guide. This gives customers something to show people when they tell their friends about your business.
Have a grand opening or reopening.
If you’re a new business, a grand opening can help attract customers and spread the word about your business. If your business is not new but is being refreshed, have a grand re-opening. This event will attract new and old customers. Have sales and refreshments at your grand opening. You can even add prize drawing. Collect email addresses from those who attend your event. To get people to come to the event, simply create a facebook event and encourage followers to invite their friends. Alternatively, you can distribute a press release letting people know about the event.
Get listed in the directories.
A website is a great place to start, but you’ll also want your business’s address and phone number listed in any relative directories, such a Yellowpages.com, Local.com, or Google Maps. Monitor the sites to make sure that the information is correct and comprehensive. You should include the hours of operation and a statement about what your business provides. While we are living in a digital era, it’s a good idea to also make sure your business is listed in the yellow pages of the phone book.
Create a Facebook business page.
Another alternative to a website is a Facebook business profile. An optimized social profile will show up on Google search results, and it won’t be as difficult to maintain as a website. A prominent social media presence allows you to gain followers and awareness. You will be able to post updates about your business, such as sales and offers. You can build up your network by following other local businesses and events. This will allow you to be more involved in your local community.
Keep your customers happy.
While your goal may be to gain more customers, it’s important to keep your current customers satisfied. Always make sure to follow up with your customers and check that they’re happy with what you offered them. Let your customers know that their feedback is appreciated and encourage them to rate or review your business online. When your customers feel valued, they will be happy and therefore more likely to tell their friends about your business.
Expanding a small business locally can be tricky, but it is certainly possible. Just make sure people know the face behind the business. This humanizes your company, and customers will ultimately think it is more reliable. This humanization of a company is the thing that makes small businesses unique in the first place, so make sure that you’re making the community not only familiar with the company, but familiar with you.