You’ve come up with a great idea, maybe you’ve discovered a gap in the market, or maybe you just want to improve an existing product. Now you need sales!
Most small businesses have limited marketing resources. These are just a few of the ways to build your brand and gain awareness of your product.
Word of mouth – This is the easiest and cheapest form of marketing. Start by telling everyone about your product and encourage them to spread the word. Moms are the best market to help spread the word. If you have a good product, it can be sold only by word of mouth!
Vistaprint – This is a cheap online printer that sells everything promotional. Even if you start with business cards, Vistaprint is the place to go. You can request all kinds of promotional materials and they include a ton of free items, just to do business.
Share a booth at trade shows – If you’re trying to present your product to retailers, trade shows are a must. Many shows are very expensive, but many will allow you to share a booth with a colleague. This will definitely save you money and allow you to test the program to determine if it is the right target market for your product.
Blogs – Many bloggers will review your product and post the review on their site. This is a great way to drive business to your website and gain exposure. Sometimes a blogger may want you to submit a product for a giveaway. This is another way to draw attention to a new product.
Join Trade Associations – Most industries have associations to support your group. For example, in the toy industry, there is ASTRA, the American Association for the Retail of Specialty Toys. For a few hundred dollars, you can join and promote your product among your retail members.
Share a PR agency – Public relations is a great way to get the word out. Public relations agencies can be expensive. I would recommend bringing together a group of entrepreneurs who have similar products to whip. Approach a public relations agency to see if they would offer a group rate.
Submit Your Product for Awards – Most industries have award programs. Presenting your product for an award is great for display. If your product wins, the awards program generally issues a press release on your behalf announcing the victory. Also, you can display your award on your product. This will capture the attention of consumers.
Social networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, Squidoo are just some of the new generation of marketing. You can try one or all of them to find out what’s new about your product. You must follow the guidelines of each social communication medium. In most cases, you cannot openly promote your product, but if you study the methods of social media, you will soon find out what is acceptable and what is not.
