Marketing your product or services can be intimidating. Most work-at-home moms were probably taught as youngsters not to boast. At least I know that I was. Self-promotion can sometimes go against the grain. Yet, marketing and self-promotion are vital for your home business.
It's really important to get over being timid about sharing the best qualities of your home business if you want to attract new customers and grow your business. Admittedly, this can be hard to do if you're not a natural sales person.
Remember, not only are you entitled to tell the story of your business, you have an obligation to tell it. Your potential clients deserve to be given enough accurate information so that they can make an informed purchasing decision. Plus, if you don't tell your company's story, your prospective customers may fill in the gaps on their own with whatever information they can find.
This post was inspired by some of the questions from Work From Home Momma reader, Tammi Reynolds of Drawing on Words. I know that Tammi asked questions that are on the minds of a lot of home business owners, so I've decided to deal with them here.
Here are some methods to market your home business. After each method I've listed a follow-up post that you can refer to to gather additional information about that method.
- Referrals. Ask friend, family, and colleagues if they know of anyone who needs your products or services.
Followup Post: Guide to Getting Clients Through Referrals - Business Blog. Consider starting a business blog as a way to market your home business.
Followup Posts: Does your Home Business Need a Blog?, 200 Blog Review Questions - Networking. You can use online and offline networking to brand your company and attract clients.
Followup post: Social Networking: Home Business Boon or Bane? (Responses) - Direct Mail. Use targeted direct mail to reach potential clients for your business.
Followup post: Top 10 Direct Mail Mistakes - Press Releases. Send out press releases about your product or services to local or online media.
Followup post: Check Out Press Releases for Increasing Your Home Business Exposure
These are just a few marketing tips. Additional tips include investing in traditional advertising, developing positive relationships with your clients, and even using contests to build your business. As you get more and more comfortable marketing your home business, you'll think of more ideas.
What about you? What business marketing methods have you tried? Which ones worked? Leave us a comment and let us know.
Do you have a question that you would like to see addressed on Work From Home Momma? You can leave a comment on this post or email me at laura [dot] workfromhomemomma [dot] com.
I'm thinking about going the barter route using connections I forged during my traditional job years. I just discovered my former employers, one of which happens to still be a friend, are down a sales assistant coming up on one of their biggest promotional events of the year, Bridal Fair. Since I've coordinated all of their Bridal Fairs since 2005, if you discount the tiny startup one they held in August, and the H&G products would be right at home in a Bridal Fair, I'm thinking a trade is in order.
I'll spend a few hours a week in January coordinating, with all the headaches involved, in exchange for a basic booth package. The prices come out about the same, and it'll give me the chance to meet face to face with over 1000 perspective clients.
Posted by: Misses E. | October 31, 2007 3:11 PM | Permalink to Comment