More and more people in the modern world are choosing to go into businesses for themselves. Many of these individuals recognize that retail space is one of the largest expenses of running a business, so this often leads them to work directly from their home. Unfortunately, without a store front to gain attention and bring people in, a home-based entrepreneur will need to focus on other marketing tactics to drum up business.
image src: flickr
1. Social Media
Social media is one of the most low-cost methods that a person can use to market their company. There are well over a billion users on Facebook alone, and this makes for a huge audience. Get family members to "Like" a business page, and since the average Facebook user has 190 friends, a post's reach will be huge from only one "Share."
2. Company Website
A company website is a necessity in the modern business world. Without one, people just won't view a business as legitimate. Simply having a place on the Internet is enough to bring in new customers, and if a business owner can set it up so that their clients can make purchases right on the site, their profits will likely increase.
3. Branding Strategy
Building a successful home-based company requires excellent branding. This means understanding a target audience while building and marketing the product in such a way that it reaches out to a company's key demographic. Geico Insurance, for example, has branded their company in a way that portrays them as witty, but this simply wouldn't work well for a funeral home business. Another example would be Amway's global growth strategy by marketing efforts reaching out internationally.
Unfortunately, building a sound branding strategy requires a bit of professional knowledge, and even business owners who know how to do it often don't have the time to do so after handling all of their other business-related activities. Many home-based business owners end up hiring professionals to handle their branding strategy for them, and in reality, this is a sound plan that can free up the time of a budding entrepreneur so they can focus on other aspects of their company.
4. Combine Forces
Joining forces with a similar company, but not a direct competitor, can also be a beneficial marketing tactic. A business owner who specializes in making a special type of weedeater, for instance, could partner with a local home improvement store by asking for them to carry the weedeaters. In return, the business owner could offer this lawn equipment at a discount price for the store's customers.
5. Content Marketing
Content marketing is another low-cost marketing method that no home-based business should be without. This is known as a form of "inbound advertising." This means that potential customers will actually seek out information from a company rather than having it forced onto them like traditional advertising methods so often do.
A bait-and-tackle shop, for instance, could make a video on how to clean a catfish. Internet users seeking this knowledge will sometimes end up finding this video. The business owner can then provide links to their website under the video or even a call to action at the end of the video.
Running a business is one of the most rewarding things that a person can do in their life. If successful, an individual can really gain the life that they've always wanted. Success requires a multifaceted approach, though, and by using the aforementioned at-home marketing techniques, there's no limit on just how far a person can take their business.
Lisa Coleman shares some tips to help market a home based business successfully, promoting business growth. She recently researched how marketing and branding strategy can be vitally important to the success of a home based business. She encourages outsourcing such needs to professionals, such as Brand Fever, a successful marketing and branding agency.