Postcards, coupons, digital advertising…  oh my! There are so many ways to effectively grow your business, and it can be hard to determine which is best for you. You know that when it comes to marketing, it’s all about trial-and-error and figuring out what’s making your business grow. If you’re not sure where to start, we have a list for you of great places to marketing your business in order to grow:

Postcards

Sending out postcards to past and current customers is a great way to remind them about your business, and how you’ve helped them in the past. On top of that, you’re providing them with your contact information right there. Sure, they could check Google to find a local landscaper, carpet cleaner, HVAC specialist, etc. but then they’re seeing all of your competitors, as well. Providing your customers with the occasional (1-5/year) postcard is a great way to keep your business fresh in their minds and it provides them with a physical reminder of their business that will be kept on their fridge for them to see.

Coupons

We all love to save money! I don’t know anyone who isn’t persuaded by the thought of saving money when they need a service completed. I know that when I’m searching for someone to help with plumbing issues, car troubles, pet care, etc, I’m looking at pricing as well as reviews. When someone is considering your business and a competitors, it could be a coupon that makes all the difference for you. If you have a $15 off for First Time Customers coupon accessible for your social media followers, and on your website, you’re much more likely to rope in those potential consumers who are trying to decide which business to work with.

Besides new business, coupons are a great way to get previous customers coming back to you. Why? Because you are giving incentives to them to return by offering them some savings. Sending a postcard with a coupon, or text/email campaign that offers 10% off their next service, or a buy one get one 50% off future service to your customers will make them much more motivated to come back.

Ads

Running ads is a great way to reel in new business, as well as remind former customers about your business. You can run ads on Facebook, Yelp, Google, etc. and all of these places are very effective. Did you know that you can specify your target audience while creating ads to you are sure to not waste views on people who are in the wrong area, or wrong age group for your services? For example, if most of your customers are females in Chicago between the ages of 35-50, you can easily input all of that information and be sure your ads are only showing for people in the correct demographics.

Paying for ads on Facebook and Google can become costly, but when you monitor the progress and see how many customers are coming from your ads, it can really be worth your time. Running targeted ads is a great way to effectively grow your business, and you can choose which products and services you want to broadcast on your advertisements. Win-win!

Email & Text Campaigns

Last, but definitely not least, a great way to effectively grow your business is through text and email campaigns! Did you know that over 18 billion texts are sent each day? That is an almost unimaginably-large number. People are always looking at their phones, reading and responding to their texts and focusing on that platform. People are looking at their phones, on average, 150 times each day, and many of those times are to check text messages or emails. In fact, most people reported checking their email about three times each day.

When you work with a new customer, be sure to get their information and let them know you’ll send them offers and coupons in the future. A great idea for content in text and email campaigns is sending an offer for a discounted service. You can also focus on sending tips and tricks and information that will be beneficial to your customers. If you can offer any DIY projects that will help your customers make their carpet cleaning, heating systems or landscaping last longer, feel free to send that to them through text or email! These are great outlets for reaching people since they are on their phones so frequently, and there’s no better way to incentivize your customers than with something free (tips & tricks), or discounted (coupons & deals)!

Don’t forget, while you’re exploring all of the different marketing avenues you could take with your business, focus on marketing attribution. Otherwise, you won’t know what’s working for your business and where your time and money are being wasted. Don’t be afraid to try several different marketing approaches so you can find out which mix is the best to effectively grow your business!

For more insights on marketing strategy that actually works for small business, subscribe to the FreshLime Newsletter here. Connect with Jay Bean, Founder of FreshLime and Small Business Marketing Expert on LinkedIn and Twitter. And last of all, if any of these tips have helped you or if you have anything to add please comment below. We’d love to hear from you!