Posts Tagged article writing

I’ve been helping to build small businesses over the past 11 years.  In almost every case, I have found that these business owners share one thing in common with each other:  They are very compassionate about their business.  Ask them to talk about their business and they can talk to you for hours about what they do.  One thing they also have in common is that they usually don’t have a lot of start-up money, so here is a list of getting your business built without breaking the bank.

1. Start a Blog - Blogging is a great way of getting people to find you.  Many businesses start with a blog and then build the web site later.  I would suggest buying a domain and hosting policy from a reputable company and loading your Wordpress Blog from there.  The thing I hear from most people is, “I don’t have time to blog” or “How can a blog help my business?”  The answer is simple.  A blog,  like this one, can help you get in touch with people that want to do business with you!  You can communicate coupons and announcements to people that follow your blog.  Write quality content and people will read it.

2. Write Articles – …and press releases.  You can do a quick search on the internet to find dozens of places that will accept articles and press releases for free.  Why do this?  Because writing an article sets you up as an expert in your industry.  I wrote an article about 5 years ago and it is still being published.  The key to getting people to read your articles is the same with your blog – the information needs to be insightful and interesting to people that want to know about your business.

3. Branding – Put your logo and web site on everything you print offline or publish online.  Why? Because the more people see your logo and/or web site the better the chance they will come to find you.  Anyway, there really isn’t a need to hide it.  You bought it. You want to promote it.  Get it out there.  When I say everything, I mean: Invoices, receipts, business cards, blog posts, the articles I mentioned above, your signature file on your email, contracts, flyers, everything….Brand that business!

4. Say Thank You – Everytime you do something for a customer, everytime you receive a payment, say “thank you.”  Not only is it polite, but people enjoy being thanked.  As an added bonus, give them something while your thanking them to remember you by.  I will often give them a magnet with my business card on it or offer a magnetized bumper sticker with their new web site name (powered by my company’s name).  A smile and a thank you go a long way in business and it is appreciated. People who are happy with you and your personality tell others about what you did for them.  Keep those good feelings going!

5. Start a Newsletter – Like the blog, a newsletter can really keep your customers in tune with what is going on with your business.  It can tell them of important dates coming up on your calendar, give a personal feel to your business, and make them a part of what you are trying to sell them.  Include feedback you’ve had from past customers and let the customer in on feel-good stories of how your product helped someone else.  Another good thing to add are unique ways of using your product.  A newsletter is also a good tool that gets you to do something else important in your business – keep an updated email list.

I hope these ideas can help you in your growing business.  This is not, by far, a complete list, but it can get you started on building a foundation on which to grow.  If you have any questions, please feel free to comment here and I will get back to you.