Small Business Marketing Strategies – Yellow Page Ads and Business Cards
If you already have a small business, chances are that some of your current marketing is not working for you as well as it could. Here are some simple strategies to improve the effectiveness of your two very common methods of advertising:
1. Yellow Page Ads
2. If you have an ad in your local phone book or telephone directory, how long has it been since it was last created? If there have been significant changes to your business in the meantime, whether these are in terms of products and services offered, or even just new awards you have earned, it is worth considering updating your current ad. By the same token, perhaps what is needed is less: if your marketing strategy is to provide the low-cost option, disclosing too much information could be hurting your sales. The best solution: test several different versions of an ad against each other, and keep the version which works best for your business. Business cards
Business cards are another aspect of marketing which rarely receive a second thought. When is the last time that you tried several different versions of a business card against each other, in order to determine which was the most effective? Do your business cards include your biggest benefit to customers, so that they know why they should choose your business over all the others? Do you have a limited-time discount, or offer some special benefit on your cards, so potential customers need to contact you again soon? If not, why not? Undoubtedly, the worst sin is having outdated contact information on your business cards: if you know that your address, phone number, or email address are going to change soon, you should get new cards as far in advance as possible. Ideally, you should include at least one evergreen point of contact, which will never or very rarely change. Make it easy for people to get back in touch with you.
In short, Yellow Page ads and business cards are common marketing methods used by most businesses, yet are often woefully under-optimized for attracting new customers. Considering even a few simple changes can make each more effective at increasing sales, it is well worth the time it takes to improve each for maximum effectiveness and impact.