As the owner of a business, you want to make the most out of any opportunity that will help to expand not only your offering but also your exposure. After all, if customers don’t know who you are, or even that you exist at all, they aren’t going to come in the flocks and droves that you might hope.
While the online world has taken over from more traditional marketing methods, there is still very much a place where traditional PR can still aid your brand. In fact, we are coming to a point where SEO and PR very much work alongside each other – did you know that?
Local newspapers
Getting your brand seen in the local paper is always one of the first steps to garnering exposure, and that hasn’t changed. Although, with more and more local papers ceasing printing and moving exclusively online, it’s not quite as clear cut as getting your picture in the paper and a reader coming across your article over a morning cup of coffee.
Local papers and, more importantly, journalists will have targets to hit and are always on the lookout for new stories. If your local paper is still in print, then that means they will have pages to fill – this is an opportunity for free exposure.
Submit a press release on your business. This could be centred on an event you have coming up, an achievement such as an award or something that your business has been a part of in the local community. Most local newspapers will be more than happy to cover the story, which can be run online as well as in print.
Branding
Is your business easy to find? Would anyone local to your premises know where to find you? If the answer is anything other than a definitive yes, then you need to change that ASAP. Through branding, you can ensure that anyone who passes by knows who you are.
For example, a restaurant or bar could look to make use of outside furniture in the warmer months. Not only does this increase the number of customers they can serve as any one point, but this can also be used to improve the brand’s exposure. With branded furniture, such as parasols that double up as advertising banners, you can ensure that your business is instantly recognisable.
Such furniture doesn’t have to cost the earth, either. Outdoor solutions are available from places like AEL, as well as completely bespoke solutions so as to ensure that any furniture your business invests in is on point with your brand’s image.
Collaborate with other businesses
One of the best ways to make people aware of your business is by working with other well-established businesses. Cross promotion can work well for both businesses, with customers potentially using one because they use another.
Of course, you don’t want to do this with any business that could be considered as a competitor. For example, a restaurant owner may consider what their target audience to be and consider what other businesses that demographic may use. In the case of a high-end restaurant, it could be work looking to work with a business that sells formalwear as this could be a good connection.
The two businesses can offer deals to any customer that comes to them via the other business, herein value to the customer as part of the partnership.
Increasing your brand’s exposure doesn’t necessarily mean throwing away money, especially on a local basis. By knowing exactly who your business is and who your customers are, you can work towards getting your brand seen by the right people.