Raising the profile of your business is an important step on the road to
success and it needn't cost a fortune You won’t need a big budget to follow
these steps to marketing success, but they will help get you and your home
business seen and spoken about in the right places.
Define your story
What is your story? Imagine your life is being turned into a movie and plot
the script; this should help define the message you convey to the media.
Make friends with the media
Research the journalists who are interested in your locality, industry and
trade. Approach them, get to know them and tell them when you have a story
that could be of interest..
Become an expert
The media are always looking for comment or soundbites, so become an expert in
your chosen field. You can do this by blogging on your field of expertise,
publish your own reports, predictions and findings, or even write a book on
the subject.
Communicate often
This applies both online and off. Develop and distribute a regular
e-newsletter for online visitors and, in the offline world, agree to attend
and speak at events to get yourself known.
Enter Awards and competitions
This offers an opportunity to get your name and face in the press and a nice
night out too! Most Awards are free to enter and writing the application
helps to define plans and goals.
Use good imagery
When a picture speaks a thousand words, you can afford to speak less.
Journalists love stories that come with good images. Have a professional
photo taken of you and design a good looking logo for the company. Try to
keep a consistant theme across your website, business cards and other
printed material.
Create a virtual window to the world
Develop a website or blog, keep it updated and watch it rise up the search
engine ranks. Make the most of social networking applications (Twitter,
Facebook, Linked In) for business purposes.
Do things that make you stand out
Host an event, carry out a poll or survey, launch a competition, even emblazen
you car with the company logo and, whenever you have something to say, say
it in a way that people will remember.
Emma Jones is the founder of online home business company Enterprise Nation
(www.enterprisenation.com)
and author of Spare Room Start Up – how to start a business from home.
