How to Market Your Business
IN THIS LESSON
It’s important that people know about your business and what it offers.
Marketing plays an important role so others learn about and support your business.
How to Take Your Business to Market
It’s important that people know about your business and what it offers. Marketing plays an important role so others learn about and support your business.
Skills You Will Learn:
Marketing
Networking
Community Media
Many communities have a radio station, newspapers and a TV station (like Soweto TV, Bay TV in Port Elizabeth and Tshwane TV in Pretoria). Check out shows that interview business people in the community and approach them with your story to ask for an interview.
Tell Your Story
Getting interviewed in the media can give you great publicity for your business. This is called Public Relations (PR). It lets people in your community (and beyond) know that you have something to sell.
1. Find your selling point. This can be anything that makes you stand out from everyone, like being the youngest person in your community to open a business.
2. Sell your personal story. Maybe you volunteer at a community centre. This makes you a business person who is giving back to the community, which is a story.
3. Don’t send one email to everyone. It’s better to send individual emails, which are more personal.
4. Be polite when following up on your request to be featured on a show.
5. Be helpful. Have your full contact details, include a good quality and professional picture when sending your story to newspapers and respond to calls, and email as soon as you get them.
Use Posters
Posters are cheaper than other forms of marketing, like paying for an advertisement on a radio show. A poster can be simple – even a poster printed on an A4 sheet of paper can be effective if it’s eye-catching. Many printing places like Wizardz offer affordable prices for posters – it’s cheaper to print in black and white, by the way. Leave posters in public areas, like clinics and notice boards at supermarkets, where they will be seen by many people. Remember to ask for permission before putting up posters. Be prepared – carry sticky tape, prestic and drawing pins for all the different types of surfaces you want to put your poster on.
TIP: CREATE A POSTER
Posters sell your business even when you’re not there. To save on the cost of designing a poster, you can use an online template. Check out canva.com and postermywall.com.
Word of Mouth
Studies show that word of mouth is one of the most powerful marketing tools. Ask customers who’ve tried your product to spread the word to people they know. Go to places like taxi ranks and bus stops to introduce your business to people who use those spaces.