By Joanne Kuipers

Not sure where to get small business marketing tips ? Should you even consider web marketing strategies?

There are so many options out there. How do you know what will work for you?

Referrals, referrals !

Word of mouth advertising is the best advertising and it’s FREE! But you can’t just sit around and wait for it.

Several years ago I saw a struggling landscaper start out his business in my Neighborhood. He was quiet spoken, determined and drove an old clunker. He got one job at a time and did excellent work. Then he did something that really propelled his business. He got signs and posted them on the lawns of his customers. The little plastic ones. They were simple. All he put on them was his business name and logo, cell number, and web address. He did not have to ‘sell’ himself. He let his work do that for him. That’s what people want. They want to hire someone who will do a quality job. They may start by asking you how much it will cost, but that’s not really what they want to know. They want to know if you do quality work and won’t rip them off. People are afraid to make decisions, and even more afraid to make bad decisions.

Today that landscaper has several trucks, heavy equipment, and a waiting list of customers. Way to go! I love seeing people succeed.

Get a website and incorporate a Search Engine Marketing Strategy

You are in the aesthetic business and people need to see your work. Take before and after pictures to showcase the results that you can achieve for their living space. Make sure your site is clean and easy to navigate. People will get frustrated very quickly and will move onto another site, so you have to have great visuals. Testimonials are also very important. Include pictures of your past happy customers if possible.

It is important to use search engine marketing strategies as you build your site rather than try to incorporate it after your site is built. It is well worth the investment.

Internet advertising and marketing is the most cost effective way to build and promote your business.Most people don’t do it because they do not know how.For more information on how to do this contact Advantage Solutions.

Internet Advertising and Marketing

One way to get free internet advertising is to post an ad on Craig’s list or Kijiji. See what your competition is doing and make sure you include your website address.

Yellow Pages Print and On-line Directories

Everything that is printed in the Yellow Pages Print Directories automatically gets published on yellow-pages.ca as well. It is a very good media mix to have both on and off-line. Typically people will go to the print and look at all the ads and then do on-line searches of the ones they are interested in. Since the average person sees, reads, and hears 35,000 ad messages a day the Yellow Pages have an advantage in that when people are ready to buy they will look for you in the Yellow Pages. 72% of adult Canadians use the Yellow Pages print directories at least once a month.

Direct Mail

You should include Direct Mail in your strategic marketing plan. If you have a Val Pak in your area I would suggest that. For more information on how to successfully use direct mail read the article that goes into more detail under Marketing Tips, or use the search tool. It is important to incorporate the steps in order to have a successful campaign.

Strategic Marketing Plan

It is important to plan your work and work you plan. Know how you are going to promote your business at the beginning of the fiscal year. And set a budget. In this way you will get the best results.