Do you know what the single most effective advertisement for your business? Is it a witty status update on Facebook? Or a killer tweet on Twitter?

A company profile on LinkedIn? Well, certainly social media is very important but the most effective ad for your business is YOU.

If you commit to your business 100% and present yourself and your business well – people will believe in you first and then your business.
Of course, you need a well considered business plan and your venture needs to be commercially viable but to start with you need to sell yourself.

In this age of virtual communities, social media communities and instant messaging people still value the old school business approach of meeting people face to face . Often social media is used to stay in contact with people we have already met and know – Facebook is a prime example of this.

With this in mind here are 5 tips for promoting your SME using it’s principal asset – yourself.

1. Trade Shows

Whatever your industry there are going to be a number of trade shows and events that you can attend in order to promote your business to potential customers, business partners and suppliers.

2. Chamber of Commerce/ Business Organisation Events

Attend events to create a local footprint for your business; many businesses focus on their local market first before looking for new customers nationally or internationally.

3.Get on the road

If you are a business to business (B2B) company do some cold calling and arrange to go and meet some potential customers.

If you market to consumers (B2C) then you need to think about sampling your products free to consumers. Shopping centres and train stations are the most common places to do this but you can be more inventive than this dependent on your product or service.

4. Use your network

Include your business in your LinkedIn profile, mention it on your Facebook profile in your employment section,  on your Twitter page, make a conscious decision to market your business to friends and family.

Carry business cards in your wallet/purse and be willing to promote your business at every opportunity. Don’t overdo it and become a bore, though – pick your moments.

5. Get your name out to the industry

Start leaving comments in popular discussion groups; leave comments on influential blogs. Dependent on your product sector find subtle ways of increasing the profile of yourself and your business. Use a slow burn strategy because consistency is the key.

We know that if you employ all of these methods your small business will grow and of course we would be happy to help you.

Kindest regards,

Marketing Fundamentals Team

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