Promote Your Business

How do we promote our business? Do we pay for advertising? Do we tell friends? How about the old word-of-mouth philosophy?


Well, all of them are very successful techniques. As a business owner, your best bet is to start off with free advertising. Some examples of free advertising are:

• PR in magazines, e-zines, or newspaper articles by working with the editor to post your unique story
• Word-of-mouth by telling everyone about your business and what you sell
• Free online advertising (careful on this one, sometimes not always the best sites)
• Create online profiles on forums that pertain to your industry
• Join free online clubs with similar interests to share your business
• Join affiliate programs

As you master the technique of free advertising and as money begins to flow into your business, then that is when it's time to promote your business via paid advertising. Some examples of paid advertising are:

• Newspaper classified ads
• Online paid classified ads
• Pay per click ads via Google or goClick (you will have to test this out or learn more about how to effectively use pay per click advertising)
• Sponsor organizations to promote your business

Bottom line, when promoting your business you start with the cheapest and easiest (unless you have some funds set aside as a start-up business). This is where you will learn a lot about advertising. Then, afterwards promote your business via paid advertising.

Sooner or later you may get to the point where you may need to reach out to Advertisement companies to help promote your business.

In addition to the examples listed above, you must become the brand of your company. Believe in it! Love it! Share it! Promote your business!

Jerome Ratliff

Independent Associate

Discover your way to riches

Keys to Networking

Networking! This term is often used as an ice breaker to business conferences to get everyone to meet each other and feel comfortable with one another.

So, what is networking after all? Networking is an art of building and maintaining relationships. Mastering the art of networking can usually have a great impact on your success. The complete opposite can happen by not properly networking.

Let's discuss some key ways how NOT to network at a business conference.

1. Don't get involved by introducing yourself to others.
2. Don't participate in discussions, or the meeting topic.
3. Choose not to display your name tag so others can see who you are.
4. Select a seat in the conference where others aren't.

These may seem not all that bad, but they could impact your success.
Now, let's discuss the keys to networking the right way and why they work.

1. Get involved by introducing yourself to others. - This will allow you to learn about others and potentially lead to doing business together.
2. Participate in discussions, or the meeting topic. - Not only is this good practice, but it shows how engaged you can be and how you do business.
3. Display your name tag so others can see who you are. - This a perfect ice breaker for those that are new and are searching for someone to talk to. By displaying your name, you invite others to come and talk to you.
4. Choose a seat in the conference near the front and by others. - By choosing to seat in an area where you can be recognized, you therefore become approachable. You are saying to everyone, I'm ready to participate and learn.
   

As you can see, networking can be so vital to your success. Keep enhancing your networking skills everyday by practicing and trying them out. I recommend the following book:
Little Black Book of Connections: 6.5 Assets for Networking Your Way to Rich Relationships by Jeffrey Gitomer.

Jerome Ratliff
Independent Associate
Discover your way to riches