Many aspiring entrepreneurs foolishly believe that all they need to do is sign up for a Twitter account, blog about special offers, and hand out a flashy looking brochure, whereupon leads will come pouring in. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
These are unfortunate social media fantasies and free marketing delusions. The mere existence of a market for your product or service does not guarantee anyone will listen to or care about your brand. People are bombarded with thousands of messages every day, which makes it difficult for business owners to garner attention and convert that attention into income.
In order for your business to avoid getting lost among the glut of content already clogging direct marketing channels, your promotions and tactics must be highly creative, contain a quality message and fit the audience you are targeting.
I asked a panel of successful young entrepreneurs about the types of promotions they have used to build their companies' buzz and sales.
1. Partner with Others in Your Space
-- Danny Wong, Blank Label Group, Inc.
2. What (Else) Does Your Customer Need?
-- Steph Auteri, Word Nerd Pro
3. Take Advantage of Currently Trending Topics
4. The Power of Video
-- Dale Partridge, Sevenly.org
5. Start Your Own “Top 10” List
-- Kwame Kuadey, GiftCardRescue.com
6. Crowdsourcing
-- Ryan Holmes, HootSuite
7. Contests and Competitions
8. Personalized Outreach
-- Logan Lenz, Endagon
9. Take it Offline
-- Natalie Sisson, The Suitcase Entrepreneur
10. Be Your Own Advertising
