If you’ve come up with a great product or service and want to make it your own small business, you need to get the information out to as many possible customers as you can early on so you can start making a name for yourself and create a demand for it. To make your idea a success, here are a few things you can do to widen you customer base.
Networking
Making connections with people who work in a field similar to yours may not be the first thing you think of when trying to get new customers, but people with already-established businesses could be useful to you. Go to business classes or meetings about your field of interest and start introducing yourself to a variety of people. These new friends can help you find good connections in your area and even begin recommending your business to their customers that need something slightly different from what they offer. Even if you have competing businesses and you won’t be getting any recommendations from them, it can’t hurt to be friendly and learn what you can from them.
Cold Calls
It may be time-consuming and even a little awkward, but it’s amazing how much business you can drum up simply by cold-calling or knocking on doors. You simply need to get a big list together of possible customers or businesses that might want to sell your product, and start contacting them. Even if you have to go around a nearby neighborhood knocking on doors, it’s worth the time and effort to get the information about your product out to the public, and even if several people don’t want it, you can always ask if they know someone who might and at least put your idea into their heads.
Advertise
Most people think that advertising means spending hundreds of dollars on expensive billboards or TV commercials, but it doesn’t have to be anything that pricey at all, as long as you’re getting your name out there. Put some stickers on your car, wear t-shirts with your business logo on them, put up signs, or sponsor a local children’s sports team. Anything you can do to let possible customers know about what you’re selling and how to get it is good advertising and can help you find new people interested in buying what you have available.
Get Your Information Online
Nowadays, it is imperative that you have an online presence for your idea. You should set up a website dedicated to your product that offers helpful information and knowledge to your customers about what you sell and why it’s useful. A blog that gives details useful to your customers about topics related to your product and connecting the information to social networking sites like Facebook can also be great, as it helps increase traffic to your site and allows more people to learn about your business.
Whatever it is that you have to sell, there are people out there who would like to purchase it; the key is to find those people and let them know about your product. Customers are an incredibly important aspect of a successful business, so put in the time and effort to get yourself a large group of possible customers that know about what you have available, and your business will start growing faster than you can imagine.
Michelle Poland is an avid business blogger. If you’re considering a business degree but don’t want to quit your job, an Executive MBA might be a good fit. Learn more at executivemba.howard.edu/.