We know that promoting your business can be daunting, especially if you’re not the type of person to put yourself out there. There are companies that offer promotion services but they can be expensive, however, you can promote your business yourself and not spend a penny.

Business promotion doesn’t have to cost the earth, there are so many things you can use to help promote your business or services. 

Here are some of our favourites.

1. Make your business stand out

Can you offer a unique service or product that no one, in your area, is doing right now? 

Or a limited time discount on products and services that are being offered in your area? 

Look out for newsworthy key dates and maybe set up an offer or product promotion that would tie in with the theme giving you the perfect opportunity to promote something on trend.

2. Promote your achievements

Are you newly qualified in another service you can offer? 

Promote it, tell people what service you’re adding. 

Have you taken a course recently? 

A first aid course, or communications course, or even an online business/marketing course.

Post about it on your social media, people love seeing real stories, it makes you more relatable and helps to build relationships. 

Maybe you climbed Mount Snowdon for cancer research, post about it. 

Perhaps you took part in the Moonwalk in London, talk about it. 

Maybe your children spent the day working with you, as your helpers, for a sponsored kids at work day, write about it.

3. Get involved in the local community

Is there a local charity or another complimentary local business that you can team up with? 

Can you set up a pamper evening, or something that relates to your industry, to raise funds for the charity? 

Not only will it raise the profile, and much needed funds, for the charity, it could lead to new clients and everyone loves a local business that gets stuck in and involved. 

Can you set up a stall at a local school or village fete for example promoting your personal training business, perhaps roping in the kids and getting them to do the workouts as examples? What other creative ways could you showcase your business to others to let them see what you do?

It could be lots of fun and the parents may well sign up as you raise your profile.

4. Volunteering your time or donating some products

Can you offer your product or services for a raffle prize? 

You may be exchanging  a couple of products or a bit of your time, but the promotion of your name and business will reach out to those who buy tickets, and you may even gain a new client after the winner receives their prize.

5. Expand online

Can you set up a YouTube account doing short and free tutorias? 

Or TikTok videos showing your audience short tips they can use at home? 

Video posts can help to raise your profile online and get your audience to trust you. 

They can also act as a funnel (a way to direct your clients) to your website or sales page; if you have products to sell, and video tutorials can be a great way to promote the product, yourself, and drive traffic to your sales page.

They can be quick, informal, easy to do using your phone and no real tech experience is needed these days to get them posted out into the big wide world. 

 6. Solve an industry problem

Is there a problem in your industry that you could solve and share with others? 

For example, is there a quicker or more effective way to clean your brushes if you’re a make-up artist? 

Is there a myth about your industry you want to dispel or begin a conversation about? 

Can you improve on a technique somewhere and share a short-cut that could go viral? 

Coming up with a solution to a problem within your industry not only makes you an expert, but will have other industry professionals noticing you, trusting you and coming to you for advice. 

Can you then charge for that advice and add to your business to help others in your industry?

 7. Market research 

Survey your existing customers and find out what it is they want in the future from you. 

You can do this with a mini online survey (e.g. Surveymonkey which is free to use), do an instagram poll on your stories or plain and simply just ask everyone you see on your appointments over the next week.

Is there a service they’re looking for that you could easily provide but aren’t yet doing so? 

Are there any packages you could offer of your products or services that you could combine, that would sell like hot cakes, but you haven’t thought of it yet because you’re not aware of the demand? 

Ask around and find out what you could be doing differently.

Promotion doesn’t have to cost the earth and can be lots of fun to orchestrate. 

Tag us in your promotional posts @pocketpa.gb and let us know how it’s going. We’d love to help and we’ll share every post in our stories that you tag us in