There are thousands of people setting up small businesses on the Internet every day. Whether that is simply selling items from an e-commerce site or a full-blown product launch of a new item or service.
The great part about starting a business on the Internet is it is completely mobile and that can literally take your business wherever you want it to go. Now with social media integration, such as it is, it makes it much easier to market your products and services, depending on your niche.
For small businesses that do it right, sit down and plan out their business completely, they have the fortitude and foresight to work on prelaunch promotions that can include website build, email sign-ups, social media integration, and work on all the presales and hype to kick off a successful launch. But I have to think that sometimes many of these entrepreneurs forget one important part of their marketing aspects and that is the off-line marketing that has to work hand-in-hand for a complete immersion.
A brick-and-mortar business owner has the other aspect of the rainbow down. They are used to using print media, mailers, maybe Television or Radio advertising, for those critical ads that help drive traffic. But they too are missing the other side of the coin, in many instances, to reach the full immersion of their marketing influence – the online marketing aspect.
For the online marketer and the off-line retailer blending the two marketing efforts is important to developing in reaching your target market.
I think about Dollar Shave Club when I'm writing this because I remember when they started with their business just a few years ago. They reached out to the Internet community with humor through their simple, yet impactful, YouTube videos. They then utilized blogs and actual users to help push sales. And they grew and they grew. Soon you saw them on TV ads, even though this was mainly an Internet business with no physical shop. They used the power of television to drive subscription sales. Now they've been purchased by a major corporation that will hopefully continue the brand in the manner in which it was conceived. Simple, affordable, effective marketing that crossed multiple channels.
So where am I going with this today? I meet a lot of people still that only do one type of marketing, either online or off-line, and very rarely do they cross over. I don't know if that is due to just lack of knowledge, lack of money or if they just don't understand how important it is to continue to advertise off-line while developing the online reach at the same time and vice versa.
Maybe people think it only for certain niche but I believe in marketing the whole package. What works for me is I use a lot of networking opportunities for marketing my business. I use seminars and classes. I utilize social media in many ways. I use my website as an outreach tool. Plus, I'm always open to new methods because there are new people always looking for my expertise and skill set. I think to myself, if I'm not marketing myself and my business, how are they going to find me?
Maybe this is going to be categorized as a motivation Monday post or an inspirational post. It was on my mind and I think that if you are looking for ways to market your business, you need to think of all aspects that may work for your particular business, regardless if your business is actually located online or off-line.