How to make your business known locally

You have started the process of creating your business, congratulations! You've probably invested time and money to bring a product to life and it's finally ready to see the light of day, but you're missing something? Customers, of course! Your first customers are crucial: they have the potential to determine the future of your business, so do not neglect them. To find your first customers, you will have to make yourself known, whether it’s on the web, or locally!

We usually put the emphasis on the importance of a web presence, but unless you are a business that operates only on the Internet, you must also make yourself known in your community!

Forming partnerships

Having business partners can turn out to be more beneficial than you think. In fact, affiliating with companies that offer products or services complementary to yours will not only increase your visibility but will also bring you more customers. If Company A and Company B form a partnership, customers who want complementary products and have had a pleasant experience with Company A will tend to go to Company B for this purchase, thus eliminating any other competitors.

There are several forms of partnerships:

Have a section of your website dedicated to your partnerships
Offer a percentage of sales to your partners when they bring you new customers.
Apply a discount for customers brought in by your partnerships.

Make sure you have partners that you trust and believe in their services and products. Remember that in a good business deal, all companies must benefit and be vigilant not to get your customers stolen, nowadays, competition is fierce!

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Register your business on Google My Business

As we mentioned before, registering your business on Google My Business is a crucial step in the process of creating a business if you want to make yourself known locally. By registering your business, you increase your chances of appearing in the first results (if the search is done within a certain radius on google maps). Even before having access to your website, your future customers can get your basic contact information such as your physical address, phone number, hours of operation and website.

Create a Referral System

Word-of-mouth is an old practice, but so important! Don’t forget that your customers will talk to their loved ones, friends and family, and if they are happy, you could gain potential customers! A referral system is interesting because it relies on the loyalty of your clientele, which can be a rather arduous task. Offer a discount or gift if loyal customers bring you new ones. Rewarding loyalty can take you very far.

Contests and promotions

Who does not like contests or awesome discounts? When you are developing company, it is important to increase visibility and get people to talk about you. A trend that has become very popular lately is the Facebook contests. This method can become very effective because by asking people to share the publication in order to participate in the contest, all the friends of those who share have the opportunity to see the publication, share it and so on. It is not unusual to see that some contests or discounts have become viral as a result of a simple publication on Facebook. Make sure to offer a prize that will be appreciated and give everyone an equal chance to win! Why not show some originality by announcing the winner through a live Facebook video, or other?

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Being involved in your community

Being present in your community will greatly increase your visibility. Support a cause that is close to your heart, sponsor an athlete or create an event that raises money for someone who may need it. Moreover, you will gain a positive image in your community, and it always feels good to give back!

Ideas of involvement

Sponsor sporting events
Create a team to support a cause you care about
Become a partner for a community event.

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