If you run a small business and want to launch a new product, then you may be wondering how best to spread the word. Of course, your loyal customers will already be interested and may even put in a pre-order, but how do you get the whole world to see what you’ve been working on? Below, we’ve rounded up promotional ideas to try out for your business.
- Social media
By now, you should know that social media is a great way to promote your products online – not only does it help spread your brand voice and messages, but it helps you to connect to new people. Sign up to all of the social networks relevant to your business (think Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest) and schedule content to keep your followers up to date. Then, every now and again, you can promote your product and link people to its page on your website, or ask them to visit your bricks and mortar store to see it for themselves.
- SEO
If you want your new product to rank on search engines (let’s say you’ve just created a new top hat, and you want to rank for top hats on Google), then SEO is the way to go. Many marketing companies offer SEO for small businesses at a low cost, so this is often the most effective way to work on a campaign. If you want to save money and do it yourself, then start by adding a relevant meta description and keyword to your new product page, and then build links using that keyword through content marketing and guest blogging. Moz’s website offers a fantastic introduction to SEO, which can be printed for your reference.
- Video marketing
Video has exploded in recent years, and now 43% of people want to see more video content from marketers. There are lots of ways you can promote your new product through video – you could offer a tutorial or introduction, or you could ask customers to submit testimonials where they review your new product. You could also attempt to create a viral video that features your video, or reach out to influencers in your niche to feature your creations.
- Consider offline advertising
Most of the marketing methods we’ve discussed in this post are centred on digital, but there are benefits to advertising offline. Whether you book a slot in your local newspaper or magazine, or you host a networking and launch event to get people excited about your new product, there are lots of things you can do. Leafleting is another idea to try out – it’s cost-effective and can help you reach people one-on-one, which is great if you run a local business and want to reach specific people, such as homeowners or stay-at-home mums.
Promoting a new product may seem stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. Try out these techniques and see which works best for your business – the chances are a mix of all four will give you the greatest results. Good luck with your new product launch!
