Sturgis Chamber Staff’s 20 FREE IDEAS for Marketing Your Business
During my years at the Sturgis Chamber so far, one of the most-asked questions is: "How can I get the word out about my business without spending a lot of money?" I am happy to report that our staff has put our heads together to give you our TOP 20 ideas for FREE business marketing in Sturgis. You can start brainstorming how you plan to utilize these 20 suggestions today. You can get to work on a few of them the moment you finish reading this article! Here they are, check them out, they work:
1. Attend a Chamber Mixer!
Mixers are one of your PRIMARY free tools as a business hoping to expand your customer base. My recommendation is to attend a mixer with a simple goal: Introduce yourself to at least three new people. Take note of their name, business, and try to have a brief but meaningful conversation with them. You don’t need to give your business elevator pitch; just make some casual connections. Over time, these connections are exponentially more likely to remember your business and become customers, or recommend you to family and friends. Remember, our staff is always happy to get the ball rolling with introductions around the room!
2. Door-to-Door Introductions & Flyers
I can’t tell you how many times a new business has said “I just can’t reach the residents here.” Well, why not go to them! Sure, you’ll probably get a few grumpy comments, but most people will be happy to spend a few seconds speaking with you. Keep it short, explain that you are a new business owner and tell them what your business does. Offer them a flyer, maybe with a coupon attached. The Chamber is always happy to print a couple hundred half-page flyers for free for our new business members! Stop by anytime and we are happy to help.
3. Utilize Social Media
These days, you can’t afford NOT to be on social media! I recommend Facebook at an absolute minimum. Keep in mind that just creating a business account isn’t enough – make sure you 1) Post regularly (news feed and story), 2) Keep your information up-to-date (especially business hours!), and 3) Engage with your followers (reply to comments, messages, etc). Many people check out a business on Facebook before deciding to stop by, so make sure it’s just as good of an impression as your actual storefront! If you have a younger target market, it’s also a good idea to check out TikTok, Snapchat, and other youth-oriented platforms.
4. Join Groups – Virtual and In-Person!
It’s a good idea to join as many local social media (especially Facebook) groups and in-person group gatherings as you can that align with your business. For example, a new baby boutique owner might join “New Families of the Black Hills” or “Black Hills Area Moms” and similar groups on Facebook or on Meetup. Your target market already follows these groups, so all you have to do is share the occasional post and attend the occasional gathering to expand your brand! You’ll also be able to recommend your own store when people are looking for products or asking general questions.
5. Visit Other Business Owners
Mixers are one great way to meet other business owners, but you should also plan to swing by the other businesses in town when you get a chance. Introduce yourself, check out what they have to offer so you can make referrals, and maybe even bring some sample products. No one makes recommendations like a fellow business owner! Creating a strong network is paramount.
6. Get Involved with Local Events
Every town has numerous events you can be a part of as a business owner! Maybe it’s a promotional booth at the annual Tree Lighting, or simply a volunteer opportunity at the Community Picnic. Regardless of the opportunity, being involved helps people recognize your face and your brand. Consider wearing a branded t-shirt or bringing a handful of business cards. The more you are involved, the more you are remembered!
7. Maintain Business Listings
Who doesn’t use Google to find “xyz business near me”? We all do! Make sure your Google listing is up-to-date. Business hours, holiday closures, photos, business address, and reviews are all critical to review and maintain. A great Google listing contributes to great SEO (Search Engine Optimization – see next section!). Make sure you have a current listing on Yelp, TripAdvisor, Apple Maps, etc.
8. Show up FIRST on Google Search
There are several simple and free things you can do to make sure your website shows up higher on the Google list! Google will rank sites higher that have recently-updated content (descriptions, products, contact info, etc) and quality, specialized content like regular blog posts (see next section!). If possible, also make sure your website is mobile-friendly – this means that it automatically converts easily to cell phone size. If you use templates on website builders like Squarespace, Wix, or GoDaddy, your site is probably already mobile-friendly. Lastly, your website will rank higher if other, larger sites link to your site. For example, if you are a Chamber member and the official Chamber site features your website link in its directory, this gives you more search rank points!
9. Start a Blog & Post Regularly
Blogs are great for SEO (mentioned above), but they also curate a strong business following if you do them right. Create blogs that feature tutorials on your most popular products, product sneak-peeks, and industry trends. Make them personal – add your own writing style and personality. Make sure to use lots of keywords to help search engines find your posts. Link to your blog on your social media accounts and make sure people know when your latest post is ready. Generally, try to write about things that relate to your business and topics that you yourself would be interested in reading if you were a customer!
10. Curate Customer Reviews
It’s not a bad thing to ask for reviews from great customers! If you offered great service or a great product, they will probably be happy to write you a quick review on Google, Facebook, or your own website. Collect as many great reviews as you can (without being a pest) and share these occasionally on your social media to help encourage new customers!
11. Utilize Email & Text
I highly recommend utilizing email and/or texts to reach more potential customers. Anytime someone shops in your store, visits your event booth, or visits your website, it offers an opportunity to collect their email address and/or text number! You can send regular updates, announcements for new blog posts, product sneak-peeks, and special exclusive coupons. Just make sure you aren’t too spammy and always offer a way to unsubscribe. Free platforms like Mailchimp and Constant Contact make email updates a breeze and there are tons of free or low-cost text apps as well if you don’t want to use your personal number!
12. Apply for Business Awards
One of the best ways to gain exposure is by winning an award! The Sturgis Chamber invites all its members to an annual Awards Banquet every year to hand out awards like “New Business of the Year,” “Retail Business of the Year,” and more. Organizations like ours that put on these events are always looking for new nominations! Consider nominating your own business for an award or two. These events and their award recipients usually end up on the front page of the paper! It doesn’t get much better than that.
13. Guerrilla Marketing
“Guerrilla” marketing is simply marketing that uses an unusual approach to spreading the word about your business and products. For example, you might print some really cool trendy stickers and leave them in high-traffic areas, or stick them in bathroom cubicles (approval highly recommended!). You might create a super awesome sidewalk chalk drawing showcasing your business in a unique way. Anything that makes people take special note, or anything that would be a great photo op is fair game! Get creative!
14. Create a Business Collab
Collabs are all the rage lately! A “collab” – collaboration – is the idea of working with another business or group to create something that offers value to each of you in a unique and fun way. For example, trendy designers will create “collabs” with other designers where they team up to create a line of clothing together, then they each market the line to increase sales and take advantage of each other’s markets. It’s important to collaborate with a business, individual, or group that already has a market you’d like to tap into. What product could you create or what event could you host in partnership with another local business, for mutual benefit?
15. Decorate!
This one is easy AND fun – decorate your store front (or even a social media profile) to celebrate the seasons! Putting effort into your window displays, planters, and décor does a lot more than you might realize. It shows your customers, “Hey! I’m still here and we have new stuff all the time!” Consider decorating with holiday lights, Halloween décor, Homecoming swag… the sky is the limit. You might even consider anniversary décor for your 1st successful year of business and beyond! Plus, the decorating process and final result offer countless chances for fun social media content and blogging. If you don’t have a store front, consider a custom holiday version of your business logo on Facebook, holiday décor in your product photos, and maybe a card or note for top clients!
16. Giveaway Time!
If there’s one thing people love on social media, it’s a giveaway! I can speak from experience that our annual Homecoming giveaway baskets are one of our most-shared social media content of the year, every year. Consider putting together a basket of your product samples or some excess merchandise you’re wanting to get rid of. If it’s free, people usually go bananas over it. The real benefit is all of the exposure you’ll get from shared posts, and event possibly a repeat client that wins your products and loves them! Similar popular ideas include event door prizes, charity baskets for silent auctions, and grab-bag deals.
17. Teach Something
Sometimes getting people in the door for the first time is a real trick. One way to accomplish this goal is to host a free or low-cost class that relates to your business. If you own a flower shop, maybe host a class on flower arranging. If you have a boutique, people might be interested in learning your styling tips and advice on current trends. There are a million class ideas for a million industries – think about your business and what skills you might have to offer! Half the battle is getting them to walk in that door for the first time.
18. Outsource & Trade
Do you find that there are some aspects of running your business that you just can’t quite hit the mark on? Maybe some task that you don’t know how to accomplish, or takes you way too long? There’s no harm in outsourcing! Find another small business that knows how to do that task, and form a relationship. Maybe a trade of services is a good option, or maybe just supporting their business will start generating positive word of mouth for yours (while accomplishing your task much more efficiently and effectively!). Whether it’s taking product photos, writing content, generating invoices, or decorating windows – there’s probably someone out there with that skillset looking to grow their business, too!
19. Collaboration over Competition
A high tide floats all boats! Consider offering a referral incentive for people that support other local shops in town. Several of our existing businesses partner up to offer discount coupons to customers who show proof of shopping locally. This is a great way to strengthen business connections and generate more sales revenue for the community. It also shows shoppers that there are more great stores than they might have realized right here in Sturgis! Spread the love, and the referrals!
20. Get to Know Your Chamber
Ok, ok – you knew this one was coming. Getting to know your Chamber staff and developing that relationship will be a huge benefit. Our team knows the business community better than anyone, and all the opportunities for connecting you with each other. We also have a diverse set of skills amongst our team members and tons of youthful energy ready to help you! I recommend stopping by the Chamber to casually chat about your current goals, obstacles, and ideas on a regular basis. We don’t know what your challenges and needs are unless you tell us! You’ll also be more top-of-mind when we are making recommendations to visitors and residents in our Welcome Center if we interact with you regularly. The more effort you put into developing a relationship with your Chamber, the more you get out of it.
Sincerely,
Veronica Grosek
Executive Director
Sturgis Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau