Now that StudioRav is up and running I am working on a few projects to help promote and develop the website and what I offer. Marketing is very important but also quite a challenging role because it demands a good deal of effort. There are however, a variety of channels with which to reach customers which I am trying to go for.
Social Media
LinkedIn is a great way to reach other entrepeneurs and business-minded people via social media. It’s easy for me to log on every morning and participate in discussions. So far I have mixed feelings as to how effective it is to get new clients, but certainly I have got in touch with people about designing websites and therefore I think potential is definitely there.
Local online forums
Carrying on from LinkedIn I’ve set up a new group called Handsworth B21 Business Forum where local business owners and entrepeneurs can share their tips, news and promotions with each other. I’m hoping the membership will increase over time and I’ll get to know more local businesspeople who are interested in my service.
Flyers and leaflets
Dropping flyers and leaflets is a great way to target people directly and I have mapped an outline of the local area I will canvas. It’s time-consuming to drop leaflets in houses but they are relatively cheap and even with a return of 1 in 100, it’s still worth it.
Posters
I have decided on a few ‘hotspots’ where I think a well-placed poster will attract a large audience. Whereas flyers target people directly at home, posters can be seen by potentially hundreds of people as they’re out and about. I will rely on the kindness of shopkeepers to let me put up my posters but again, it’s definitely worth a try.
These are the main 3 ideas I’ve marked out so far to promote the website and I’ll note down how effective each one has been. Depending on their success, I’ll chop and change my strategy accordingly.
