How to promote my new business...

[KMP Books]

Good morning

I was hoping I could get some advice on how to promote my new business.

I have recently started full time with my bookkeeping company, my website is all up and running, and my business cards and flyers are designed and printed.
I have a couple of clients already however I now need to reach out to the wider community. I am struggling to work out the next best move to promote my company. Is it worth advertising in local newspapers? Or purely online....

Any advise will be very welcome.

Thank you

Katie

 

[JACreative]

Dear Katie,

The best to do, is set up your website and social media presence first, so your customers can find you. Online has a much bigger reach, and it is much cheaper and effective than traditional advertisements. We do recommend online advertisements for new businesses, or flyers for local clubs for example. It mostly depends on your business, but bookkeeping sounds something that would require Google AdWords. We do have interesting blog posts on how to establish your online presence and promote your business, and we can also help you with your digital presence, if you need it.

Your can find some interesting reads on JA Creative Studio's blog.

Feel free to read through and give us a call if you need any more help.

Good luck and wish you all the best for the future,

Petra

 

[S2K]

Networking and referrals. This is how most accountants and bookkeepers build their portfolio of clients. Approach accountants in your area and ask if they can have some bookkeeping work for you. As this part of their work isn't highly profitable, many are happy to outsource.

 

[HazelC]

I would go out and network, meet real people! Especially in your trade people buy people - may also be worth connecting with accountants too as they can pass work your way.

I would say be 'you' in all web content, social media and blogs as it is 'you' they will want to work with.

 

[Certa-Hosting]

When it comes to getting your brand out there, everyone normally chooses Google AdWords or Facebook to promote or advertise their company.

If you want to look into more local promotion why don't you try working with other local business owners. If you don’t know the other local business owners in your area yet, make it a point to go introduce yourself. Talk to them and see if they’d be willing to put any flyers or cards out for your business in their stores and, in turn, do the same for them.

 

[JakeM]

As you're working "business to business", look at physical networking opportunities.

There's everything from free Friday networking events (Google First Friday Network).

Or more structured (and costly) options like "BNI". BNI is an American format in which businesses meet once a week at a set time (without fail). It averages about £100 per month (including your breakfast) and it's built around gaining referrals for each other. Only one of each business type is allowed, and you all cross promote each other. It's very "clicky", and seems to work well for some people. You can search and find if one is local to you. I've been to a few different ones (as a guest), and am torn on whether to join or not. It's definitely something to think about though, as some businesses do amazingly well from it!

 

[Alan]

From my experience of business to business services the most effective channels for me have been

1. Networking
2. Adwords

From my experience print ( as in newspapers / magazines )has been a totally waste of time

 

[webhostuk]

You can try Social media advertising on facebook ,twitter etc. Also try classified ads posting, Even PR on good press release site can help your online business presence.

 

[makeyourbusinessbetter]

Introduce yourself to accountants in the area. They may be in need of help at certain times of the month or year. Also, they could be looking for a bookkeeper on behalf of a client.

Find local business groups near you like the Federation of Small Businesses or Chambers of Commerce. Some are better than others so you might have to check out a few but networking in such groups is a good way to get clients.

There are lots of bookkeepers out there, some are not very good. If you can deliver a good service I'm sure you will soon have lots of business. Good luck

 

[Dan (CE)]

Hi Katie, have you managed to put any of these in to practice?

There is some good advice here, I just wanted to add a few things.

Networking is good, I have personally done this myself. The best events to go to aren’t the ones with networking in the title though as everyone is trying so hard to sell themselves that they don’t pay much attention to other people. It still works but you will have to attend quite a few. Better events are those related to your services, as you can talk to people afterwards and use the soft sell approach while handing out business cards.

There is also a great free networking app called Shapr. I highly suggest everyone using this for any business. I have had some success already and I haven't been using it long.

Cold calling accountants has been a good suggestion on here and one that is very difficult but worth it if you’re strapped for cash. Just try to be quite casual about it as no one wants to be sold things over the phone. They may well need your help though.

Online advertising is the best way if you have the budget. Google AdWords will work but it’s not as good as Facebook because you can’t ignore an ad in your News Feed but you can on Google. Both of these can target your local area but you’ll need to spend a minimum of £100/m for it to begin to work well enough. A pro tip here would be to promote helpful blog posts first so that Facebook can collect data on who is likely to click your ads. This way, when you promote ads for your services, they will be seen by the right people. You pay less over time using this technique as well.

I’d also personally avoid local papers. They don’t work as well as digital advertising these days.

What’s your web address? I can give some advice on how to improve your website as I have 16 years design and coding experience.

 

[robert4u]

You can hire some seo expert who can give some advice regarding your area and niche. As mentioned by others social media is best option, first you can start by creating facebook page page and share with your friends added in facebook also insist them to share the page to their friends that will be good to word you out.

For example you have 200 facebook friends and 50 of them share to 100 so 100 X 50 = 5000 people, now 5000 people know you without any effort and without spending a penny.

 

[Colin Forrest]

Hi Katie,

Have you optimised your online presence? It is great to have a website and setting up social media channels on top of this can be great promotion. If you optimise these channels (i.e. SEO) then you are likely to have a higher hit rate returning to you online. Taking some time to make sure that you are ranking in places like Google can be very beneficial for this purpose. The knock on effect of this is that more people are likely to see your site and learn about your business. This, in turn, is also likely to open some windows for opportunities to network. Whilst networking in real life is a great method of growing a business, with such a prevalence of the modern web, it is worth realising that a lot of networking can go on digitally as well. Do not limit yourself just to your area!
That being said, paid-for tangible ads I would say are not worth it. There are a lot of channels that are free or next to nothing to get advertised through and so there is no need to waste money paying for this instead. Online directories, should you choose the right ones, can be just as effective for the advertising of your company and you will get a much better service from it also.

 

[TheConsulter]

Make sure that your website is mobile/tablet friendly. This will reward your website on search engine results. On social media you have plenty of opportunities. Engage with potential customers, spread "special opening offers" and be active. For bookkeeping businesses it's perfect to use Adwords. Make sure that you find the best keywords. Also, you should work with branding. Do you have a business vehicle? Then you should brand it with your business name, logo and contact details.

I hope that this discussion can continue to be active.

Best of luck!

 

[Atanaha Event Center]

Good morning

I was hoping I could get some advice on how to promote my new business.

I have recently started full time with my bookkeeping company, my website is all up and running, and my business cards and flyers are designed and printed.
I have a couple of clients already however I now need to reach out to the wider community. I am struggling to work out the next best move to promote my company. Is it worth advertising in local newspapers? Or purely online....

Any advise will be very welcome.

Thank you

Katie

The one question that every businessman will ask at some point in the life of their business is how to get more business. there are various strategies that you can put in place to help you increase your customer base and drive more business towards you.

 

[Free.stockphoto.com]

My wife did the same a few years ago and what worked for here at the start was putting the word out to selected friends who ran small businesses locally as well as the school mums network. She ended up with two clients from each channel (Ophthalmology clinic, a GP, childcare centre and a kitchen design company)

 

[Darren Starr]

I'd always recommend having a decent site + some Google Business reviews.
If you can do bookkeeping remotely then I'd promote heavily online a via social media (local Facebook and Linkedin groups), otherwise, I'd go talking to local people and businesses and let them know I have other local clients and am looking to expand and find out if they could use their services. Make a gateway offer, like a trial or an initial discount and a review period after 1-3 months or whatever timeframe works for you. Get your foot in the door and then when you delight them, ask them for recommendations and referrals, reward them for the referrals, that way they are more inclined to recommend you as they also see a self interest in it. Just my two pence

 

[WebshopMechanic]

Hi @KMP Books

I'm not sure how you're getting on but thought I would add my two-penneth in case you needed some extra help.

Some great advice here, especially:

- Asking friends, family and colleagues (maximise your own network)
- Google Business Listing - Great for quick localised exposure
- Google Reviews (Everybody goes by reviews so ask your previous clients or colleagues to add some. Google reviews also encourage click-thrus from organic searches and Adwords)

Some other Advice:

Maximise Adwords - If you use Google Adwords then make sure you have a dedicated landing page that offers something FREE for the visitor and then captures an email address. The chances of someone converting or calling on the first visit is slim, so you need to try to capture an email address and continue the conversation.

Add the personal touch through video - As @HazelC said, people buy from people so you need to get that across on your website. Remember, they haven't spoken to you or met you yet so getting your personality across is important.

My advice would be to shoot some basic videos that offer free advice to your potential customers. (On smartphone is fine by a window for natural light) You can then use these videos on pitching emails, your website and on any literature.

How many companies do that? Not many.

Also, people find video easier to digest, especially for complex subjects they don't understand. They don't want to read a ton of text, read case studies or download white papers.

Here's a good example. I found this video the other day when I wanted to understand more about the upcoming EU General Data Protection Regulation rules in May. It's a low-budget video, easy-to-watch and delivers exactly what I needed to know. See: https://www.rapid7.com/resources/gdpr-overview/

Give your opinion - Contact industry press (maybe for small business and start-ups) and write an opinion piece demonstrating your expertise on a tricky topic.

Optimise your website - Use a 'lead magnet' (or downloadable freebie) to capture data from organic visitors to your site. Make the opportunity to capture an email from every visit possible. You could use a tool like Optinmonster which helps you do it in a number of ways.

Build your rep on Forums - Use business forums (like this one) to offer advice and show people you can help. There's s post by @jetvirtual on the General Business Forum where he says he's employed the services of 4-5 companies on this site, proving it works. See: http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/threads/why-ukbusinessforums-can-help-your-business.283573/

Utilise your email signature - We all send hundreds of emails a week so why not use it as a marketing tool? Add a one-liner and a link to your free download in your email signature. It's only a small thing but you'll be surprised how often it works.

Get a marketing funnel - A marketing funnel is just a series of emails that you send to someone to introduce them to your business.

My advice is to write 5-6 emails that contain 'real value' for a potential customer. Make sure they know why you are different / special from day 1. Then, sign up to Mailchimp (It's FREE) and use their automation function to set up a series of automatic emails that go out once every 3-4 days. Make sure you encourage a call in each email but don't do the hard-sell.

I hope that helps.

Matt

 

[Mikehills101]

Very informative. Thanks guy, even if I'm not the one whose asking, I learn from this thread.

 

[kev598]

I think that you should extend your work through social networks, but firstly you should know exactly what is your target audience.
You should take into consideration that different social networks have the different audience, time for posting, type of advertising that suits it. Of course, you should optimize your website and see if it is modern, quick and responsive.
Also, it depends on which type of business do you have or want to have: local or international? And based on these criteria you should think how to act now and build your plan for later.

 

[aaron web designer]

Ways to promote your business specifically in your classifcation:
gumtree (featured only - you would need a business account to advertise more than one service)
yell (only if you can get sponsored (top 3)
website with good SEO
google adwords
facebook

 

[adzeds]

Start with word of mouth... Get your social channels set up and get friends to share your pages and recommend your services. This might get you your first couple of leads to get you going..

Then make sure you have a small site set up and SEO optimised to start building your rankings... This takes time so get it set up early and slowly build it up...

Then start networking to get more potential leads and people that might recommend you to their friends!

 

[Yelsha64]

Start getting yourself out there. Network, cold email, make sure the emails are small and to the point. Advertising and paying for marketing is expensive when you start, you probably don't have the funds yet. I'd say contact your target market directly get a few clients first, once you start getting a decent flow of work, start investing slowly in a good website, SEO and social media.

 

[Mike_Cartwright]

You can try online marketing. If you'd like to, you can test the waters first before fully investing on it. You can try creating a website (blogger/Wordpress/Tumblr) and social media accounts/pages that can help promote your business. If you're able to people through that successfully (based on the outcome of your efforts), then that's the time I'd recommend for you to put down a budget for it. You can also try email marketing or cold calling.

 

[ethical PR]

You can try online marketing. If you'd like to, you can test the waters first before fully investing on it. You can try creating a website (blogger/Wordpress/Tumblr) and social media accounts/pages that can help promote your business. If you're able to people through that successfully (based on the outcome of your efforts), then that's the time I'd recommend for you to put down a budget for it. You can also try email marketing or cold calling.

@Mike_Cartwright why do you tell every business regardless of their target market or what they do that social media is the holy grail?

 

[suman1234]

Hi Katie,
Businesses are going digital these days. Promoting a business through online is the best way for startup companies. Social media engagement gives traffic & leads. Digital marketing is far better than traditional marketing.

 

[Megan Wale]

For long term business. I would suggest you Prefer good Digital marketing company, or else refer Google Digital unlocked there you can learn thing and do activities yourself.
You can also go with search engine marketing (PPC) and Advertise on Social media platforms.

 

[Zoe Williams]

Hey Katie! Good morning

The best thing you can do to promote your business is to go for digital marketing. These days everybody has become mobile-savvy thus people search the solutions to their problems online. How good for them to find you online to handle their bookkeeping work. You should hire some digital marketing company that enhances your online presence. They thrive to give you strong recognition amongst online users. These companies are quite expert in SEO, PPC, Keywords analysis, content marketing and more. They promote your business immensely over the internet and make you a rock star of your industry.

 

[Violinni]

Good morning

I was hoping I could get some advice on how to promote my new business.

I have recently started full time with my bookkeeping company, my website is all up and running, and my business cards and flyers are designed and printed.
I have a couple of clients already however I now need to reach out to the wider community. I am struggling to work out the next best move to promote my company. Is it worth advertising in local newspapers? Or purely online....

Any advise will be very welcome.

Thank you

Katie

Hello,

Social media in my opinion is like an ocean. You need to be a really big ship for someone to notice you!

Why don’t you try non-conventional?

Newspapers! You’ll find an older audience, old fashioned people, and sometimes — this is the audience you need!

Cheers.

 

[ethical PR]

Hello,

Social media in my opinion is like an ocean. You need to be a really big ship for someone to notice you!

Why don’t you try non-conventional?

Newspapers! You’ll find an older audience, old fashioned people, and sometimes — this is the audience you need!

Cheers.

Oh dear your comments, show a complete lack of understanding around what sort of people read newspapers today.

Different newspapers are read by different audiences. It is untrue to generalise and say they are read by 'older, old-fashioned people'.

Metro for example - a media with one of the largest print and online presences - is read predominantly by a 20 - 40, professional demographic with a strong interest in technology and social media; hardly the 'older, old-fashion people' you claim read newspapers.

Promoting your business in newspapers isn't a 'non-conventional' approach thousands of businesses do this on a daily basis.

 

[Violinni]

Oh dear your comments, show a complete lack of understanding around what sort of people read newspapers today.

Different newspapers are read by different audiences. It is untrue to generalise and say they are read by 'older, old-fashioned people'.

Metro for example - a media with one of the largest print and online presences - is read predominantly by a 20 - 40, professional demographic with a strong interest in technology and social media; hardly the 'older, old-fashion people' you claim read newspapers.

Promoting your business in newspapers isn't a 'non-conventional' approach thousands of businesses do this on a daily basis.

I didn’t say “non-conventional” is bad. I actually gave it as an advice, gosh. And yes, it’s non-conventional. Nobody I personally know reads paper newspapers! People have tablets, smartphones with huge displays, computers, you kno’.

 

[Gecko001]

You need to think about your long-term plans before jumping in and getting your name out there. How many and what type of client do you want? Do you want to concentrate on local clients? Do you want clients from anywhere? Do you just want enough work just for yourself, or do you want to expand to take on employees at some time in the future?

 

[Thatisthequestion]

Philanthropy - getting involved in local events and fundraisers will boost your profile and raise money for good causes! Win - Win!!
Good luck!

 

[TODonnell]

The most striking bit of promotional advice I ever got was:

Have a remarkable product or service.

 

[ethical PR]

Define remarkable

 

[TODonnell]

Price, helpfulness, quality, mad owner frontman ... pick one.

The reason that bit of advice is good is that it covers all form of promotion: if what you're offering is remarkable, therefore, people will be telling others about it.

 

[Mark T Jones]

Digital marketing or online marketing is the best means to make your market presence. Digital marketing has the power to reach out to millions of people easily as well as it is also considerably affordable.

The company which I know off who can help you with digital marketing and making online presence is SOCIALOBSTER. They have very good market knowledge and also provide quality service. You can just go through their website to check more about their services and feel free to contact them through their website regarding your queries.
socialobster.com

And there you go again. A social marketer illustrating how not to do social marketing

 

[Jessica A.]

Hi Katie. It would be better if you focus more on your online marketing strategies because most of the people that you can find are now online. Once you have reached a certain number of steady clientele, then you can reach more people at that point. The important thing is getting clients that will stay and will spread the word about how good your bookkeeping company is. And if ever you need help with marketing your website, you can always look into hiring virtual assistants. You can find great workers at Onlinejobs.

 

[iDigLocal]

Get out of the office and go and visit local businesses. Face to face chats with local business owners is great because not only does it raise your profile but also you get to learn who is in your area, what people are doing and what there problems are. Sometimes a bit of free advice is appreciated.

Some of them you will have problems talking to the decision maker, some will shut you down straight away, some will chat but some will be interested.

Also think about targeting start-ups as they will not have to move firms.

If you go with some offering this may be a good incentive for people to move.

Also, try local business meetings, chamber of commerce for example. Get active and get out there.

 

[Andrew Watton]

PPC is a good way to access quality leads quickly. You'll need to allocate a reasonable budget, but over time, and with tweaking, you should be able to get it to the point that it brings in a very healthy ROI.