According to a recent study, 45% of American workers run a side business. It makes sense why. Investing time and money in a side business is a neat way to earn extra income. It can also be rewarding in the future if your side business grows.
But things can very quickly go wrong. If you plan on starting a side business, you probably have a nine-five job. Or you might have another company running. The fact is that you will not have the time, money and resources to give your side business 100%.
But there are ways you can improve the odds of success for your side business. Based on my years of experience running businesses, I’ll share a guide on how to market your side business effectively.
How to market your side Business?
There are many different ways you can go about marketing your side business. Some have more merit than others. But if you follow these marketing strategies, you can grow your side business without losing your primary job.
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Use your Existing Social and Professional Networks
Networking is a quick and easy way to market your side business. If you have a day job, you’re probably a part of a professional network. You have colleagues and superiors. One promising way to market your side business is telling others at your day job know about your side business.
At the same time, you’re a part of social networks as well. It would help if you informed your family, both near and distant, about your side business. It would be best if you talked to your friends and acquaintances.
You can also ask your friends and coworkers to spread the word. Refer your company to their friends and family. By talking to people in your existing social and professional networks, you can quickly spread the word about your business. This marketing strategy also comes without a price tag.
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Build a Personal Connection with Customers
Building personal and real connections with customers can help your side business grow. The reason is that personal relationships make customers feel better about doing business with you. They feel more secure and are more likely to trust you if you try to connect with them.
Keeping your existing customers happy can be an excellent way to market your business. Not only can you collect testimonies from them. But you can also ask your customers to refer your company to people in their social and work networks. Building a connection can also turn prospects into paying customers for your side business.
There are many ways to build a connection with customers. You can take the time to talk to them. While directly talking to them is the best way to build relations, you might not have time for it. In that case, try to send a personalized note or an email.
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Use Social Media Marketing
An online presence is vital for most businesses. It’s a good way to spread the word about your side business to as many people as possible. But you can also maximize your outreach to your target audience. You can create targeted ad campaigns for the group you want as customers.
You can use different social media platforms to market your side business based on your needs. Most companies use Facebook and Twitter to reach target customers. But many fashion and clothing companies also use Instagram to reach people. Professional services can use LinkedIn to find clients.
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Share Content with Target Audience
The best way to boost your online presence is by posting creative and targeted content online. Sharing memes and videos can help your social media accounts more followers. Especially if you share content that others would want to share with their friends and family. This marketing tip is called content marketing.
There are many ways to create good content for your side business. You can create a blog post or a survey to communicate with your audience. To directly speak to your audience, you share a video or host a live session. Just remember if you post something worth watching and showing others, then you will get activity on your social media.
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Giveaways
The final marketing advice I want to share with you is that your side business can benefit from free giveaways. It may seem like a burden, especially if your side business is a startup. But think of it as an investment into the future of your side business. Free giveaways can be an excellent way to show prospective clients your expertise, skills, service and product. It can also get clients to try your company instead of rivals.
Conclusion
Running a side business is a smart way to invest in your future. With these essential marketing tips, you can make sure that your side business does not become a burden. Instead, marketing through these tips can help your business grow. I wish someone had shared these tips with me when I started my first side business a few years ago.
