Five marketing strategies to help you grow, FAST.

There are tons of different articles on the internet about effective marketing ideas, and how to grow your business. After being in business for over 14 years, I’ve narrowed down the 5 which I think work best.
 
Starting and growing a business is a lot of hard work and hustle, but these 5 tips will help you achieve your goals faster, as long as you put in the work!
 
1. Word of Mouth
 
The #1 way to grow your business is to talk about it, to everyone! Talk to your cashier at the grocery store, your waitress, your mailman, your grandma's neighbor's cousin who is visiting with his entire family. Tell everyone you know about your business. Ask your family and friends to tell everyone they know, too. Do your best work, every time, and encourage your customers to share about your business. Reach out to old clients and ask them to spread the word. Most will be happy to tell others about their good experience.
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2. Social Media
 
You don’t need to have a presence on every social media platform (really, who has time for that?), but you should be active in at least one or two. My preferred is Pinterest (did you know it’s not actually a social media platform? It’s a search engine!), but Facebook and Instagram are great, too. Pinterest actually helps your SEO, though, and can help drive traffic to your site. Be consistent, plan what you want to publish, and curate your feed (especially on Instagram) so that your brand is clearly showcased. Research the times when you have the most traffic, and use a tool like ,Tailwind, or to schedule your posts to publish during that time.

3. Advertising
 
Direct mail is still a great way to bring in clients. You need to do some research, though, before putting together a piece to mail out. Decide who your target audience is, and then research what's important to them. Are you targeting men 18-45 that go to fitness retail shops? Find out what sports they focus on, where they take place, what their average customer does for a living, etc. Then create a piece that is specific to that audience to send to them. If you're targeting women’s clothing boutiques for women ages 25-45, you could  send out a custom postcard, in a thick cardstock with a velvety feel, in a soft hues. Whatever you send out, be sure your message is clear, and has a call to action. Don’t list every single thing you offer-instead give a brief blurb and then invite them to reach out to you. Don’t forget your contact info!

4. Networking
 
If you are like me – an introvert - the idea of networking makes you want to hide in a corner. The results, though, can’t be denied (see #1!). Networking is one of the best ways to increase your potential client base, and bring your business into the spotlight. So do something to relax before going (I like a glass of wine, myself), strike up conversations, and just treat it as a way to expand get outside your comfort zone and meet some new people. Eventually, it becomes less awkward, and you start to enjoy the process!