5 Ways to Promote Your Business This Summer

Summertime is finally here! Now that everyone is out and about in town, it's time to put your small business outside, as well. Here are 5 great ways to market your business this summer:

1. Get OUTSIDE

   The weather is nice and you're sitting inside; air conditioning is a luxury, but that's no reason to be stuck indoors. Grab a golf umbrella and set up shop outside your store. At the very least, get out some sidewalk chalk. If you're place is on a strip or a street with other businesses, collaborate with them and start a sidewalk sale! Events like this will support the community and draw in more visitors. Your can create your event on Save Local Now to help spread the word.
   

2. Parade in Style

   Does your community have a parade in the summer? Get involved! There are great marketing opportunities in local parades. You can give out special trinkets that relate to your business or brand, or just keep it simple with candy. Either way, you're guaranteed to get your name out there.
   

3. Go to Festivals

   If it's something you might enjoy, look into becoming a vendor. Sell products that people can use like water bottles, tote bags or towels with your name on it. It's a great way to get new customers and hey, you might enjoy some live music yourself!
   

4. Get Patriotic

   Start a 4th of July promotion through Save Local Now. Even if it's not a huge sale, getting festive is fun! Hand out small flags with purchase. Show your customer appreciation and your patriotism!
   

5. Support Local Sports

   
   Check your community calendar or show up in the recreational areas or on the 5k run sidelines. Show support for your local teams. Pair up with the local ice cream store and give discounts to the little league teams after a hot summer game. People will really appreciate and recognize your efforts.
   
   The goal here is to help out your community. The more your strive to achieve this, the more people will view your business as a significant part of the community. Set the bar high – it all starts with you! Now get out there and enjoy the summer!
   

First Published at Save Local Now

Why Small Businesses Should Maintain a Digital Marketing Presence

Small business is a special niche of our society and economy. Offering the public local choices, local options and the chance to keep the flow of money within the community is growing in popularity as the global economy becomes more and more aware of it’s importance. Most small businesses have a small budget and base most of their reputation on word of mouth. It is for this reason that small businesses should be most concerned with digital marketing over print or more traditional forms of advertising.

Chances are, whether a business is concerned with digital marketing or not, it is more than likely some information already exists online about that business. A recent study by Dimensional Research shows that 2/3 of all people research small business marketing strategies and products online. So if a small business is not able to be found online, chances are they are missing out on 2/3 of their customers! With platforms such as Yelp, Angie’s List, and Urban Spoon among others, information about businesses can be found online whether they are correct or not. Looking into what information is on these sites, as well as reviews that might be published by customers, is crucial. If there is incorrect information on the web this could negatively impact a potential customers decision as to whether they will use that business or not.

Luckily, today there are many options for maintaining a presence in the digital world and controlling what information might be found online. A small business might create a basic website or even a blog, use social media platforms like Facebook or Google Plus, or use their free Save Local Now account. These platforms can be used to create up-to-date information which will then be picked up by other sites such as the previously mentioned Yelp, Angie’s List, etc. Better yet, they will create an opportunity for customers to interact with the business. Most customers are already using social media as a personal platform and can easily share the information on a businesses Facebook, Twitter, or Save Local Now account to recommend it to friends. Also, if a customer has a negative experience they might be more likely to leave a comment or message on a Facebook page or blog where a business can reply directly than to post a review on Yelp where it is less likely to be compensated for.

The best part about platforms, such as blogs, social media, and Save Local Now, is they are generally free and therefore put all businesses on an equal playing field. As previously stated, small businesses base their marketing on Low budgets and word of mouth so with both of those in mind, they really can’t afford to miss out on platforms that are free and easily sharable.

View Original article here.

About Alicia

Alicia is one of the member engagement managers for Save Local Now. She hails from Northeast Ohio but loves to travel and immerse herself in new cultures. Alicia is the free spirit of the $LN team. Her most important task is to keep the office lively and relaxed. alicia.busa@savelocalnow.com