Congratulations! You’ve just received your custom built website!
Now you can start to advertise your business through your website and generate those leads. But how? Won’t my customers just appear? The simple answer to this is, not likely. Creating a website is a great start to making your business look and feel professional, but generating leads takes more than a ‘build it and they will come’ approach.
As promised, we’ve done the hard work to get your snazzy website up and running, so the next step is completely up to you. Your customers need to know that you have a website in the first place, and you can start to get the word out by taking advantage of the many free or low-cost advertising platforms available.
If advertising your business is something brand new to you, it can be a bit of a daunting task. You may be asking yourself, ‘where do I start?’. Don’t worry! With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of all of the things you can and should do with your new website.
Social Media
In our digital age, it’s safe to say that most people are connected by some form of social media. Therefore, your first port of call should be to share your website on your platform of choice. Whether that’s on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or all three; sharing a link to your website on these is a great way to direct people to it. Not only is it free to do, it can also be shared by your friends, family and previous clients to reach audiences that wouldn’t normally come across your business organically. So make sure to ask them all to share!
Get the most out of your social media by using your personal AND business accounts to share posts. By doing this you could potentially double your audience! In addition, make sure to join any local ‘what’s on’ groups or pages, as many of them allow businesses to advertise themselves on certain days. Most importantly, make sure that all of your posts are viewable to the public. After all, there’s no point sharing a post that only your friends can see!
Business Cards
Telling someone about your business and website is an easy way to generate leads. Following up this conversation by handing out a personalised business card is also a memorable way of handing out key information about your business. One small business card can contain important information such as your name, business name, services, website, email address, phone number and address; making your business truly unforgettable. With a quick search online, you can order around 500 personalised business cards for as little as £5!
Leaflets
Leaflets are also a fantastic and cost-effective way to reach a new audience. Similar to business cards, leaflets can feature all of your important contact information on one A5 sheet. However, the bigger size affords you the opportunity to include more information on your services in greater detail. The cost of purchasing personalised leaflets is slightly more expensive than business cards, at around £15 for 500. This is entirely dependent on what you’re looking for, so make sure to shop around for the best deals.
Leaflets are a really great advertising resource, as you will then be able to reach a wider audience by posting these through the houses and businesses in your local area. You can even hand out a bunch to friends and family who can post them for you on their street! Easy!
Vehicle Stickers and Decals
If you are a tradesperson or do a lot of driving for work, consider getting custom vehicle graphics to stick on your car. No matter where you are, you are guaranteed to be seen by someone, even if you’re parked. You are quite literally a walking (or driving) advertisement for your own business! Prices vary depending on which type of decals or stickers you’re after, and options are available to suit most budgets. Just make sure to add your new website address to your choice of graphics.
Local Newspapers and Magazines
Depending on your budget, paid advertising may be an option if you wish to target a new audience. There are many different ways to pay for advertising, one way is to pay to be featured in your local newspaper or magazine. This way, you can reach new audiences without lifting a finger!
Paid Social Media Advertising
Investing money in paid advertising with companies such as Google and Facebook can be a real game-changer for your business. You choose how much you’d like to spend on advertising, and doing so, help to reach new audiences that would not have discovered you otherwise. Control the look and feel of your ads, and feature images and case studies of your work.
Tracking tools like Google Analytics and Facebook’s Pixel, we’re able keep track of who is visiting your site, and with this data we can re-target ads to people everywhere.
With the use of social media on smartphones, a potential customer can discover you wherever they go. Re-targeting allows your adverts to be seen on multiple platforms such as Google, Youtube and news sites. Essentially, you’re giving your customers a friendly nudge to remind them that you’re there. After all, a relevant ad doesn’t feel like an ad at all, making your business truly unforgettable.
So now you know! You just need a website, right?
In comes Tradely!
Tradely is a service that offers affordable websites and marketing, just for trades. It’s a way to set yourself apart from your competitors, by showcasing your work on a professional platform. With Tradely, you can have a custom built website that matches your brand completely. We do it all! From website design and build to supported hosting.
We have packages starting from as little as £295+VAT, so no matter what you need we’ve got you covered! If you’re a bigger business and need a more tailored solution, our website packages are also affordable. For more information, feel free to contact us via social media or using our web chat. We even offer free advice via zoom!
So what are you waiting for? Let’s get started!