One of the biggest barriers for aspiring entrepreneurs is worry that if they do start their own business, they don’t know how they’ll acquire a consistent stream of customers.
You know you have a quality product or service, you wouldn’t be offering it for sale if you didn’t, but how do you get it into the hands of the people who need and want it?
Despite having the heart of an entrepreneur, many of us hate sales, and as a consequence we aren’t that good at it.
And even if we were comfortable being the stereotypical salesperson, in your face and pushy tactics don’t even work well anymore.
But customers are the lifeblood of your business.
Gary Halbert, one of the greatest copywriters of all time, teaches the lesson in his letter titled The One Advantage.
During one of the classes he was teaching, Gary asked the students, "If you and I both owned a hamburger stand and we were in a contest to see who could sell the most hamburgers, what advantages would you most like to have on your side to help you win?"
Gary’s answer?
“The only advantage I want is a starving crowd!”
But how do you find that starving crowd?
You certainly can’t afford TV or even radio or magazine advertising. Maybe you’ve heard of things like Google Adwords and Facebook Ads, but again, there’s the money thing, and the time and talent it takes to create a winning ad.
For the new business owner looking to build a consistent client base, there are three no-cost advertising methods that can be just as effective, if not more so, than paid advertisements.
These are not overnight success, magic button solutions. If you don’t spend money on advertising, you’re going to spend time. But it will be time spent in exchange for a worthy payout.
1. Social Media Networks
If you want to find clients, go to where your starving crowd is.
And social media is where we do everything these days.
Initially, the thought of social media advertising brings up two negative reactions for some people.
First, I don’t wanna be “that” person
So you have a Facebook friend who posts daily about the fabulous new weight loss business she’s involved in and if you’ll just message her she can hook you up to be 30 pounds lighter in 30 days.
Maybe you’ve even had to hide her posts, though she is a sweet person with a good heart.
Fortunately, you don’t have to be that person.
You can set up a business page on Facebook where you share stories and invite people who are interested to connect with your business.
You can have separate accounts for your business on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube, and even LinkedIn if you want (although LinkedIn is more about business connections than friend connections).
And while it’s a topic for another day, you don’t have to spend all your time pushing your product on social media.
You can use it as a place where people interested in your product or services can get to know, like, and trust you.
Second, I don’t have time to be on social media all day, every day
Exactly, you’re starting your business from home because you still want to be around to raise your kids and take care of your family, not because you’re looking for a 40 hour a week job.
Fortunately, you don’t have to be everywhere.
Starting out, you can pick two social media networks that you enjoy and that your ideal customers hang out on.
You can create one piece of content and modify it to fit both places you have a presence.
Or you can create one big piece of content on Monday and break it up into chunks, giving yourself an entire week’s worth of content from one effort.
And once the money train gets rolling, you can even hire someone to help spread your content out on more than those two places.
Don’t look at some of the big brands and influencers and think, “I could never do that.”
Social media is the place even the little gal can succeed with some persistence.
2. Forums and Groups
Let’s say you run a children’s entertainment business like Kid’s Party Characters.
Who’s your starving crowd? Mom’s with younger kids.
Your job then is to find out where they hang out online.
When it comes to moms with young kids this is an easy task, as there are an endless number of groups.
First, go to the Facebook search bar and start typing in things like “mom’s groups,” “how to raise children,” and “parent support groups.”
You could find enough groups to keep you busy on Facebook alone.
You can also do a Google search for mom forums, parenting forums, raising kids forums . . . use the same search terms you came up with for Facebook and add the word “forum” behind them.
Join as many as you can handle, and you’ll pretty quickly find 2-5 that are the most active and the best fit for you.
Again, you don’t have to push your product or service.
Just add value to the discussion and offer to connect privately about your business when someone expresses a need you can fill.
Many groups have one day every week or month where members can post a link to any business they have. Take advantage of these approved times to promote yourself.
Most forums allow you to have a “signature” at the end of each post you make. You can put your website address in your signature so that it shows up with your name every time you post, but you aren’t doing any overt advertising.
On Facebook, you can post as your business page so that when someone hovers over your name, the information about your business and link to that page appears for them to check out.
3. Offline Advertising
There are a lot of passive ways you can advertise your business offline.
Have a t-shirt made with an attention-grabbing company catch phrase or slogan on the back, put a bumper sticker or small magnet on your car.
Something like, “Ask me how I can bring magic to your child’s next party,” followed by your website and phone number will get you more inquires than you might think.
Sign up with your local chamber of commerce and get your name listed in the book they put out of area small businesses.
Lots of local coffee shops and restaurants have bulletin boards where you can tack up a business card or small flyer.
If you want to become a little more active, there are several offline opportunities there too.
Join a BNI group or a MeetUp group where you can go socialize with others and get known in your local community as the woman who knows how to throw the best kid’s party ever.
Set up a booth at a local trade show or expo that targets moms.
As you’ve hopefully heard, Kids Party Characters is coming to Houston, Texas very soon.
Owner Cheryl Jacobs met the new owner of Kids Party Characters Houston at a trade show in that city.
Once you get a little money, you can also help sponsor local kid-friendly events, which will get your business name on a shirt and/or in the organization’s promotional materials, and may get you the right to set up a booth at the event.
Want Some Help Getting Started?
All of the ways we’ve talked about today are proven methods for finding your starving crowd. They’re things we do or have done here at Kids Party Characters to grow a six figure business.
Kids Party Characters owner Cheryl Jacobs has learned a lot by trial and error, and she’s here to help you cut out some of the frustration and do things right from day one.
If you’re a stay at home mom or entrepreneur looking for an additional income stream, Cheryl’s created an opportunity with KidsPartyCharacters.com that allows you to benefit from her experience and the time she’s put in building Kids Party Characters.
With a membership in Kids Party Characters, you’ll get an exclusive territory in which to book parties, access to our 200+ costumes, our acting coach, and our casting director, as well as step-by-step training from Cheryl on how to start your business.
Book a no-pressure chat with Cheryl right here if you’ve been wanting to start a work from home business, but have let your uncertainties hold you back.
Cheryl will answer all your questions and help you figure out if Kids Party Characters is the right opportunity for your life.
Also be sure to connect with us on Facebook to learn more about the magic we bring to children’s parties, and to get daily updates on our best parenting and business building strategies.
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