Is your business utilizing all possible marketing tools? How social media and video can complement what you already should be doing in print
by Amy Nixon
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Photos courtesy of On Your Mark Transportation unless indicated
Marketing is a big factor in restarting your business following the pandemic. There are several ways to communicate with your customers including print, digital and social media. Keeping customers informed of what you have to offer is a good place to start with growing your business.
our small business has a Web site, and therefore a presence online. Do you really need to produce videos and utilize social media, too? In a word: Yes. Utilizing social media and video in conjunction with print media can broaden your audience, and ultimately help you grow your business. During this difficult time, marketing of all types is more important than ever. Social media is the least expensive option, so it is a good place to start. Make sure you are using every option available to you.
While it is true that more people are turning to the Internet for information, print is still an important component to the entire package, especially now. Misinformation online is not uncommon, and print is a reliable tool to help you reach your customers. Send out press releases with any updates on your business. This will help your customers 32 • National Bus Trader / July, 2022
by providing them with useful information and it will remind customers you are still there, ready to serve them.
Did you know most people stop reading articles online after a single stroll on their phone? The higher the word count, the more likely you are to lose your readers toward the end of your release. Because of this, the most important thing you can do when writing a press release is to grab the attention of your readers from the get-go. Make sure your most important information is in the first paragraph of your press release.
Now is also a good time to introduce potential customers to your staff. Since they may not be able to meet you face-to-face, consider using press releases to tell a narrative. Maybe you have an employee who is celebrating an anniversary with your com-
pany. Consider writing a profile on that employee. Or maybe you have an employee who started with your company on the ground level and worked his or her way up to an upper level position. Use a press release to tell his/her story.
Send out newsletters via e-mail to share the same key information with customers. Keep in mind, however, that timing is key. You do not want to bombard your customers with e-mail after e-mail, which may cause them to discard the e-mail before reading it.
Taking out an advertisement in the local newspaper or a trade magazine or publication is also important. People often think spending money on advertising when business is slow is not a good idea, but that is not the case. Now is the time to spend the money to let people know you are still open. Let your customers know what you
