Beyond social media: Practical ways to get your business noticed
This Friday, I'm running a mini workshop at the next Bracken & Bloom gathering, hosted by Kate and Mirelle of The Collective Brabourne. It's a networking group for women who love a relaxed, friendly space to connect, and who want real conversation, inspiration and support, whether they're running a local business or thinking of starting one.
The event was full within two hours of booking opening, which says a lot about the community they've built together, and I'm delighted to be part of it. My session is called "Beyond social media: practical ways to get your business noticed". Because every seat is taken, I wanted to share the ideas here too, for anyone who couldn't get a place and for anyone who'd like a reminder afterwards.
Social media is brilliant for plenty of things, but it's rented space. You don't own your audience, an algorithm decides who gets to see you, and an Instagram post is more or less gone within a day or two. If that's the only place people can find you, it's a pretty wobbly foundation for a business. So here's what I talk about with small business owners when we step away from the scroll. It's practical, low cost or mostly free, and none of it involves learning a whole new set of marketing rules.
Start with who...
Before you pick a marketing channel, get clear on your customer. Not "everyone", but one real person. Where do they live, shop, search and spend their time? Where were they this morning? Try it now. Write down your best customer, then three places that person goes. Everything else in this post depends on those three places.
Make your website your home
Every other channel that you show up in should point back to your website, so it needs to do its job. Be clear about what you do and where you do it, make your contact details easy to find, keep it simple, and check it works on a phone. Give people one obvious next step on every page, whether that's call, book or enquire. There's no point in going to market if your storefront is not properly setup.
Get found on Google and Bing
Your Google Business Profile is FREE, and for many local businesses it's the first thing people see when they search for you. Claim it, then fill it in properly: categories, opening hours, services, photos and a description that sounds like a person wrote it.
Reviews matter so ask when your customer is happiest, send them a direct link, and reply to every review you get, good or bad. Add the odd post or offer too, because it shows you're active.
Then do the same with Bing Places. It takes about ten minutes, and you can import your Google details. So if you've taken the time to create your GBP, you might as well go ahead and do this. It's also worth looking at Apple Business Connect, as plenty of iphones default to Apple Maps. Keep your business name, address and phone number identical everywhere is very important.
A quick test: search for your own business name tonight. Is what you see right?
Local listings, groups and communities
Traditional directories still earn their place: Yell, your town or area directory and any trade bodies you belong to. Each one is a free link back to your website that can add value.
The directories I'd add to that list are the ones people don't think of as directories. Local WhatsApp groups, community groups and meetups are where your audience already gathers. So show up there, ask your customers which groups they're in, read the rules, say hello to the admin, and be useful before you promote anything. Look out for the community champions too, the people everyone listens to, and get to know them.
Talk to people
Networking works, and I'm not just saying that because I'm writing this after a networking event. Show up, chat, and tell anyone who'll listen what you do and how you can help. Have a short, clear answer to "what do you do?" and make it about the problem you solve rather than your job title.
Collaboration is the other half. Find businesses that serve the same customer as you but sell something different, and consider joining forces. Referrals, joint events, shared offers and swapped recommendations all put you in front of the right people without a penny spent on ads.
Get yourself talked about
Local papers, news sites, community radio and parish or village magazines are always hungry for local stories. The trick is not to pitch "we exist". Pitch a story: a launch, a milestone, something you did for the community or a genuinely useful tip. Keep a short press note and a decent photo ready to go, so you can say yes quickly when an opportunity appears.
Print is not dead
Old school marketing still works if you put it where your audience already is. Think cafes, vets, gyms, school newsletters, noticeboards and local events. Go back to those three places you wrote down at the start and ask where that customer would actually pick it up.
Fewer, better pieces beat a blanket leaflet drop every time. Good design and sensible paper stock mean people keep what you give them, and it's kinder on the planet too. Put a QR code on it that leads to a specific page, so you can see what's working.
Look after the customer you've already won
Your most valuable customer is often the one who has already bought from you. Winning someone new takes far more time and money than bringing an existing customer back, and your email list is yours. No algorithm sits between you and them.
Collect addresses properly: ask permission, say what people will get, include an easy unsubscribe, and put a sign-up form on your website. Then keep the journey simple. Someone signs up, trys or buys, they get a welcome or a thank you, a useful follow-up a few days later, and then an offer or a nudge to come back.
Small follow-ups do a lot of the work. A thank you note, a review request, a reminder when a service is due, a seasonal check-in, an offer for returning customers, or a gentle "know anyone who'd love this?" A short, regular and useful newsletter beats a long one that turns up twice a year. Use whatever tool you'll actually stick with. Wix has email marketing built in, and Mailchimp and others are fine too.
Take a look at your customer list this week. Who haven't you spoken to in six months?
Social media: work smarter, don't quit
I'm not telling you to delete your accounts. I'm asking you to be honest about what they give back. How many enquiries or sales came from social last quarter? Add "How did you hear about us?" to your enquiry form and you'll start to find out.
It's also worth thinking about shelf life. An Instagram post is gone in a day or two, while a Pinterest pin tends to keep getting found for months because it behaves more like a visual search engine than a feed. Your Google Business Profile keeps working in the background too. Pick one or two platforms, set yourself a time budget, and review it every few months. If you took a fifth of your social time and put it somewhere longer lasting, where would it go?
Where to start
Don't try to do all of this at once. Instead, consider picking one thing and do it before Monday:
Search for your business name and check what comes up.
Claim or tidy your Google Business Profile.
Ask one happy customer for a review.
Message one business that shares your customer and suggest a coffee.
Email the customers you haven't spoken to in a while.
If you'd like a hand working out where to focus, or you need help with a website, Google Business Profile, Flyer design or digital strategy that does its job properly, I'd love to hear from you.
Book a free 20-minute call and we can talk through your goals to see how I could support you.
Thanks for reading
