Table of Contents

Introduction....1

Events..2

Promotional Items....4

Social Media...6

Websites.10

Blogs...16

References.19

1
 Introduction
The Small Business Promo Guide was designed to assist any
students that are helping small businesses or sole-proprietors. We
understand that sometimes it can be difficult trying to get a client to put all
of their trust in you, or just to convince them to change something. We have
looked into some of the common ways the agency can help promote a
small business. We provide data-based research as to why each of the
different avenues will help. These avenues include hosting events, giving
out promotional items, using social media, and lastly creating a website and
a blog. We know that if you are working with a small business, you will able
to utilize the chapters of our guide as an example of how to successfully
promote their business.

2
 Events
People want to buy products and services from businesses run by people they like,
know and trust. Therefore, for a small business owner, their personal network becomes
the most important aspect of growing their company. Small businesses must work at
having great communication skills to grow sales and encourage customers to come
back for more. For this reason, it is crucial for small businesses to host events, to attract
and interact with new and returning clients.

Benefits:
Receive news mentions and brand exposure
Increase foot traffic and sales
Interact with customers
Make valuable connections with targeted audience
Opportunities for positive reviews

Fig. 1

Figure 1 shows an example of a

promotion for an event. Square One
Pizza Cafe often holds events to
promote new menu items and new
beers they are serving. This brings
existing and potential customers
together in an informal environment in
order to get to know the customers
better and get the customers to try their products.

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Fig. 2

Figure 2 is an example of a restaurant that

has yet to open. Puesto hosts events in
order to get acquainted with the
community, as well as give potential
customers a chance to sample their
selection of menu items.

4
 Promotional Items
For small businesses, it is important to foster brand awareness. According to the figures
published by Promotional Products Association International, users of imprinted
promotional products spend $18.2 billion dollars annually on over 400,000 different
types of customized logo products. While word-of-mouth and person-to-person
marketing is still popular, people love things that are free. Promotional items can help
engage loyal and new customers while also emphasizing the name and logo of the
small business. It gets customers excited about the business and sparks their interest.

While promotional products are great for helping new businesses establish their
brands and helping existing businesses increase their sales and find new leads, it is
important to cater the promotional item to the target audience. It is essential that the
promotional item that is given will be used in the environment where customers make
decisions about using the product or service of the small business.

Some of the most popular promotional items include USB drives, aluminum
sports bottles, reusable grocery bags, and anything green or American made.

Fig. 3

Figure 3 shows a retainer case with the

orthodontist's name and phone number. This
makes the business not only stand out from the

5
competition, but also remain in the minds of customers, both current and potential.

Fig. 4 (SAGE)

6
 Social Media
Social media is an inexpensive way to promote a business. There are over three billion
internet users and two billion of those have social media accounts. According to
Hubspot, 80 percent of businesses indicate that social media increase traffic (Kusinitz,
2014). Social media is no longer an option for a business, it is a necessity.

Share Content Faster and Easier

Social media is important because it can provide quick ways to get information to
customers. Changes happen all the time, its important that customers and clients are
informed about these. Maybe the business is extending its hours or maybe having a
flash sale. This creates an incentive for people to follow them on social media. In figure
5 we see Square One Pizza use Facebook to let people know that their new extended
patio space is now open. In figure 6 we see The Iron Press use Instagram to let their
customers know that they are closed on Thanksgiving, but will re-open the next day.

Fig. 5 Fig. 6

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Feedback
Social Media is an excellent way to receive feedback from customers, and respond to it.
If someone has a question or comment about the business, it can be answered quickly.
According to a study done by NewVoiceMedia, bad customer service costs U.S.
companies an average of 41 billion dollars a year (Mitchell,2013). Customers will not
hesitate to leave a company that they have had a bad experience with. By offering
customers a way to contact the business to help get their problem fixed, they are upping
the probability of the customers staying with their business. When companies engage
and respond to customer service requests over social media, those customers end up
spending 20 percent to 40 percent more with the company, says research from Bain &
Company (Barry, Markey, Brahm, & Almquist, n.d.). Feedback is not always negative,
social media is a great way for customers to leave positive feedback. When someone
praises the business, other potential clients will see these comments and it can help
persuade them. Simply put, social media is an easy, affordable, effective way to gain
and maintain customers.

Fig. 7
Fig. 8

We see here in figure 7 and 8 that a customer left a review on Yelp that gave details
about her poor experience at the nail salon. The nail salon manager responded,
indicating that they would like to determine what happened during her bad experience
and how they can make it better.

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Fig. 9
(Designed by Yasmin;
Template provided by
Canva.com)

9
 While weve explored all of the benefits of social media, its important to touch
upon using it to its full potential. It will not benefit the business if they create profiles on
every social media outlet and never maintain them. Its important to realize which social
media outlets are best for the business, and utilize them. For example, if the business is
trying to reach professionals in their field, LinkedIn may be right for the business. If the
business is trying to get messages out quickly to their followers, the business may look
into Twitter. The businesses need to make sure they have consistent content
throughout their social media platforms, and keep it up-to-date. The business needs to
be realistic with themselves, understand their audience, and create content that keeps
people coming back.

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 Websites
We are living in an advanced technological age where people Google and Yelp for
confirmation of credibility. Part of the credibility begins with the website, as stated by
Nicole Leinbach-Reyhle, author for Forbes, beginning with your website, consumers
are passing judgement and making decisions. If the website is too busy or complex,
contains too many ads, looks boring, or is slow to load, this leads to mistrust and steers
potential consumers away from the business. According to Forbes, design elements
are exponentially more powerful than content, in terms of mistrust. When asked to
describe why they mistrusted a website, 94 percent of comments were directly related
to web design elements, while only 6 percent referenced specific content.

In order to seem credible to potential consumers, it is important for small businesses to

have a website that:
Has simplicity with the homepage and navigation.
Contains an about us.
Has third-party validation.
Contains contact information.

Homepage Simplicity & Navigation

The first and important element in creating simplicity when it comes to navigation is
having a homepage that does not overwhelm the potential new consumer. Think of the
homepage as the first impression to the consumer; when given too much information it
may cause the consumer to quickly close out the window due to boredom or mistrust
instead of making them want to click on the provided links to learn more. Fig. 10 and
Fig. 11 contain an example of a website that says too much on the homepage which
causes consumers to not want to explore the website any longer and may ruin credibility
due to repetitiveness.

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Fig. 10

Fig. 11

12
A simple homepage should include actual photographs of members from the business,
a logo, a headline, and a short mission statement or bio. By having a simple homepage,
it allows the consumer to spend more time on the website by clicking the options listed
on the navigation bar on the top. The longer a consumer takes looking through what is
being offered, the more interest builds up and credibility is being form. Fig. 12 and Fig
13. are examples of a simple homepage that creates interest in wanting to navigate the
website.

Fig. 12

Fig. 13

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 About Us
The about us is crucial for any business because it gives the website a more personal
touch. Fox Business explains that the about us page is critical to strengthening your brand
identity and creating a connection with prospective clients. It is often the second most viewed
page on company websites and is prime real estate when it comes to showcasing you and your
business.
Fig. 14 (designed by Alexandra; template provided by canva.com)

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 Third-Party Validation
Business Dictionary defines third-party validation as a process where an
independent party is asked to confirm whether the client's information is accurate or to
validate their intent. Third-party validation builds credibility and ultimately the
determining factor on if consumers utilize the business. A business can utilize
third-party validation by having a tab on their navigation bar dedicated to testimonials. In
order to create credibility, make sure that the testimonials are relevant to the work and
contain a source.

Contact Us
The Contact Us page is crucial to any website. It allows the consumer to quickly
get in touch with the business without doing external research. Without the contact
information, the website is considered to be a wasted source.
Fig. 14: describes what items are crucial to have on your contact us page.

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Fig. 15 (designed by Alexandra; template provided by canva.com)

16
 Blogs
With the constant advancement in technology, it is becoming increasingly
important for small businesses to develop an emphasized web presence. One of the
most effective ways to build brand awareness, while providing relevant and useful
content is through consistent blogging. Blogging is a relatively easy, inexpensive way
for small businesses to drive traffic to their website, enhance inbound marketing efforts
and attract more prospective customers.

Benefits:
Boost Search Engine Optimization
Develop relationships with potential and existing customers
Establish the small business as an industry leader
Connect people to the brand
Create opportunities for sharing

Fig. 16 (Ignite Spot)

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Fig. 17

Figure 17 is an example of a blog. Facialworks blog covers all things skincare including
products, beauty and the spa industry, which is a great way to build trust with the target
audience because the blog provides high quality content that existing and potential
customers will find relevant. In addition, the writers of this particular blog are
Facialworks estheticians. This gives a voice to the business by developing the brand
personality and tell people about what the business is all about.

Fig. 18

Figure 18 is another example of a blog. Urban Plates mainly uses their blog to
communicate with customers by posting announcements of news such as seasonal
menu, new store openings and store renovations. By having a centralized place to post
announcements, existing and potential clients will be updated of what is going on at the
clients business.

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A small business blog is also a great place to offer occasional promotions. If the client
already has an engaged audience, the customers will be able to see what discounts or
promotions the client is offering. In addition, it is a great way to keep the customer base
informed.

19
 References

Barry, C., Markey, R., Brahm, C., & Almquist, E. Putting Social Media to Work. Retrieved
December 12, 2016, from www.bain.com,
http://www.bain.com/Images/BAIN_BRIEF_Putting_social_media_to_work.pdf

Hendricks, D. (2015, February 11). Understanding the full impact of web design on SEO,
Branding, and more. Forbes. Retrieved December 06, 2016,
fromhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/drewhendricks/2015/02/11/understanding-the-full-impa
t-of-web-design-on-seo-branding-and-more/#3bf74b392027

Hood, E. (2013, August 7). The #1 Small Business Marketing Idea. I gnite Spot. Retrieved
December 08, 2016, from
http://blog.ignitespot.com/blog/small-business-marketing-idea

Kusinitz, S. (2014, June 14). 16 Stats That Prove Social Media Isnt Just a Fad. Retrieved
December 12, 2016, from Hubspot.com,
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/social-media-roi-stats#sm.00001fsx14bhg9dkpvjo2tzsnsdew

Kuruvilla, S. (2011, December). High End, Low End: Which Promotional Products Work Best?
Retrieved December 07, 2016, from
https://www.ppai.org/documents/highendlowendreportwithcover.pdf

Leinbach-Reyhle, N. (2014, September 29). 3 reasons Websites are vital for small businesses.
Forbes. Retrieved December 06, 2016,
fromhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/nicoleleinbachreyhle/2014/09/29/websites-for-small-bus
inesses/#4da934424318

Miller, S. (2012, July 16). How much is third-party validation worth to your brand? Retrieved
December 06, 2016, from
http://www.cision.com/us/2012/07/third-party-validation-brand-credibility-online/

Mitchell, E. S. (2013, December 31). STUDY: Bad Customer Service Costs US Companies $41
Billion a Year. Retrieved December 12, 2016, from
http://www.adweek.com/prnewser/study-bad-customer-service-costs-us-companies-41-billion-a-year/
82363

Pozin, I. (2012, February 27). 5 steps to a great Website. Forbes. Retrieved December 06,
2016,
fromhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/ilyapozin/2012/02/27/5-steps-to-a-great-website/#e9ba
b32dd0b

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Rosenbaum, M. (2011, November 14). How to write an effective about me page. F ox
Business. Retrieved December 06, 2016,
From http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2011/11/14/how-to-write-effective-about-me-
age.html

Third party verification (TPV). BusinessDictionary.com. Retrieved December 06, 2016, from
BusinessDictionary.com website:
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/third-party-verification-TPV.html

Promotional Product Research and Marketing. Sage World. Retrieved December 08, 2016,
from http://www.sageworld.com/boost/

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