I once read an article from the Direct Marketing Association that said that, at any given time, you could expect only about 3% of your target market to be actively looking to purchase the type of product or service you offer. THREE PER CENT!

So if the other 97% are not looking for you… you have to go looking for them!

And while you’re at it, you might as well go looking for that 3%, so you can find them before they find your competitor.

(By the way, the idea that “there’s no competition” if you stay true to your authentic self if you play the game. But I’ll get to that in another post.)

People can’t buy you if they don’t know you. It is the first and most important principle of the expression “people buy from people they know, like and trust”.

When explained this way, it all sounds pretty obvious. But I never cease to be amazed at the business owners I meet who complain that they don’t have enough customers and, at the same time, are unwilling to take action or try something new.

People have literally said things to me like, “I don’t like to go around saying what I do. I’d rather wait until I know if that person is right for my business and then let them know.” that I am a coach/consultant/trainer/therapist/etc.”

My response to this kind of stonewalling is always the same: “So, how’s it going?”

(You’ll have to excuse my cheek today. If you can’t say it, this is a topic I’m really excited about!)

The thing is, whether you run a professional services business or sell information products or a combination of both, one of the critical ingredients in growing and SUSTAINING your business is getting your business/services/products/etc. in front of as many eyes as possible.

That means getting in front of many more than just a few hundred or even thousands of people who subscribe to your ezine list, like your Facebook fan page, follow your tweets, or stumble upon your website.

To truly succeed and grow your small business, your comprehensive marketing system has to include actively extending your reach to your target market on an ongoing basis.

How do you know which small business marketing and customer engagement methods are best? Consider a combination of things, such as: What strategies will help you reach the most right people with the least amount of time and energy? What strategies do you enjoy the most and are therefore more likely to follow? And what is your time frame and budget?

A lot of it is also simple trial and error. But don’t give up on a tactic after just one try. There is a learning curve involved and marketing requires frequency.

There’s really no limit to the creative ways you can get your “offer” out to more people and attract more customers. To get you thinking more broadly, I’ve put together a list of 111 ways you can make your small business stand out in front of more eyes. If you offer a service or product that can improve people’s lives, you are doing the world a disservice by not letting more people know about it.

All I ask is that you take one small step each week to expand your reach.

live events

1. Go to networking events

2. Attend professional conferences and seminars

3. Earn money for speaking

4. Talk for free

5. Exhibit at trade shows, expos and fairs.

6. Host a hospitality suite at trade shows

7. Sponsor events (charity, sports, professional, community, etc.)

8. Host your own networking event

9. Invite target customers to an “open house” at your workplace

10. Host a grand opening/reopening of your business

11. Participate in charity or community events

12. Book a hospitality suite at sports facilities

13. Invite target customers to a wine tasting

14. Hold a free or low-cost workshop in your community

Print and Direct Mail Materials

15. Create and distribute a catalog of your products

16. Develop a marketing brochure that highlights your services

17. Mail a Sales Letter (Send via FedEx or UPS to the Customers You Really Want to Land)

18. Write a book

19. Send postcards

20. Raffle for bookmarks, sticky notes, notebooks, etc.

21. Buy an ad in the local phone book (but make sure you get the listing online, too)

22. Submit your business to local business directories

23. Place ads in local newsletters (ie community newsletters, church newsletters, etc.)

24. Give out at least 10 business cards a week to people you know

25. Send yearly calendars with your brand

26. Wear logo clothing (i.e. t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, etc.)

27. Take a reusable bag with your business logo when you go shopping

28. Put your brand prominently on all your product packaging

Publicity in the media and publicity

29. Invest in magazine and newspaper advertising

30. Buy radio and TV ads in your local market

31. Send letters to the editor of your local newspaper

32. Write opinion editorials (OpEds) related to your area of ​​expertise

33. Submit author articles (that is, articles written by you) to specialized magazines

34. Give radio and television interviews

35. Be an expert source for magazine or newspaper reporters

36. Record podcasts and post them on iTunes

37. Give interviews over the internet and satellite radio

38. Distribute press releases

39. Host a press conference (if you have something really BIG to announce)

40. Author of a recurring column in a local business publication

41. Go on a media tour (make sure you hire a PR professional to help you out)

42. Request an editorial board meeting with influential publications in your industry

43. Film your own “infomercial” and post it online

44. Join Speakers Bureaus

45. Appear in directories of experts (such as Profnet)

online promotions

46. ​​Having multiple websites, each dedicated to a specific product, service, or target market

47. Publish an ezine or ezine

48. Buy ezine ads from other people

49. Submit articles to other people’s ezines.

50. Cross-promote (as a joint registration) with other ezines

51. Publish a blog

52. Comment on other people’s blogs

53. Contribute guest posts to blogs

54. Submit your blog to blog directories

55. Get your blog listed on other people’s blogs

56. Sponsor banner ads on other people’s websites and blogs.

57. Promote your business in your email signature line

58. Set up an affiliate program

59. Invest in pay-per-click advertising on sites like Google, Yahoo! and bing

60. Publish a free eBook, special report, or eCourse

61. Host free audio seminars, podcasts, or webcasts

62. Post videos that show your experience

63. Submit Articles to Article Databases

64. Send video emails

65. Set up a free Google profile page

66. Submit your website to search engine listings

67. Create online sales letters and capture pages

social media

68. Set up a personal Facebook profile

69. Start a Facebook “fan page” or “group”

70. Buy Facebook pay-per-click advertising

71. Participate in Facebook conversations

72. Create your own YouTube channel and post frequent videos

73. Create a LinkedIn profile

74. Form your own LinkedIn group

75. Set up a Twitter account with a custom background

76. Post your favorite links to online “bookmarking” sites

77. Create a members-only online network (meaning savor success)

78. Participate in online forum discussions

79. Run a special promotion through sites like Groupon and LivingSocial.com

external advertising

80. Buy space on billboards

81. That your vehicle is delayed

82. Put magnets or stickers on your car

83. Invest in “yard” signs

84. Hang logo banners outdoors

85. Pass out flyers

86. Buy signs on the side of buses

87. Advertising on taxi covers

88. Invest in airport terminal sign

89. Buy bus, train and subway station ads

90. Post announcements on community bulletin boards in cafeterias, etc.

91. Sponsor sign in sports venues

92. Sponsor your local minor league team’s uniforms

93. Hire those crazy sign-spinning guys to stand near the nearest intersection

94. Pay a guy (or girl) to wear a suit and hand out coupons

95. Go all out with a “guerrilla” marketing campaign

Special promotion

96. Put “QR” codes linked to your website on your marketing materials

97. Have a custom iPhone app developed

98. Make a sale or offer a special discount

99. Handing out “refer-a-friend” coupons

100. Have a contest

101. Offer a special edition or limited edition product

102. Give a “gift with purchase”

103. Host a celebrity appearance and offer a photo opportunity

104. Give away free samples

105. Invite the local radio station to broadcast from your workplace

106. Hold a live demo (think Home Depot paint department)

107. Offer a local celebrity autograph signing

108. Give away chachkas/chotskies (i.e. pens, key chains, mugs, magnets, etc.)

109. Sponsor an “experience” marketing event (ie rock climbing, “money” rooms, etc.)

110. Run a referral program contest – whoever refers the most people wins a prize

111. Create loyalty programs (i.e. points programs)