Top 10 Options in Marketing Your Products

There are various opportunities for small businesses to get their products in front of potential customers. From traditional to digital marketing, business owners can employ a number of methods to position their products in the market.

Business owners can use social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest to market products or services to the masses. Social media allows you to interact with customers and answer their inquiries. You can connect with key influences or customers and encourage them to spread the word by liking or sharing on Facebook, or by retweeting on Twitter.

You can use content marketing to educate people so that they will know and trust your business. This technique involves creating original written and visual content to generate leads and become well known online.This includes generating keyword-rich online content, such as blog posts, articles and Youtube videos, that is closely related to the products or services you offer.

Mobile marketing is expected to contribute $400 billion to the U.S. economy by 2015, according to the Mobile Marketing Association. With the popularity of smartphones and tablets, you can rely on mobile marketing to attract consumers. A growing trend is to sponsor mobile games and deliver advertisements and promotional messages through these games.

Email marketing has its good and bad points. It allows you to contact a list of people to sell products or services. It's cost-effective, and you can also track data such as the number of people who opened your email. It is automated and immediate, and it can help you boost sales. The downside is that many people mark marketing emails as junk.

Some companies issue coupons that customers can exchange for a discount or rebate when they buy products. Coupons bring new customers and markets, and can increase sales of a specific product. You also can use coupons to improve brand awareness, reward current customers, encourage return of former customers, and fill capacity during lean periods.

Word-of-mouth marketing capitalizes on customers' oral or written promotion of your products or services. It is one of the most credible forms of advertising because these customers are unpaid, and they may put their reputations on the line when they provide recommendations.

Networking is a viable option if you want to set up a flexible or part-time business. Tupperware and Avon are two examples of companies that have been built on networking. It is a business model that requires a distributor network to expand the business. Structured as multilevel marketing, it features a low investment for the purchase of a sample kit and the chance to sell products directly to other people.

Hosting an open house event allows you to educate clients about your products and services while they try out samples. For example, if you have just opened a nail salon business, you can invite people to get free hand spa services. These people can act as brand ambassadors, sharing their experience and comments to other potential customers.

Surprise customers and generate social buzz to get the attention of potential customers. Jay Conrad Levinson coined the phrase “guerrilla advertising” in his book of the same name. The strategy is often effective for small businesses that need to capture a larger audience without spending too much, but it's been used by big companies, too. An example of this strategy was Coca-Cola’s “happiness machine” campaign in 2010. Videos featured a Coca-Cola vending machine that dispensed more than just a can of Coke. The videos went viral and the company continued the campaign.

Helping a charity or serving your community can create awareness about your products or services. You get the chance to give back to your community and build your brand at the same time. Select a cause that matches your business, and get help from the media to publicize it. You may also be eligible for tax deductions if you contribute cash donations or volunteer services.