You've made the decision to run a business from home. You've written your business plan, obtained the appropriate license, opened a website and now you’re ready to make it a success. The next step is advertising. Advertising is vital to your success. If you don't get your business name out to the public, no one will know you exist. Maybe you've already posted flyers, written ads and a press release. While all three are great advertising tools, the best one is still word of mouth.
Word of mouth is similar to the telephone game. Someone will get word of your business, they will tell a friend, that friend will tell someone else and before you know it, the name of your business is given out like candy. Networking is a way to get your business known by word of mouth. Networking includes interacting with other entrepreneurs and people of your community. There are plenty of ways for you to network but you must first understand your market.
Your market is the people who will most likely buy your service or product. When you know who your market involves, it will be easier to determine which activities would be best to join. Networking can be done by joining activities, attending local meetings and interacting with others online through message boards. A local church may have a fundraising event coming up, try to get involved and offer your service or product for free.
Attend your local Chamber of Commerce meetings. This is a great way to get to know other entrepreneurs in your community. During these meetings, you may get the chance to talk about your business and you will be able to exchange business cards. Find out when conferences and conventions for entrepreneurs are being held. You may be able to learn something new from these meetings to help you succeed. Again, you may be able to exchange business cards.
Networking over the Internet is just as important. Not only is this a way for you to attract visitors to your website but it's also a way for you to get a break. Look for work-at-home, work-at-home-mom and work-at-home-dad's websites. Visit these sites for a few days and read the message boards. Familiarize yourself with the type of information being given. Find at least two sites you would be interested in and join. Don't be afraid to jump in on the action!
Most of these sites allow signature lines, a link to your websites in your posts. Make your signature line creative. For an example use, "Hand Made Customized Quilts for Your New Baby" instead of "Customized Quilts" or you could go the simple route and use, "www.yourname.com". Avoid using, "click here" or "click on this link", it looks unprofessional.
Use the message boards to your advantage. Ask questions and give advice. The more people see your signature line, the more likely they will visit your site and you may have just what they are looking for. Networking isn't just about building your business; it's a way to make friends. When you work at home, you don't have other people to socialize with and we all need that at some point in the day.
