Starting a new business or side hustle is always an exciting time, but for many of us, the most daunting part is actually marketing to new people rather than people we already know. Often, our friends, family, and existing network are the first people we turn to – and that’s great – but we need to be able to sell to people we don’t know in order to grow our businesses. So how do we do that?

Here are 5 ways you can get started today.

1. List Your New Business on Directories

One of the easiest ways to market your new business is by listing on online directories. And better yet, it is usually free to do so. This works particularly well for local businesses but provides a lot of benefits for online-only businesses too. It will help you become more discoverable as your business is more likely to appear further up on a Google search which adds credibility. This means that people will respect you as a legitimate, trustworthy business which can often be the first hurdle for a new business.

2. Utilize Advertising

Advertising is daunting, especially if you haven’t ever done it before, so you will need to ease into it and ensure you don’t throw too much money at it until you’re seeing good results. You can start learning how to create your own online ads with free tutorials online and be knowledgeable enough to set up your first simple ad after a few hours.

If you’re going for online ads, make sure you have a specific place for your ads direct customers to, such as a purchase page or place for customers to sign up for your newsletter on your website. If you would prefer to advertise offline, think carefully about the design of your posters and leaflets. You need them to fully express the action you want potential customers to take so you should be strategic about how you spend your money regarding these ads.

3. Offer a New Customer Discount 

You can pull new customers in by offering something to them, such as a discount code or a free extra, as they want to feel like they are getting something existing customers aren’t. Use this incentive to attract new customers in any marketing you do whether that is with advertisements, through social media, or while talking to people in person.

4. Get on Social Media

All businesses benefit from being on social media in some way, but any business that is business-to-customer (B2C) definitely should focus on getting in front of customers on social media. These everyday customers will likely be scrolling through Instagram, Facebook, and other services several times a day, and if they like your business, or share one of your posts, their friends or followers will see that too.

On the other hand, business-to-business (B2B) services and products are probably best marketed on LinkedIn so you need to figure out where your intended customers hang out and start marketing there.

5. Start Content Marketing

Finally, you think about creating helpful content around what you do and sell. This may be in the form of blog posts, YouTube videos, or even a podcast. This type of content can generate organic SEO for your business and has the bonus of being evergreen, so it will continue to generate this traffic for many years to come.

One important thing to note before you dive in: don’t do all of these things half-heartedly, pick one or two and learn to do them incredibly well or outsource them to someone else if you have the budget.

Looking for more great advice on marketing your business or side hustle? Check out our other blog posts next!