H is for ...........Handouts

Even if you only design them yourself and print them off, ensure that you have something in the form of a handout describing what you can provide, how you can be contacted, any offers that you have etc , ready to give away when you meet new people. When you create them yourself, you can, at least change the content and tailor it so that it is topical for the audience that you are encountering. For a large event when you know you will be dispensing numerous copies it would be worth investing in professional design and print quality.
As with Business cards it is always useful to have some close at hand at all times as you never know when they will be useful and you don't want to miss the opportunity for being remembered by a potential client.

G is for Growth & Graphics

Growth
As your business grows your public awareness will increase. Are you ready for this? Are there any areas of your business that need firming up? Before you incorporate growth ensure that the grassroots of your business are in sound shape. Have you got sufficient staff to deal with growth? Are your systems in place? Have you got contingency plans for this growth should you need to outsource? If you carry stock, do you have space, availability and consistent suppliers? If you make the product yourself can you cope with the increase in demand? If not have you made contingency plans?


Graphics
All of your graphics should be consistent throughout your business promotion. Too many businesses have totally different graphics for their advertising which makes it difficult for a potential client/customer to relate to your business. When we say repetition builds reputation it helps to have a likeness reapeated to be able to recognise it. Do not send out conflicting messages as it only takes a short while to confuse but a long time to draw back all that could potentially be lost by sending out these cross messages.

F is for ...............Flyers & Free Listings

Flyers should always be kept in your handbag, diary, folder, car boot and anywhere else that is easily accessible. You never know when you could be asked for your information and what a missed opportunity it is if you do not have it at hand to give to your potential customer. I would imagine that your competitors have an ample supply close at hand especially for this situation.

Free Listings fall into the same category as Directories. This is just a simple Google search and a little time spent filing details and keeping them regularly updated with contact details and where necessary a photograph or logo.

'E' is for..........

Exhibitions need not be expensive to attend and you will find many local ones could even be free to you.
If you are attending ensure that all the info and Point of Sale material that you use is up to date and plentiful to use as handouts.
Return on this investment may not be immediate but will help to build your reputation when combined with the other promotional tactics that you employ.

Expert.

Become an expert in your field. Become recognised by responding to queries on social networking sites, to radio, newspaper & magazine requests and soon the media will be approaching you when they have questions. Send topical articles in to business publications, which address relevant topics to your industry and when you have built a rapport with the journalists and editors they will start to contact you for responses to the issues that arise.

Editorial space is not difficult to achieve if you send relevant press releases to newspapers, magazines and trade press on a timely basis. It is always worth remembering that if you have nothing worth saying, don’t bother.
Recently, through a social networking site, a colleague of mine made contact over a shared interest and a few days later was asked to send some product samples to this same lady who was an editor to a fashion magazine, which subsequently reviewed the items and gained the client a considerable amount of page space. For the sake of spending a little time it is amazing what can be gained!

D is for Directories

There are many free Directories on the internet that you can list your business on to raise your business profile.
Do a search for your area of interest or industry and include your details but remember to keep a list and keep it updated.
Social networks are also a good point at which to promote your business. Again keep a list and ensure that it is updated regularly with contact details and updates of services that you offer.

C is for Conferences & Cold Calling

Conferences are a good way of promoting your business to your potential consumers and a way of you showing off your knowledge to them. It does not have to be a big, swanky affair as a short 2 hour session with networking before/after will be just as effective and could convey more information than an event that has been ‘padded out’ to fill a time slot.
Being a guest speaker at a Conference is a great profile builder that you can link to for future reference & to show to your potential consumer/client.

Cold Calling is like marmite, you either love it or you hate it, but sometimes it has to be done to increase your sales/awareness potential.
To do this effectively always make sure you are in the right frame of mind and do short, regular sessions. One good trick is to end on a high. So a sale or an invitation to send info is always a good place to stop (not the first one though!)
Know what you want to achieve before you pick up the phone, there is nothing worse than being bombarded with information and being expected to make a commitment. You can always return with alternative information at a later date.
You might just want to use the phone call to find out who is the right person to post information to or whom to e-mail and then build up to selling by phone at a later date when you have built your confidence. If you get the chance to sell though, do it, don’t waste the opportunity or your competitor might be the next caller and they will reap the benefits of being pro-active and on the ball.
If you commit to sending information/samples, do it or the only memory your potential client will have of your company is one that does not deliver, so make notes and refer back to them.

B is for Business Cards & Blogs

Business Cards say a lot about you and your business so it pays to take time to design them to give as much as information as possible without looking like an advertising bill board.

It is essential to include all the ways that you wish to be contacted in whether that’s phone, e-mail, skype or through one of your Social media formats.

Have you included your website? Your logo? Did you want to include a picture of yourself?

Have you taken care with the size of the card? I recently over heard someone complaining that they had been given a card, made by vistaprint, that was slightly larger than the norm and that it didn’t fit in their card holder!

There are also arguments for and against printing on the back of cards. Some people like to use all the space available and others like to leave the back clear for contacts to write notes. What is your view on this?

Blogs are a good way of showing your knowledge and sharing trade information and can be linked to from your website and vice versa. If you have information you want to share that you do not want to have on pages of your website this is a good idea to use to invite people to have their say on information or thoughts that you are sharing. Perhaps you want an area that can be used to pass around some ideas or perhaps you want to use the arena to test out the idea of an E-book by starting a précis or overview of a chapter. Whatever you want to use it for always bear in mind that it is a forward facing element of your business so do not incorporate anything controversial, inflammatory or anything that you will regret later.