Standing out in the marketplace — especially in these times — is critical to your company's success. That's where marketing comes in. A well-rounded marketing plan that incorporates various strategies can help ensure you're effectively reaching your target demographic while maximizing your marketing dollars. Here, we take a look at six ways to get your company noticed.

 

1. Open your doors
 

Nothing beats face time with existing and potential customers. Holding open houses to demo your machines or seminars where customers can learn more about them are two of the most common ways to bring people to your doors. Biesse regularly holds such events as does Homag.

2. Start talking
 

Got the gift of gab? Use it to your advantage. For example, if you belong to an industry association such as the Canadian Kitchen Cabinets Association (CKCA) or the Architectural Woodwork Manufacturers Association of Canada, offer to speak at one of their conferences or chapter meetings on a topic relevant to the group (and related to your products or services). Or look into speaking at industry trade shows taking place in your area. Rather than a direct selling tool, look at public speaking as a great way to help establish your credibility in the marketplace.

3. Use social media
 

Be sure to post those press releases or news items on your website regularly. Then use social media sites such as Twitter to drive people to the info.

 
Facebook fan pages and YouTube are other ways to get your company’s name out there and showcase its offerings. On YouTube for example, you can watch videos of machine demos from Akhurst Machinery, ShopBot Tools and numerous other companies.
 

Blogs like this one from Thermwood are another great way to stay in touch with customers. Ideally, they should be readily accessible from your main website. While they’re not a replacement for a company site, blogs tend to be less formal helping to give users a real time sense of your company’s philosophy and the people that work there. If you outsource your website, blogs are also a great way to provide regular updates without incurring extras costs.

 
When updating your blog be sure to use good photos of your products. Don’t make it too text heavy —people tend to scan rather than read online.

More and more consumers expect to find the companies they deal with on social media sites. Like public speaking, things like Twitter pages and YouTube channels are a way to enhance the marketing you're already doing.  

4. Send press releases
 

Keep media outlets informed about happenings in your company via emailed press releases. (Send news to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) Don’t let the sound of them intimidate you: press releases are simply short announcements telling people about an event, be it a new distribution agreement or a grand opening. While trade publications that cover the sector will likely be the most interested, mainstream media may also pick up on your press releases. For example, your local newspaper might be interested in job creations within your company.


5. Advertise online
 

Market presence via advertising helps lends a sense of business health. In the past, that has generally meant using traditional media only — print, radio and television — to advertise. But the Internet is another way to reach your target demographic. Used as part of a larger marketing plan, your company's online presence can help further strengthen what you're already doing in print.

 
According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada (IAB), in 2008 online advertising moved into third place in terms of both time spent by consumers with media, as well as marketing spend by advertisers, representing $1.6 billion of the combined $14 billion spent on all major media in Canada (TV, newspapers, Internet, radio, magazines and out of home).

 
Part of the Internet's appeal is how measurable it is. Through web metrics you have access to very specific data including how many times your ad was viewed, how long someone stayed on a site and much much more. 

 
There are different ways to advertise online including paid search ads (when a specific keyword is entered on say, Google, your ad shows up) and websites. When choosing a site on which to advertise, look at a number of factors such as visitors and page views.

 

6. Be “in it” for the long haul
Don’t expect one press release, tweet or uploaded video to generate big business. It likely won’t. But every time you get your company’s name out there you’re building on your previous successes. You’re also making it more likely that potential buyers will remember you.