by Teresa Greenhill

You chose to start a small business in retirement, but you’re not sure how to promote your products and services. Getting the word out about your company can seem complicated, especially if you’re not too familiar with popular digital marketing concepts. But marketing your small business doesn’t have to be challenging, especially with support from an agency like Inventor Process! Here are a few simple marketing strategies that can be effective for senior small business owners.

Start with a Plan

It’s tempting to dive right into marketing, but it’s incredibly important to start with a clear marketing plan. Like the business plan you likely created for your small business, your marketing plan will establish your audience, and what sets you apart from the competition. But now your plan needs to include how much money you are willing to spend to reach your audience, and what platforms are most likely to reach them. This plan will fit into your larger business plan, but go step-by-step to identify how you will reach your marketing goals.

Create a Realistic Budget

First, you’ll need to start by assessing your marketing budget. If you’re running a business in retirement, you don’t want to accidentally overextend yourself financially, so you want to ensure that your marketing efforts are cost-effective. You can use a marketing budget calculator to determine which initiatives will be worth it for your business. A comprehensive calculator can even give you suggestions for affordable strategies that you haven’t considered yet.

Focus on Networking

As a retiree, you have more free time than most business owners, which gives you plenty of room in your schedule for networking. When it comes to successful marketing methods, there’s no substitute for networking because getting to know potential customers and clients on a personal level can help you land sales later.

What if you’re not sure how to start networking? Simply Business recommends going to local business events, becoming a member of your town’s chamber of commerce, volunteering, or even hosting your own networking events for other entrepreneurs in your industry!

Ask for Reviews

How can your current customers help you reach new customers? By leaving reviews about their positive experiences! If someone purchases a product or service from your website, you can prompt them to leave a review after they have received their purchase. If you have a brick-and-mortar storefront, you can also hand out business cards that direct visitors to your profile on business review websites with the instructions to rate their experience. By earning more positive reviews, you’ll be able to establish yourself as a trustworthy entrepreneur with a great reputation.

Digital Marketing

As a senior, you have the opportunity to learn new skills – and even if you don’t know much about website design, social media marketing, or blogging, you can definitely master the basics of digital marketing. Creating a simple website for your business, publishing a blog post or two on a weekly basis, and posting on social media are all relatively straightforward tasks, and these digital marketing efforts can definitely pay off for your company.

However, it’s important not to undervalue your digital presence. Consumers today see a lot of digital marketing – a lot! It’s important that your efforts stand out. You can hire consultants to help with your social media profiles, or you can research information about the best times to post specific types of information. But if you drive potential customers to a website that isn’t fully functional or looks unfinished, you may lose those customers. Instead, consider working with a website expert who can design a more responsive website, help with your SEO, and handle daily maintenance.

Try Local Print Marketing

It’s true that lots of business owners emphasize digital marketing these days – but print marketing is still worth it! This is especially true if you want to target consumers in your area. Print marketing is a great way to connect with your local community. Small Business Rainmaker recommends going the DIY route to create flyers, business cards, and brochures for your business, as you can save money and explore your creativity at the same time.

Running a small business in retirement can be a great way to spend your time. But if you’re new to business ownership, you might feel like you’re in over your head when it comes to marketing. With these recommendations, you’ll be able to pull together a marketing strategy that works for your business and helps boost your retirement income!

If you’re an aspiring inventor, Inventor Process can help you patent and market your ideas. To learn more about us an our Direct Submission Program, please call (702) 912-2600.