However, it’s not easy to determine the most effective way to break into a large market. To help, a panel of experts from Newsweek Expert Forum share tips on how entrepreneurs can better reach clients and investors in larger market spaces.
1. Focus on Regional Players
Focusing on regional players in your market is a great way to growth hack and build lasting commercial relationships. The shift to a remote or hybrid work model has made a large impact not just internally, but externally as well. Technology has made it possible to meet anywhere, anytime. This is both time-effective and cost-effective, eliminating the need to travel. - Anthem Blanchard, HeraSoft
2. Determine Where Your Audience Is Virtually
In 2022, a huge percentage of the population is still working remotely, so with a good computer and a decent internet connection, the world is your playground. Reaching prospects in the virtual space is easy without paying a fortune for travel and marketing. We need a strategic approach to determine the target audience and the tools we want to use—be it mass mailing or virtual meeting software—for customer relationship management. - Krisztina Veres, Veres Career Consulting
3. Build an Online and Offline Presence
Build a simple, essential and consumable online presence. Communicate your value-add in simple concise terms with relevant visuals. Network through social media, LinkedIn and other industry platforms to market your message with live video streams and replays. Also, attend in-person conferences and events. - Margie Kiesel, Avaneer Health
4. Research What’s Already Available Nearby
Almost all cities have huge investment potential and business infrastructures, such as chambers of commerce and networking events. It’s not all about going big or going home. Research larger cultural patterns in a nearby city, start out small and use those patterns to see what other businesses are doing to integrate city culture into their businesses for traction from a mainly marketing perspective. - Jacob Mathison, Mathison Projects Inc
5. Develop Your SEO Skills
The best thing entrepreneurs in smaller markets can do to reach those in more urban areas is to get their SEO correct. Using niche SEO, including geographical SEO, will attract paying customers, investors and clients in more heavily populated areas. The secret to using this technique effectively is to lean into the fact that you are in a smaller market and use that to your advantage. - Baruch Labunski, Rank Secure
6. Start an Online Network
Networking in online forums, LinkedIn and national networking groups is a great way to connect and start talking with investors and customers. Being an active participant and reciprocating by recommending others’ services in your local market helps to build a brand and an excellent business reputation. - Matt Domo, FifthVantage
7. Leverage Customer Reviews
Every entrepreneur has the opportunity to impress their customers with exceptional customer service. Happy customers will spread the word to others via word-of-mouth and social media. You’ll be able to attract more loyal customers to your location. They value the way you treat them. That translates to business growth and credibility in the marketplace regardless of your size. - Joe Hart, Dale Carnegie Training
8. Do Giveaways
Giveaways are one avenue to attract attention for your product or service and can be done easily and inexpensively and then promoted on social media. Even if people don’t enter to win your giveaway item, it gets people sharing your business and talking about what you are offering. - Lisa Lundy, Lisa A Lundy
9. Be Curious About Others’ Needs
Realize that underneath people listening to you, they are always listening for something specific. The more you can be curious about what that is and help them articulate it, and then the more you can be of service to them (even if it is to offer to make an introduction that doesn’t immediately help you), the more you will develop positive relationships. - Mark Goulston, Mark Goulston, M.D., Inc.
