Four Tips to Market Yourself as an Entrepreneur in 2022

By: Julia Maier

There is no better time to be an entrepreneur than right now. When we look back on history, this very well could be considered the golden age of entrepreneurship. With icons such as Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk blazing trails; and companies such as Airbnb becoming increasingly popular, the desire to take your passion and be your own boss is all the rage. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration 2020 Small Business Profile, we saw 31.7 million small businesses started by entrepreneurs in that year alone. The glamor of owning your own business is everywhere. But the struggles these entrepreneurs face are often not shared with the public. Still, as Thomas Jefferson once said, “With great risk comes great reward.”

Just ask Powerhouse CEO and entrepreneur Jess Bertsch, who got very real about the high risk and high reward of starting your own business. So, what does it take to become a successful entrepreneur? For starters, a support system is key: people who see your vision and are there to support you in the highs and the lows. Those people will also be your biggest marketers in the beginning. Most small businesses don’t have the budget big corporations do to get their brand out there. However, in 2022, it doesn’t necessarily take big pockets to promote your business. Here are a few tips to market your small business:

  1. Find your target audience. When you come up with your initial business plan, one of your first considerations should be whom you are selling to. Being able to know and understand the gender, age, culture, etc. of your future clients will be essential to how you run your business.

  1. Utilize social media. Once you figure out who your target audience is, you can take to social media to engage with them. Gone are the days of bringing in people for live focus groups. Focus groups now live in your pocket, and polls are your friend. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram all provide easy-to-use polling systems, which are fantastic tools to get feedback on your business and product.
  1. Create local awareness. Home is where the heart is. Building a new business requires trust, and where better to grow than in your own town where you are already known, established, and trusted? Getting involved in the community provides word-of-mouth marketing while allowing you to get to know future customers on a personal level. In this day and age, the need for brick-and-mortar stores in a big city is declining. But this shift allows entrepreneurs to set up shop wherever they please. Forbes lists Virginia, Utah, North Carolina, and Tennessee amongst the friendliest places for entrepreneurs to launch a new business.
  1. Hire help. While budgets can be tight for entrepreneurs starting out, you do have to spend money to make money. Identify the areas of your business you are most passionate about and the areas that don’t bring you joy—then hire people who excel in those areas. Most entrepreneurs have a stellar business plan but aren’t great at marketing it, and that’s okay. Hiring a professional who sees your vision and can market your business from an unbiased perspective can be key (see number 17 in our blog post “Tips to Take Your Career/Business to the Next Level”). Freelancers, for example, can save you time while marketing your brand at a fraction of the cost of a full-time employee.

These four tips are just the beginning. If you need further help marketing your small business, follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn for more tips and resources to help you grow your business and entrepreneurial skills. Ready to get started? Contact us today!

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