Without marketing your side hustle, you cannot expect your potential clients to find you out of nowhere.
You've taken the big leap and finally started a side hustle. Congrats! Having a side hustle is a wonderful way to add a new stream of income and be more productive with your time. However, it is just as important to market your side hustle and get the word out as much as possible so that people can find you and know about your little business.
Marketing your side hustle involves a lot of work and can be quite hard. Also, getting results may take quite a bit of time. This is where many give up on their side hustle citing lack of enough time. But if you spend time early on building systems in place, things should run smoothly. Here are a few effective ways to market your side hustle -
Referrals/Word of Mouth - The simplest way possible to get more clients as people trust those whom they know. Spread the word about your side hustle through your friends and family. You may land a client, that in turn, could refer you to someone else. There are businesses thriving simply on the basis of referrals without any additional marketing effort.
Cold calling/emailing - Cold calling is on the decline depending on your side hustle but cold emailing is still a great way to attract potential clients. Put in a great pitch with links to your work or website to stand out from the regular cold pitches.
Print Advertising - The traditional way of getting the word out on your business - this involves flyers, brochures, menus, etc. Distribute them around your locality and provide an attractive offer along with it such as a freebie or a discount.
Create a website - As a business, having a website is not an expense. If you are serious about your business and are in it for the long run, a professional website is an investment. It is great in marketing your business and helping people find you online. It also builds trust that you are an authentic business. You can also educate your potential clients about your products or services with reviews/testimonials.
Social Media Marketing - Just like a website, having a social media presence is super essential. It will help you reach a massive audience organically or through paid ads. You can also target a certain section of the audience through social media based on age, gender, location, interests, etc. However, as a brand on social media, you need to focus less on selling and more on providing value to your potential clients.
Networking events - Networking events are a great place to connect with others who could be your clients or they could refer you to someone they know. You could also team up with someone and start marketing your services together. For example, if you are a Food Photographer, you could team up with a Food Stylist.
Online Ads - Running ads on social media as well as Google will bring in more traffic to your business than any organic form. It does involve spending money - the more money you spend, the more people you could reach out to. However, you can set your own budgets for these ads - so spend an amount that you are comfortable with.
Use classifieds - Using classifieds or any other listing platform in your locality such as Craigslist is a great way to market a side hustle that is done locally. If you cater to clients from across the world, you can definitely try Facebook Groups to do the same.
Related - 12 Side Hustle Ideas that you can start today!
How to make your hobby a Side Hustle!
5 reasons why you need a Side Hustle!
At The Side Hustler, we realize the importance of social media for your blog/side hustle/business, which is why we are offering you an opportunity to avail of our Social Media Services that include Social Media Audits, Content Creation, Community Management, and Consultation.
Write to info@thesidehustler.org for more details.
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