As a home business owner, you probably use the internet a lot to reach out to your customers and sell products. You could add a new dimension to your marketing strategy by reaching out to your local audience as well.
Start by making sure there actually is a potential audience in your community. You should start attending local events and handing out free prizes there or selling products at a discounted price. Plan activities related to your products and get to know the people who show interest. Get them to answer quick surveys about themselves and their habits by offering them free samples in exchange. Find out in which area these potential customers live and which places they visit frequently. Always be polite and helpful to the people you meet and do not hesitate to spend money on promotional gifts.
Spend more time in places where you are likely to meet potential customers. This will be easier if you are selling a product that you are interested in yourself. Get the authorization of the owner of the place where you are going to network with customers. Bring a few samples and give them away to anyone who seems interested. You should behave in a friendly way and get to know the people who seem interested. Mention your business and your products very briefly; talk about other things to find out which topics your target audience is interested in.
Consider joining a local organization or creating temporary partnerships with other local groups. This will help you develop a good image of your home business and let more people know about your activity. Select events and organizations related to topics your customers are interested in. This approach might not work for certain target audiences, but it is worth a try if you can find organizations or events related to your business. You will also get a chance to network with other small businesses and influential people.
Stay in touch with the people you met and invite them to join events you organize. You could for instance plan small parties at home and demonstrate your products. Remind your existing customers about your business and your products by sending greeting cards or spending time in places where you are likely to run into them. Do not mention your products right away, but let them know about the most interesting discounts you have going on at the moment. You should plan out your work days so you can get out of your house when you are the most likely to run into your customers. Keep your schedule as flexible as possible so you can ask customers to stop over to test a few products anytime they want.
Try applying these tips to get closer to your target audience and promote your business within your community. Make sure you adapt these methods to your audience and to the area where you live; do not hesitate to travel if you can find more customers in another area.