How to Drive Customers to Your Home Business

If you are spending most of your time at home, but want or need extra money, a home business is the ideal solution. Home businesses range from crafts sold locally, to mini online empires. However, as with any business venture, you need a steady supply of customers.

Thankfully, with the world wide web, it is possible to constantly find new customers and for your existing loyal customers to help you. If your product or service can be sold worldwide, then the potential is huge. However, even locally it is possible to grow a home business with online promotions and networking.

How to Budget for Success

In order to grow your business, you should set a budget for time and money. Every mum knows that time is precious, and so it is important to work out how much time you can set aside for the growth of your online business. This time should then be divided up into some routines, things that you will make the effort to do daily.

You may also want to invest in growing the business faster. In order to do this, you will need some extra cash. Loans and overdrafts are often chosen routes. However, it is often also worth reviewing your existing debts and re-juggling things a bit to free up funds (as spare income, or a lump sum). As an example, if you have an existing loan or title loan, you could look at a refinance car title loan to improve the rate and/or release extra funds.

Once you have a time and money budget, it is time to look at how to attract your customers.

Top Ways to Drive Customers to Your Business

Some of the ways may seem obvious. However, when home-life is busy, often these tried and tested approaches get overlooked.

1. Ask for help from friends and family to spread your message. This works incredibly well if you have a story behind your business. Friends and family also normally have social media and plenty of connections. If they share your photos, updates, products or services, you can reach hundreds (or thousands) of potential customers.
2. Get social. Social media is often the lifeline of mums (and dads) that stay home. It is a way to vent, get support, and find solutions. However, that social media can also be a great tool in attracting customers. Just be sure not to overdo it, no one likes to be spammed.
3. Classified ads are a goldmine of customers. Some even provide massive exposure for a small fee of $5-15 per month (such as bolding you listing, or keeping it at the top).
4. Business and service directories can also help to attract customers, and to get your website or webshop known.
5. Have your own website and blog to share your journey on. Don’t make it all about the product or service though, make it unique and share the story behind the venture.
6. Guest blog on popular blogs that are in a similar niche to your business. A well written guest post should attract readers, social shares, search engines traffic, and may even help boost the power of your own website.
7. Leverage the power of video. Youtube, mini-video apps, and other sites can help you attract people that are interested. Video is a lazy way to get information, and people love the visual aspect … especially when shopping.
8. Email for repeat business. If people join your list, then when you have some news or something new, make sure to alert them. Just be sure to follow the rules and not to spam.

If you spend a little time each day on the above tasks, you can generate a nice income while working from home. It is a great way to balance family life with ambition. Of course, if things go well, it could also create a nice little nest egg long term, and the business itself is a saleable asset, should you decide you want to take things easier.