Question:
Any thoughts about marketing a small tour business? I have good word of mouth, but it is in a single community and I need to expand beyond that circle to grow the business. Face to face presentations are best from my experience, but difficult to be in many places at once. How about direct mailings and web advertising (Google ad words?) Any insight is appreciated!

Answer:
The best way to move into new markets to find markets that are adjacent to the market you are already in. Don't try to stretch to completely new markets - it is too expensive.

Find customers within your existing business who fit in both your current and adjacent markets and ask them how they learn about new products/services in their other market (what they read, what sites to they visit, what keywords to they use on Google, etc). All this will help you find sources of media that best target these buyers.

Then I would try to get PR before advertising. It is often less expensive and more effective. If you have never used PR (Public relations) before, I have a suggestion. My friend opened up a business in a new market. To get local newspaper coverage, he went to the newspaper and asked which local PR specialists the newspaper liked to work with. Then he hired their recommendation to get him ink in the local paper. It worked like a charm.

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