10 Low-Budget Marketing Ideas for Your Small Business
by Arina Smith Marketing 14 May 2018
Unless you make a living as an advertiser, you probably don’t like marketing very much. It is often seen as a daunting task that will cost lots of upfront capital to get started. Luckily for you, there are numerous marketing options available that can be used for free or cheap advertising.
Not all businesses have millions of dollars in investment to blow on extravagant marketing ploys. Let’s look at ten cheap ways to advertise your business if you’re working on a limited budget.
1. Share Quality Content :
Strong content can have a powerful impact on your business’ ability to be found online. By utilizing keywords and phrases your site will climb the ladder of search rankings and be more likely to attract traffic. Whether this content be in a blog post or a social media status update, it should be engaging and include clear photos and graphics.
If you are struggling to create your own content, try hiring a freelance writer to bring new ideas to the table for the business blog and website. Their fresh perspective could be exactly what your content needs. Posting on your blog is just one of the cheap ways to advertise.
2. Use Social Media :
Social sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest provide access to millions of potential clients and customers. Whether you want to use their paid advertising options or simply gain organic traffic for free, both can lead to future leads and sales.
Use Facebook to share links with promotions and links back to your company blog. Capture photos of your products or services and post them on Instagram to show people what it can do for them. Use Pinterest to share other sites’ links and images with your followers to become a more dependable resource.
3. Network on LinkedIn :
Although LinkedIn has a paid premium plan available, there’s an unbelievable amount of potential to be found in the free membership on this business-oriented social platform. Connect with other business owners to develop strong B2B relationships and share marketing strategies.
These relationships can develop into referrals and even business from those other owners. Find businessmen and women in your industry and related fields to learn from their successes and differentiate yourself from them. Networking on LinkedIn is easily one of the greatest cheap ways to advertise both yourself and your business.
4. Recycle Old Content :
If you have previously shared a blog post or social media update that gained a great deal of engagement, do it again. Whether you decide to simply share the same update or revamp it to fit your current promotions, it could provide even better results than before.
You could also recreate the content in the form of an infographic or a promo video to share on YouTube.
5. Create Promotional Videos :
As mentioned above, promotional videos are a great way to share your content. With over one billion viewers, YouTube is accessed by nearly one-third of all internet users. Around 55% of people watch at least one marketing video per day.
These videos can be promotional or could show reviews of your products/services. Whatever you decide to use it for, make sure it is engaging and leads them back to your website or blog.
6. Run Online Polls or Contests :
When a prize is on the line, people will typically take action. Offer a free product or a discount off your service and ask your followers to like and share your social media post to gain entry. Then choose one of those entries to be the winner and share a feature post to show them receiving or using the prize.
Polls are another great way to get your followers involved. Many people enjoy the opportunity to share their opinions. The key is to respond to as many of the responses as you can to increase customer loyalty and show your dedication to customers.
7. Pound the Pavement :
Cold calling has long been an intimidating and seemingly pointless venture due to its minimal amounts of success. As you may not like the idea of feeling like a part-time telemarketing, you can always try cold emailing instead. Sending an email can be much less time consuming and more fruitful than blindly calling potential clients.
Type up a short, but strong email template with a simple call to action, such as joining your mailing list or visiting your blog. Customize each one you send out with their first name and any other necessary specifics. Real estate companies like Myers & Myers Real Estate are great examples of pounding the pavement to find new clients.
8. Host a Local Event :
Setting up a local can take a good amount of time and planning, but the results can be well worth it. Find a fitting location depending on the weather and amount of people you hope to attract. Offer a free benefit to all attendees, such as free drinks or a discount coupon to use online or in store.
Keep the event open for people to come and go as they please to maximize the networking opportunities. Hand out flyers and business cards and ask for attendees to leave their personal email to be added to your mailing list.
9. Start a Referral Program :
Word of mouth is still one of the most powerful ways to get the most loyal customers. When people hear positive comments about your business from people they trust, odds are they will be contacting you at one point or another.
Create a referral program that will motivate your paying customers to tell their friends and family about you. Those referrals can lead to lifelong clients.
10. Email Marketing :
This has been mentioned previously, but building a large email subscriber list is one of the best ways to advertise for free. Get email addresses from business cards you are given, LinkedIn profiles, and more to invite people to join your mailing list.
The more people on that list, the more opportunities you will have to reach them weekly or monthly with your email newsletters or updates.
More Cheap Ways to Advertise :
To learn more about cheap ways to advertise be sure to check out the marketing section of our blog. There you will find key specifics to increase your online engagement and attract more social media attention.
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