It’s no secret that advertising is one of the most important tools for success. You will not make anything out of a good idea or a good product if no one knows about it. But small businesses often face the problem of expensive marketing campaigns, which are way too expensive for their budget. Or they even completely ignore the importance of marketing, thinking they don’t need it. It is a huge mistake that you must never make.
Of course, everyone would like to have the opportunity to pay for advertising during the SuperBowl, but that place is reserved only for the richest companies. Since you are a small company, you have to come up with something different. However, nowadays it is easier than ever to strike a balance between advertising and not spending a lot of money on it. We will help you by giving you ideas for low-budget marketing.
1. Social networks
As the slogan on the most famous social network in the world Facebook says ‘It’s free and will always be’. It is by far the best place for free advertising or with very little money spent. Any social network is suitable, especially Facebook and Instagram. You need to have profiles that update regularly and that have interesting content that will attract people to visit them regularly. Paying a small amount of money for an advertisement for your company to appear on Instagram is very useful. Special algorithms are made to get your ad to the right target group. Businesses have experienced a huge increase in followers as well as customers by paying for promotion on Instagram.
2. Website
You may think that it was not necessary to write about this, because every business today has a website, but you would be surprised how many don’t have it actually. And that’s where they make a huge mistake. Today, everyone first goes to Google and searches for what interests them, so it is necessary that they come across your website there. It must be created so that everything is very visible and that each part of the website can be reached with a maximum of three clicks. It is also important that it has good maintenance, so that it is not often offline. Also, it needs to be well optimized for smartphones. In order for your website to be as positioned as possible and thus have a lot of traffic, it is necessary to invest in…
3. SEO
Search engine optimization serves to improve the ranking of your site and thus make it more visible to people. There are many different strategies and actions used to influence ranking, but the most popular are keywords and links. It is not necessary to spend a lot of money on SEO. There are specialized agencies, such as Optimum 7, that deal with SEO. With the help of content writing and the right placement of links and keywords, you will see a significant jump in traffic on your website. You will have a lot of benefits from SEO, and it will easily fit into your tight budget.
4. Have a branded vehicle
If you have a car or any vehicle that you use for the needs of your business, here are the opportunities for almost free marketing. You can stick stickers with your logo and company name, which is a cheaper option. Or you can choose a paint job that will also bring you a branded vehicle, but will look even better and is a slightly more expensive option. In any case, it is very useful because you will have a moving billboard. As you drive or park your vehicle, people will always see it and that way will grow awareness about your brand.
5. Create a blog
Create a new section on your website and let it be your blog. There you regularly write interesting and useful articles that have something to do with your business. This will attract even more people, because people who may not have been interested in becoming clients will also come to the website. But when they come to read what interests them, they will surely look at the rest of the site. You will spend some time writing texts, but you will profit from it.
6. Newsletters
This is a completely free way to be in constant contact with people you have already done business with. Research has shown that nine out of ten people like to receive newsletters from companies they have already worked with, especially if that newsletter contains promotions or discounts. It costs you nothing to send a newsletter once a week or once in 10 days. You shouldn’t send newsletters too often because it can be counterproductive. People can get bored of finding mail from you in their inbox every day and then they may unsubscribe from your newsletters.
7. Business cards
This is an old marketing method, but it is always useful. Make business cards that you will give to people and that you will leave in various places so that people can take them. Arrange with other businesses in your city to help each other by giving each other business cards. It is important that they are nicely designed, but not cluttered, because then people will not read them. They should contain only basic information and people should contact you for more information. A few hundred business cards will cost you only 20 dollars.
8. Advertise in the local media
If your business is tied to something local, and it probably is, then local media is an ideal choice. It won’t cost you much, unlike advertising on some big media, and it will be very useful. This way you will reach the people who are most likely to become your customers. It doesn’t mean anything to you that someone a few thousand miles away hears about you, and you only work in your area. If you opt for this type of advertising, think well to make it as good as possible.
Conclusion
Take full advantage of the Internet so that with little money invested, as many people as possible will hear about you. Don’t forget about guerrilla marketing either, because sometimes an unconventional approach can bring you a lot.