Here's a scenario: You've allocated your budget for the year and are running low on marketing funds. You're probably feeling like you're stranded on an island (not the vacation type). How can you attract customers and increase your income?sinMarketing-Dollar?
What you need is some kind of survival kit: some easy ways to market your business on a budget. Here are 25 great ideas:
1. Start blogging!
Blogs are the cheapest and most efficient way to keep readers and consumers interested and up to date on what's going on in your company and industry.
Use your expertise to create unique content that will be useful to your customers and build a readership from there.
Start with 1-3 high-quality, well-researched posts per month and add email signup to your blog so you can build an audience of engaged readers.
Be patient:This strategy can take several months of ongoing content creation to pay off.
Where do I start a blog:
- square room
- WordPress
- Wix
- Weebly
- Tumblr
2. Answer questions on Quora
QuoteIt's full of people asking about everyday problems, and among those people are your potential customers.
You can use Quora to your advantage by finding topics relevant to your business and becoming an authority on those topics. For example, if you run an online pet supply store, you can answer questions about pets to let people know that you're an expert in pet care and training.
3. Try email marketing
49% of consumerssaid they would like to receive weekly promotional emails from their favorite brands. With free email marketing services, your email marketing campaigns won't cost you anything, at least initially. Collect contact details from your customers via email signup or subscription forms on your homepage, checkout pages, and blog posts.
Connect these signup forms to your email marketing account to automatically build a list. As your list grows, you can create a scheduleE-mail promotions, newsletters and other announcements.
Email Marketing Platforms:
4. List your business in online directories
Get listed in online directoriesIt's an effective way to get promotion and publicity without spending a single penny! Once you add listings to directories like Facebook Pages and Google Maps, or update them with an accurate business name, address and phone number, you'll be appearing in local searches in no time.
Remember there is at least oneMillionPeople search these types of directories, so don't hesitate to list your business!
5. Design your own brand
building astrong visual brand identityIt is an important part of digital marketing. You can use an online tool or marketplace to find free designs without having to do thishire a graphic designeror learn Photoshop.
There are several pre-made templates, illustrations, icons, fonts and photos that you can use to create social media posts, website ads and evendesign your own logo!
6. Write guest blog posts
It's a simple process: find authoritative blogs in your industry, find the site owner's contact information, and submit your article ideas.
By publishing articles with your name and a backlink to your website, you can improve your ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs) over time. They also increase your exposure by infiltrating other audiences.
But don't fill your guest post with too many links to your site! A backlink from the article and (possibly) another from your author bio is more than enough.
Advice:You can also use a DIY guideGet your local SEO rightwithout spending a dime.
7. Learn from the negative reviews of the competition
Another way to help your business grow is to research your competitors' negative reviews on sites like trusted pilotor social networks. Two things you can learn from this research:
- What customers complain about, what you can do better
- What you can offer to differentiate yourself from the competition (and how to get a message across on your website and email marketing)
Tip: You can also gather unsatisfied customers' contact details from these sources and contact them to see if you can help.
8. Join online communities
Online communities are a great place to build network and authority in your niche. Find communities related to your business and the entrepreneurial space. From there you canShare blog content, participate in discussions and meet other entrepreneurs (which may lead to further marketing ideas or partnership opportunities). Very economical!
Take the time to try some of these marketing ideas, and you're sure to see results while spending far less money than most.
That's greatList of online communities with more than 1 million usersbut Facebook and Linkedin "groups" are also great places to start!
Major online community hubs:
9. Speak at workshops, seminars, trade shows and podcasts.
Talking is great for both your business and your personal brand. Perhaps you, as an entrepreneur, have an interesting story to tell. Use interviews, panels and workshops to share your story and raise awareness of your company. Not only is it free marketing, you can even get paid for it!
Not only will it build credibility, but it will also give people a unique and personal way to meet you for the first time.
Where to find speaking opportunities:
- Facebook events
- Your local coworking spaces
- community centers
- local workshops
- Lokale Startup-Communities
- public libraries
10. Optimize your website for mobile devices
With more and more consumers actively surfing the web from their smartphones through a computer, a mobile website is one of the most important and most cost-effective marketing tips that will make or break you.
Here's a quick link you can use to checkhow mobile-friendly your website is/must be!
11. Present your customer testimonials and reviews!
Once your customers have purchased, simply ask them for feedback and display their success stories on your website. We're writing a blog about itUse of Customer Referencesif you want to learn more!
Want more tips like this? Subscribe to our newsletter!
12. Enter social networks
Using as many identifiers as possible without overdoing it is a great, easy, and very inexpensive way to stay at the forefront of the industry. People love to be a part of something viral, so if you keep sharing, posting, and commenting, you'll be doing it fastBuild a larger fan base.
You have about eight seconds to engage your viewers, and more and more studies are showing thatSocial media posts with graphics(images, gifs, videos) get more engagement, this is a great way to attract your customers.
13. Build your personal brand
your trademark andpersonal brandWalking hand in hand Both support each other in an endless cycle of warmth and blur.
But seriously, some people would rather get to know the person behind the brand, while others bond with the brand itself. Doing both will ensure you don't miss potential opportunities to connect with new customers.
It's as simple as having a strong About the Founder section on your website for Q&A and creating podcasts about YOU.
14. Start a referral program
Word of mouth is the greatest form of advertising. Compensate those who recommend your product to others with some kind of discount.
15. Celebrate and share company milestones
Celebrate company birthdays and holidays with customers by sending them special messages and promotions. Spreading joy is priceless, and you will encourage people with these personal touchpoints to stay engaged with your business.
16. Run a Google AdWords campaign
Granted, not ALL marketing is low-budget or free. Google AdWords is a great tool to get familiar with. Bidding on keywords can improve your credibility when users search for a product you offer.
Here we have a resource that we like "AdWords for beginners” helped us when we started and we like to call ourselves professionals! Just click, download, read and we promise you will master it!
17. Make some cool infographics
Creating infographics on your website is a great way to visually connect and implement your business story for your customers. Posting infographics in all or most of your outlets allows a wider audience to see interesting posts about your product or service.
For those of you not that familiar with infographics, here are two of the platforms we recommend from time to time:
18. Start a loyalty program
Your best customers are the ones who have already bought from you! Don't miss out on repeat business. After a customer makes a purchase, keep them informed through promotions and customer testimonials.
19. Great customer service sells itself.
Great customer service can make or break someone's day, let alone their experience with a brand. Prioritizing exceptional customer service will drive word of mouth marketing.
Try to answer all messages within 24 hours, be nice, friendly, funny. Use humor whenever possible. Go out of your way to find solutions for people. Customer support may take longer, but the business results are worth it.
20. Create a contest/giveaway
People love free stuff! Consider hosting a contest or challenge on social media and offering them packages or products. Set conditions that require people to share, repost, like, and follow your business on social media. You will likely get a huge following and increased brand exposure. This is definitely an economic gain!
21. Request prices
Look for local small business awards to compete for. Winning can often include a cash prize, a listing on the prize website, and mentions on social media. Applying for awards can take time, but they're a great way to spread the word about your business and get recognition for all the hard work you've put in.
Look for awards in different categories related to your industry, customer service, product and entrepreneurship in general!
22. Give something back to a cause you care about
When you can, it's extremely important to support anything from a charity to a social cause to giving back to the environment. Not only will you earn good universe karma points, but you'll also show that you care about more than just your own business. Additional bonuses include possible free involvement with this charity for certain long-term tax benefits.
23. Collaborate with other brands
Reach out to other small businesses in your industry and see if there's a creative partnership you can build! Maybe they develop a product together or combine their products in a photo shoot. Hosting a social media contest together is a great first step in partnering with another brand.
24. Be consistent
Consistency is key. When someone reads something on your website, they want to know that it's the same at all other touchpoints with the brand. This includes your newsletter and any other communication via email, your social networks and blogs. Make sure your content is relevant to your product and your business. Brand consistency builds customer trust and loyalty, which in turn encourages cash in your bank.
25. Be passionate
Passion goes far! When you strike up a conversation with someone and sense their passion, they will be more interested in learning more about you and your business. If you're ever feeling down, check out this blogovercome creative blocksto reignite your passion for business! Starting a business isn't easy, but it's worth working hard for your business!