Five ways to market your small business on a shoestring budget
By increasing impressions and attention, your small business will be able to generate more leads; leads that can be turned into conversions valuable for your business. So, here are five ways to market your small business even if you are on a tight budget.
Blogging
Another great way to attract additional customers to your small business is to give them fresh and original content on a frequent basis. To achieve the best results, you can concentrate on posting well-researched and SEO-rich blog entries. You can also create infographics and, that way, provide more visual and intriguing information to your users. While you can create amazing blog entries at the same time, you can also make an effort to make guest appearances on other websites and blogs.
Social media
Social media is the best marketing option for every small business, because it exposes them to millions of people without the cost of paid advertising. Since there are so many social media platforms, as a small business owner, you need to be careful when deciding which services you will start using. For example, Facebook has more than 1.4 billion active users per month, and you can use that to your advantage and market your small business in different ways.
Twitter is a useful tool to reach out to new customers, where you can share information about your products. There is also LinkedIn, where you can start a LinkedIn group and establish yourself as a leader in your field and, at the same time, market your services to potential clients.
Local marketing
Those modern-day phonebook-style websites can help you list your small business with your name and contact, and all of that free of charge. So, you need to make sure to list your business on some of the most popular local business listing websites, if you do not want to miss out on these opportunities for conversions. On these websites, you can also promote your specials, coupons and giveaways. To achieve the best results, make sure that all information is input correctly before you list your business.
Email marketing
Some traditional advertising techniques like TV and radio commercials, as well as print mail; these all have certain expenses and, in many cases, this methods do not address the preferences and needs of their target customers. But, with email marketing, businesses can customize personal and unique messages that will be based on the demographic and purchase history of their clients. As a small business owner, you can use email marketing to send out special coupons and discounts, or even organise giveaways, because customers like to participate in free competitions that can bring them a certain prize; for example, winning an Apple iPad.
Trade shows
These are organised events where businesses in certain industries can showcase and interact with their services and products. These exhibitions are great for keeping up with new business trends, and, at the same time, they provide you with the opportunity to meet influential people in person, make valuable connections with suppliers, peers and clients. Travelling to these events may be a little costly for a small business owner, and if you are not able to attend in person, you can participate through social media and blogging.
These are five marketing strategies that will help you market your business on a really small budget. Make sure to try each and every one of these marketing strategies and see which one will be the best for your small business.