Small business marketing strategies that work with small budgets
One of the main obstacles that prevent small businesses from beating the competition and becoming one of the big dogs is the lack of funds. Almost 100 percent of the time, small businesses aren’t going to be able to spend as much money as Fortune 500 companies on things like marketing, so it is imperative that small businesses make the most of inexpensive marketing strategies. Here are five cost-effective marketing tips that can be easily implemented by small businesses.
5. Take Advantage of Outgoing Mail
With all your outgoing mail, it doesn’t hurt to include a brochure or flyer just in case the receiver may actually want your products or services. Most email providers allow you to have a signature that promotes your business and that signature appears whenever you send an email. For instance, you can easily create and add an email message signature to your Outlook account. If your email provider does not allow for a signature, or you want a more professional signature, you can always add a signature app like WiseStamp or SigBuzz to your email.
WiseStamp sample email signature. Your stamp can include your company logo and social media networks, so every email is branded and encourages social engagement.
4. Team Up
Instead of trying to beat your competition all the time, consider teaming up to increase marketing efficiency. For example, if you’re sending newsletters to past customers, you can agree to include a small section that focuses on the business you teamed up with.
The business you buddy up with doesn’t even have to sell the same products or services as you. In fact, it’d be better if they didn’t, as your customers would have to pick between your business and the business you teamed up with.
3. Focus on Past Customers
Usually, it costs much more to capture a sale from a new customer than from an existing customer. Send printed newsletters to market to past customers. If you don’t have enough money for printed newsletters, consider emailing newsletters and including a “subscribe” link on your blog or website. In fact, having an online newsletter emailed on a monthly or bi-weekly basis may yield the best results, especially if you include coupons or special online offers in your newsletters. Best of all, you can take advantage of inexpensive newsletter creators like MailChimp, GetResponse, or Benchmark Email.
2. Website or Blog
A great way to market your business is by creating an online platform. Create a website or blog and hire someone to update it, or you can even update it yourself if you have the time. Even a simple posting schedule of one post a week can bring huge results as far as traffic and search engine visibility.
If you ensure that the content is original and of high-quality, potential consumers will also assume that the same qualities apply to the products or services your business offers.
1. Marketing with Social Media
- FaceBook
– Twitter
– LinkedIn
– Google Plus
Social media is one of those things that are becoming widely popular nowadays, and there are many, many indications that show social media isn’t just a passing phase. Many small businesses are turning to social media as their main marketing platform, such as entrepreneur Angie Wagner.
The four social media websites listed above are just a few of the hundreds of social media websites out there. Most social media websites allow you to make a free account, and unless you hire someone to do manage your business’ page or account, marketing through social media is completely free.
As you can see, there are many marketing tactics that small businesses can employ without breaking the bank. By spending less money on marketing, you can afford to spend more money on other areas, such as improving your products and services.