Successful Business Marketing Ideas On A Budget
Looking for thrifty business marketing ideas to promote your new products, services or new year offers?
Here 10 super simple yet effective business marketing ideas to advertise your business without spending a fortune!
Before you begin, even if you can’t afford something professional, you can set up your own website or blog if you don’t have one yet.
Using a blog for business promotion is an ideal way of marketing your business and you can easily share content and helpful resources from your blog directly to social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest.
If you can’t afford to pay a professional for building your site just go for some of the free templates that are available on the internet( e.g WordPress.org). Your website should include all the information about your product/service and a clear way for customers to get in touch.
Make sure your website has an opt-in page so visitors can subscribe to your newsletter. Email marketing lists are very valuable and provide a direct way of keeping in touch with your customers.
Anyway, lets move on to 10 cheap business marketing ideas!
- Get your business website listed in search engines like Google ,Yahoo and Bing.
- Make sure that you include a description of your business on any online profiles or magazine / directory listings and also remember to include link to your website or blog.
- Make use of social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn etc. Your profile should include a description of your business, contact details and the related keywords. Share your blog content regularly and encourage engagement.
- Facebook allows you to create a business page to promote your business. You can post updates about your business, customer experiences, interesting news and offers on your page to encourage interaction with your page. You can spruce up your advertising campaign even more by buying Facebook ads,but that means you will need to spend some money!
- Share videos of your products and services on YouTube and other video-sharing websites. Try to make them as informative as possible. Make a promotional video to introduce your business. Focus on the unique features and benefits of your product/services. Provide a link to your website or blog.
- If you don’t have a business card ready yet, get it ready now! A business card is essential for promoting your business. There are even smart phone apps which you can ‘collect business cards on!’ Make sure your card has your address and a description of your products and services printed on it. Hand your business card to anyone you know: family, friends, friends of friends etc. Leave some with local businesses which you think fit in with your business theme or whose customers would benefit from your products or services. Offer to do the same in return.
- Create an event that fits with your business. For example, if you are about to open a book-shop you can hold a book fare event that sells books at discounted rates. Here you can take the opportunity to spread the word about your business and also get new contacts.
- Don’t hesitate to give information about your business or your innovative idea. Be strong and proud. Tell people your unique selling points; show them how you add value, tell people why you are better than others. Make good use of coffee chats and meetings to briefly mention what your business does, and see if you can generate leads or follow ups. You never know who your coffee buddy knows!
- Write a summary about your business that best describes REAL consumer benefits and your UNIQUE offerings. Focus on what makes you stand out from the crowd. Send it to the local newspaper and other media outlets. Try to focus on generating a story, as this will help you get featured Try thinking about how the reader will benefit from the article, for example – ‘How your customer benefited from your product or service’ ‘How your business saved your customer lots of time and money’ Make sure you provide your address and contact information for follow ups.
- Network! Attend seminars and events – many local business events are free now. Grab the chance to speak at corporate meetings and tell about your business. Offer free help and advice to the local school, college or university.
Summary
You can advertise your business easily and cheaply by following some or all of these steps. Use these low-cost business marketing ideas to promote your products/services. Contact relatives and friends. Arrange special events and reach people. Attend business seminars and meetings. There are so many cheap ways to promote your business – take time out from the marketing plan and choose one of these to get started on now!
Do you have any more tried and tested cheap business marketing ideas? Please leave a comment below.
