Small businesses looking to get their marketing efforts in order surely have come across the harsh reality sooner rather than later – most of the time, you’ll have to spend money to get your strategy going. That’s what keeping many small companies back, since not many of them have their own budget exclusively for marketing. In fact, most of them surely work their campaigns with very few resources.
Money shouldn’t be an obstacle on your way up, nonetheless. You can always use your brains to make up for the lack of funding. It’s just a matter of putting your mind to work to come up with some ideas that can attract your audience – and keep it engaged. Can’t think of any? Here are some to get you started.
1 – Shout it out loud
Your business may not have the big bucks for a huge online campaign but it shouldn’t prevent you from promoting it yourself. There’s plenty you can do without spending some cash – invite family, friends and friends of your friends to try your services and products. Don’t be shy! Ask them for their support and invite them to suggest your business to more people. Word of mouth might feel old and obsolete but it’s very far from that – it still is one of the most effective marketing actions there is.
2 – Make that support visible
Word of mouth is a great way to get people to know your service but it surely isn’t enough, especially in the online world. So, you have to make your supporters more visible in order to give credibility to your business and entice others to try it. Social networks are perfect for these as are other platforms like Yelp. Getting good reviews online and putting them in the front of your online business should be enough to encourage other people to reach out and try what you have to offer.
3 – Educate your audience
I imagine you’re pretty convinced about your service/product’s benefits and virtues. Why don’t reach out to people to explain those advantages to them? Be thorough and detailed about it and exemplify everything you talk about. By doing that, you’ll surround your service with transparency and you’ll wake the audience’s desire to try it out. How can you do this? Guest post on reputable sites on your field, attend events and conferences and, of course, use email marketing.
4 – Make you available for those needing help
Educating your audience on your product and services is one thing but actually helping them is a very different one. It’s OK to show your potential customers why your product is the best option for them but they also have to know your business as a whole is the best for them. Developing a culture of helping your customers with their needs can be the way for that. Just listen to what your prospected audience is struggling with and offer your solutions and expertise. By positioning as a leader in the field – and actually playing the part – you’ll be able to build a relationship with your target audience in the long term.
All of these ideas are fine to get your business started with minimum to no budget. But you should know that there’s something extra you’ll need before putting all of these tips to practice – commitment. The only way to make a successful marketing campaign for a small business is to be committed to what you’re selling. Remember, if don’t think highly of what you offer, it’s very hard others will think otherwise!
