If you own a small business, it’s likely you’ve run into a common dilemma. You might not have the money to market your business yet, but if you don’t- how will you ever have the money? Well luckily marketing your small business doesn’t have to be expensive. Here are 13 genius ways to save money on marketing and keep you from breaking the bank.
1. Never miss an opportunity to advertise.
Mailing out an invoice? Stick a coupon in the envelope. If you have a bricks and mortar store, be sure to put promotional fliers, coupons, etc. in the bag of each purchase. Mailing promotional materials will cost you the price of envelopes and 50 cents a stamp.. That adds up.
2. Get involved with local events.
Many local events are free to attend and a great way to network and market your business to the community.
3. Buddy up with another small business.
Chip in on advertising a sale for both of your businesses. Not only will it help you reach a larger audience, two sales will create more of a hype. Offer to link to other businesses’ websites in blogs if they link to yours. Be careful to only do this with related topics or you could risk being identified as spam by Google.
4. Turn customers into promoters.
This can be one of the least expensive and most effective ways for marketing your small business. After a sale, send customers an email thanking and encouraging them to share your product or service on social media. Take it a step further and motivate them with a coupon or reward after they send a screenshot of their post.
5. Start blogging.
Blogging should be at the front and center of your marketing campaign. It can help you rank in search engines, convert readers into customers, and establish your small business as an expert in your niche.
6. Hire a marketing firm vs. in-house marketer.
Keeping a marketer on staff is expensive and often not as effective. A good marketing firm will have experience, connections, and all necessary programs bought prior.
7. Always measure results.
Keeping track of your marketing efforts and results keeps you from repeatedly spending money on the wrong campaigns. Google Analytics has a wealth of information on your website’s performance and is free.
8. Volunteer to teach.
If there’s an opening for someone to give a speech, write an article, teach a class.. This is free advertisement and shows recipients that you know what you’re talking about.
9. Recycle ad content.
Whether you hire someone to come up with ad content or you write it yourself, recycling and reworking the text of ads will save you time and money. Besides, you’re probably the only person who’s read your ad more than once.
10. Skip paid search engine ads and go organic.
Google organic search results are found directly below paid advertisements. If you’re like most searchers, you’d rather click on results that are ranked based on relevancy rather than the website’s ability to buy an ad. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will allow your website to rank higher and reach the eyes of potential customers.
11. Barter and trade.
Bartering hasn’t phased out completely. Many businesses will barter their services for a service or item of equal value. Give it a try, you may be surprised how much your service is worth to someone.
12. Get social.
Whoever your audience is, they’re bound to be on social media. Best of all, creating an account is free!
13. Take advantage of free education.
You’re already doing this one! Reading blogs and checking out other free resources on the internet will help you improve your marketing approach and business. We publish new blog posts here at least once a week.
Are you an expert penny pincher? Share your expertise with us in the comments below.
