In the current business world, there are numerous ways in which you can market a small company. Needless to say, some of these are way more expensive than others. You’ll find many small businesses struggling to come up with a good marketing strategy as they feel they can’t afford all the best ideas and techniques.
While it’s true that a lot of bigger businesses spend untold amounts of money on their marketing campaigns, it doesn’t mean you have to as well. In fact, if you take some time to assess your needs and do some research, you’ll see there are a handful of excellent and effective ideas that don’t cost much at all.
Bearing that in mind, the following article is perfect for any of you that are struggling to come up with a cheap yet effective marketing strategy. Here are some ideas you should heavily consider:
Search Engine Optimization
Naturally, SEO is very popular these days due to the sheer number of consumers using the internet. If you’ve been living under a rock and don’t know what SEO is, then it’s the art of improving how your website performs in search results. A site with good SEO will appear in the first few organic results for relevant searches; simple.
Why is this cheap? Well, a lot of the things you do to achieve good SEO are free or require very little financial input. Firstly, you have elements of on-site SEO like creating a structured data markup, implementing keywords in your content, making your site more user-friendly, etc. that don’t have to cost your business any money unless you choose to pay people for those services. On-site SEO is really more about learning how to organize and structure your site, which is something anyone can do when they dedicate a bit of time to it. Then, you have off-site SEO in the form of link building, which is probably the only cost you’ll incur during your SEO campaign. However, it’s cheap compared to other marketing services, and the rewards justify the costs.
How is this effective? Most online consumers will search for businesses using Google. It’s proven that they rarely give sites a chance if they don’t appear on the first page of results. By improving your SEO, you can boost your site up the rankings and be one of the first links people see. This makes it more likely you’ll receive clicks, generating more traffic, and helping to establish your business as a reputable company.
Social Media Influencers
Social media marketing, in general, is a very cost-effective way of marketing your business on a budget. Sure, you have paid ads you can use on social media to give your business a boost, but these aren’t even essential. Instead, your company should start thinking about social media influencers and how they represent a smart idea for your marketing strategy.
Why is this cheap? While this idea isn’t expensive, I prefer to call it cost-effective rather than cheap. Yes, it will cost money, but the benefits you see are amazing. The whole idea is that you work with someone or multiple people that have an influence on social media. What does this mean? It means they’ve gained a large following on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc. Your small business can send them free products that they can promote to their followers. Often, you don’t have to pay them anything other than providing some free stuff. It’s way cheaper than buying PPC adverts, and your business could potentially be seen by more people too.
How is this effective? The effectiveness of this idea comes from the fact that social media influencers have already established a following. This means they can promote your business to - potentially - thousands of people all at once. What’s more, if you choose the right influencers, then your business could tap into its target market directly. For example, let’s say you sell products that are meant for gaming. By establishing a relationship with an influencer that’s ‘internet famous’ for playing video games, they’ve got a following full of people interested in gaming. So, when they promote your products, you know your target audience see it. Yes, you have to give away free stuff to get influencers on board. However, the chances are you’ll make back that sale - and then some.
Guerilla Marketing
Guerrilla marketing is the odd one out on this list in that it isn’t really a digital technique. However, this article is about the cheapest ways to market a business, not the cheapest digital marketing ideas. Therefore, I have to include this as I think it will greatly benefit small business owners looking to gain a lot of exposure without spending too much money.
Why is it cheap? Guerilla marketing is cheap because it’s not something you pay for over and over again. Normally, you make one big statement and reap the rewards. Plus, most guerilla marketing ideas are free or very low-budget. The classic idea is to paint a mural advertising your business in a public space. If you know someone that’s good at painting they could do it for free or for a low price. Another idea involves setting up a pop-up stall on the street - again, not very expensive.
How is this effective? This is effective because it gets your business right into the public eye. Guerilla marketing is all about taking to the streets and making consumers notice your business. You’ll do things that seem out of the ordinary, which interests consumers more than a classic print advert at a bus station, for example. Furthermore, guerrilla marketing is likely to attract the attention of the news media, which means you may get added promotion and exposure in the form of news articles, for free!
Affordable Advertising
The point of this piece is to show you not to be downhearted if you have a limited marketing budget. These three ideas are all extremely effective and won’t cost a lot to implement. Plus, the small costs you have to pay for some of the ideas will be repaid as your business sees an influx of new customers throwing their money at you.
I hope you enjoyed this article about the most affordable yet effective ways to market your startup on a shoestring budget.
Interested in more articles about growing your business on a budget?
Read My Posts:
- Top Tips To Achieve Success In Business
- 10 Motivational Business Quotes For Entrepreneurs
I hope you enjoyed this article about the most affordable yet effective ways to market your startup on a shoestring budget.
Interested in more articles about growing your business on a budget?
Read My Posts:
- Top Tips To Achieve Success In Business
- 10 Motivational Business Quotes For Entrepreneurs
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