As a small business owner, some of your biggest concerns are all going to be to do with money - “How much are you going to make?” “How much are you going to need to spend?” “How are you going to budget your money so that you don’t spend more than you’re making?” It does make sense because without cash your business isn’t going to survive for very long. When you’re not making as much money as you need to be, the first step is usually to make cuts, and marketing tends to be one of the first things to go. Ironically, when you’re in a financial slump, marketing is an aspect of business that you really should be focusing on and investing in, as it is a great way to bring in customers. This can be tough if you’re running low on cash, but, luckily, there are several ways that you can save money on your marketing.
Keep reading for some helpful and straightforward advice on frugal marketing.
1. One Thing At A Time
If you’re running low and cash and see marketing as your last option, then no one would blame you for getting a little manic and throwing change at as many different marketing campaigns as you can think of. Unfortunately, you don’t have the money to do this, especially if you’re unsure if half of the branding campaigns are even going to work. Instead, give all of your attention to one campaign, so that you know that you’re doing all that you can to make it work. Then, if it isn’t working, you will know as soon as possible and can try something else.
Focusing on one business marketing campaign at a time can also help you analyze exactly what benefits you are getting from it, as opposed to the confounding variables of running multiple new campaigns at once.
And finally, it will be better for your sanity than throwing a dozen marketing campaigns at the wall and seeing what sticks. Doing too much too soon can be mentally (and financially) draining.
2. Stick With It
If you run a small marketing campaign and receive some great results, you’ll likely see this as a small victory and pat yourself on the back, as you should. However, business owners are driven people that want results, so you probably won’t just accept this victory; You’ll want to top it. Well, I’m going to tell you to go against all of your instincts and not do this. There is absolutely no need for you to waste money and time on another campaign when you already have one that works. Just run the same campaign again, and you’ll almost always get similar results.
3. Start Blogging
More and more business are adding blogs to their websites these days as a way of online marketing, and because it’s so successful, it makes sense for you to do the same. Actually, it’s not just successful, it’s also relatively cheap, and sometimes even free, which is a bonus if you’re pinching the pennies. It is a great way to get your business some exposure, especially if you also post on other successful blogs, and lets your customers know a little bit about you, your business, and your message. Just ensure that you’re only posting quality content, or it could have the opposite effect.
4. Get On Social Media
Social media is something else that your business can’t afford to miss out on these days. Every single business that has any sort of reputation is on social media, so make sure that you are on Facebook and Twitter at the very least. Like with your blog, social media can help to increase exposure, and get your message out there, as well as allow you to interact with your customers, and improve your customer service.
5. Try Templates
While it is great to have a design team to create your website, business cards, posters, leaflets, and everything else, it can get incredibly pricey and isn’t really necessary. If you’re on a tighter budget than normal, it makes a lot more sense to go for the cheaper option and use the wide range website, blog, landing page, email, leaflet, and business cards templates that you can find online instead. These are usually of just as good a quality, and although you may not necessarily get exactly what you want, the choices out there are unreal so that you won’t be held back too much. Templates are incredibly useful when trying to scale your operation or avoid outsourcing too much work in an expensive manner.
6. Use Your Car
Billboards tend to be an incredibly successful way of generating exposure and interest for your business, but, unfortunately, they usually also cost a small fortune, which, of course, you don’t have. Luckily, you don’t need an actual billboard to gain as much exposure as a billboard would; You can just use your car instead. All you need is an eye-catching design that explains what your business sells, and you can transfer this onto the side of your car to get some attention. There are very affordable and versatile options from companies like Vistaprint, or more expensive and professional wrap options from automotive or printing companies.
7. Don’t Go Big
Most people believe that the more money you spend on a marketing campaign and the more elaborate it is, the more successful it will be. While this can be true, it isn’t always, and smaller, more simple campaigns can be even more successful than multi-million dollar ones. It can be tempting to splurge out on some amazing plan, but you don’t have the funds to do this, so rein it in and only do what needs to be done to get some attention and bring in customers. Dream big but stay in your financial lane so as not to overextend yourself.
8. Get Free Advice
Every business is different, and sometimes even the most commonly successful marketing campaign ideas won’t work for a specific business. However, if this sounds like you, you shouldn’t start to panic yet, as there are so many more ideas out there to choose from; You just need to find one that works for you. To learn a bit more and find out about some of these ideas, it makes sense to go and get some advice from someone a little more experience than yourself. You can often get free advice online, or you can visit some networking events and get chatting with a few marketers. Trust me, a simple conversation can go a long way.
1. One Thing At A Time
If you’re running low and cash and see marketing as your last option, then no one would blame you for getting a little manic and throwing change at as many different marketing campaigns as you can think of. Unfortunately, you don’t have the money to do this, especially if you’re unsure if half of the branding campaigns are even going to work. Instead, give all of your attention to one campaign, so that you know that you’re doing all that you can to make it work. Then, if it isn’t working, you will know as soon as possible and can try something else.
Focusing on one business marketing campaign at a time can also help you analyze exactly what benefits you are getting from it, as opposed to the confounding variables of running multiple new campaigns at once.
And finally, it will be better for your sanity than throwing a dozen marketing campaigns at the wall and seeing what sticks. Doing too much too soon can be mentally (and financially) draining.
2. Stick With It
If you run a small marketing campaign and receive some great results, you’ll likely see this as a small victory and pat yourself on the back, as you should. However, business owners are driven people that want results, so you probably won’t just accept this victory; You’ll want to top it. Well, I’m going to tell you to go against all of your instincts and not do this. There is absolutely no need for you to waste money and time on another campaign when you already have one that works. Just run the same campaign again, and you’ll almost always get similar results.
3. Start Blogging
More and more business are adding blogs to their websites these days as a way of online marketing, and because it’s so successful, it makes sense for you to do the same. Actually, it’s not just successful, it’s also relatively cheap, and sometimes even free, which is a bonus if you’re pinching the pennies. It is a great way to get your business some exposure, especially if you also post on other successful blogs, and lets your customers know a little bit about you, your business, and your message. Just ensure that you’re only posting quality content, or it could have the opposite effect.
4. Get On Social Media
Social media is something else that your business can’t afford to miss out on these days. Every single business that has any sort of reputation is on social media, so make sure that you are on Facebook and Twitter at the very least. Like with your blog, social media can help to increase exposure, and get your message out there, as well as allow you to interact with your customers, and improve your customer service.
5. Try Templates
While it is great to have a design team to create your website, business cards, posters, leaflets, and everything else, it can get incredibly pricey and isn’t really necessary. If you’re on a tighter budget than normal, it makes a lot more sense to go for the cheaper option and use the wide range website, blog, landing page, email, leaflet, and business cards templates that you can find online instead. These are usually of just as good a quality, and although you may not necessarily get exactly what you want, the choices out there are unreal so that you won’t be held back too much. Templates are incredibly useful when trying to scale your operation or avoid outsourcing too much work in an expensive manner.
6. Use Your Car
Billboards tend to be an incredibly successful way of generating exposure and interest for your business, but, unfortunately, they usually also cost a small fortune, which, of course, you don’t have. Luckily, you don’t need an actual billboard to gain as much exposure as a billboard would; You can just use your car instead. All you need is an eye-catching design that explains what your business sells, and you can transfer this onto the side of your car to get some attention. There are very affordable and versatile options from companies like Vistaprint, or more expensive and professional wrap options from automotive or printing companies.
7. Don’t Go Big
Most people believe that the more money you spend on a marketing campaign and the more elaborate it is, the more successful it will be. While this can be true, it isn’t always, and smaller, more simple campaigns can be even more successful than multi-million dollar ones. It can be tempting to splurge out on some amazing plan, but you don’t have the funds to do this, so rein it in and only do what needs to be done to get some attention and bring in customers. Dream big but stay in your financial lane so as not to overextend yourself.
8. Get Free Advice
Every business is different, and sometimes even the most commonly successful marketing campaign ideas won’t work for a specific business. However, if this sounds like you, you shouldn’t start to panic yet, as there are so many more ideas out there to choose from; You just need to find one that works for you. To learn a bit more and find out about some of these ideas, it makes sense to go and get some advice from someone a little more experience than yourself. You can often get free advice online, or you can visit some networking events and get chatting with a few marketers. Trust me, a simple conversation can go a long way.
Money Saving Marketing
It makes sense to believe that spending large amounts of money on marketing is going to lead to a greater ROI, but this isn’t always true. Sometimes the best marketing campaigns are the ones that are simple and don’t cost the Earth, so think about some of these tips when planning your next campaign.
I hope you enjoyed this article about simple ways to save money while marketing your business online or offline.
Interested in more articles about bootstrapping your marketing?
Read My Posts:
- 10 Ways To Increase Your Business Blog Traffic
- Top Tools For Your Digital Marketing Strategy
It makes sense to believe that spending large amounts of money on marketing is going to lead to a greater ROI, but this isn’t always true. Sometimes the best marketing campaigns are the ones that are simple and don’t cost the Earth, so think about some of these tips when planning your next campaign.
I hope you enjoyed this article about simple ways to save money while marketing your business online or offline.
Interested in more articles about bootstrapping your marketing?
Read My Posts:
- 10 Ways To Increase Your Business Blog Traffic
- Top Tools For Your Digital Marketing Strategy
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