If you’re a small business and don’t have a lot of money to spend on a marketing budget, don’t worry. There are a number of great ways to get your name out there and increase your brand awareness without shelling out much cash. Here’s a list of four ways to stretch your dollar while still marketing your company and building your brand.
Give away free stuff – A great way to let people know about your product is to try giving it away for free or give out a sample of it. For example, if you’re a small food or beverage business, going to farmer’s markets or events specific to your product (like craft beer) is a great way to build word of mouth. Once people realize how good your item is, they’ll line up again for it, and this time be willing to pay.
An idea to increase customer satisfaction is to include a free item with a purchase. If you ship out a lot of orders, consider adding in something small like a keychain, bottle opener, or a company decal. Little surprises like these in a package make the order more memorable and you’ll be in the customer’s mind for the next time.
Email – Email marketing is a great way to reach and engage with your customers. Sending out a weekly or monthly newsletter with what’s going on or maybe just some tips or advice is a proven way to improve your relationships with customers. Be sure to have an attention-grabbing headline to help increase the likelihood that people will open the email.
To increase your subscriber base, consider offering a deal or something similar to entice them to sign up. Offer the sign up at numerous places to ensure as many opportunities as possible for people to subscribe. For example, offer a chance to sign up after a purchase online or in store. Also have a way to easily connect on your website with a signup form.
Build Great Content – If you want to share things online to social media or sites like Reddit, be sure you have great content. If it’s a blog, chart, graph, video or an infographic, be sure that it is high quality. It goes without saying, but low quality content just won’t get you anywhere. You won’t be the only person trying to market like this, so make sure you stand out. In addition to making sure the information is high quality, make sure it looks good too. There are plenty of bad graphics and poor looking blog posts out there — don’t be one of them.
Network – As a business owner, you want people to think of you or your business first (in a positive way). Getting known in your community is a great way to do that. Start by attending and, more importantly, participating in networking events in your area. And participating doesn’t mean you always have to be a presenter — asking quality questions is a great way to get noticed. You could soon be the go-to person in your field.
Another great way to network is on LinkedIn. The social media site is often underutilized but can be a powerful tool for professionals. Find and join some local groups or groups for your field and start participating. Join in or start the discussion on topics of interest. LinkedIn can also be a great way to share that high quality content you’ve been working on.
Small businesses often don’t have large budgets for marketing. Luckily, there are a number of ways to effectively market your business without spending too much money. Email is a great way to reach out to new customers and build your relationship with existing ones. Networking,
both online and in person, is a way to establish yourself in the community. Always be creating great content and you’ll find you’re well on your way to an established brand.