After almost two years of lockdowns and instability in many industries, we have seen small business owners struggling to stay afloat. Being an entrepreneur is stressful at the best of times—and exponentially more so in 2021.
One crucial element in growing and sustaining a business is attracting consumers through marketing. Many entrepreneurs have to balance their incoming revenue against many expenses, leaving very little capital to play with. Building up your company requires effective marketing and the more cost-effective the better.
There are many ways of marketing your business. But if you’re struggling to cover costs, it can be hard to spend money on advertising. There are, however, a number of tools that work well while not leaving you too much out of pocket.
1. Use a Google Business Profile
This marketing tool is free and an excellent resource for businesses trying to increase their visibility. The process of creating a profile for your company with Google can be difficult. But it is certainly worth it.
Having your business show up in Google search results is absolutely essential if it is going to grow and thrive. A Google My Business account helps your company’s website appear in searches and allows you to keep track of Google reviews, both of which are crucial in keeping your brand visible.
2. Content marketing: blogs and articles
Running a blog is a hugely undervalued marketing tool that helps to improve your relationship with your customers. Blogs fall under the heading of content marketing—an extremely effective way of reaching existing and potential customers.
Putting out quality content shows consumers you are knowledgeable and engaged, in contrast to a business with a totally stagnant online presence. You needn’t write 1000 word essays. Regular, shorter articles pack a punch when you use the relevant keywords effectively. Most businesses these days utilize content marketing in one form or another. Hardly surprising when it nets more conversions than any other tool.
4. Social media engagement
A whopping 53.6% of people around the globe use social media, over 3.9 billion of us in total. Facebook is a widely used platform with over 2.8 billion users and has a lot of potential when it comes to designing effective and affordable marketing campaigns.
When going the social media route, it’s essential to do your due diligence. Find out how to target potential customers on different platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube and tailor your content to their interests.
4. Use hashtags
The use of hashtags on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook is expanding and they can be used to give your business exposure.
Just like SEO, hashtags make it more likely that your content will reach the right consumers who are searching for specific services. Tag your location, company name, trending topics, and stay away from generic words and phrases.
5. Use email marketing
Maintaining a blog, engaging regularly on social media and online networking are crucial ingredients for marketing a business effectively. But it would be a mistake to overlook the potential of the humble email.
Putting together an email marketing strategy is not prohibitively expensive, and, done properly, can boost profits dramatically.
6. Join a business networking group
Everyone with their own company knows how fundamental networking is when trying to grow your business. The past two years have made face-to-face gatherings more difficult, but if you want to join an online networking group, you can still reap the benefits, without exorbitant costs.
Many, if not most, companies have transitioned to remote working either part or full time. This makes the option of online networking even more attractive.
7. Hand out branded giveaways
Everyone loves getting something for free. When done right, branded giveaways are a great marketing tool, as they create a memorable connection with a customer. If you can offer a freebie that’s useful, potential customers will essentially advertise your brand for you.
There are plenty of budget-friendly, low-cost items that are easy to brand, lightweight to ship, and are suitable for use over and over again. Reusable shoppers or totes, keychains, keep cups, or customized koozies are just a few ideas for businesses looking to get their name out there without splashing too much cash.
8. Harness the power of customer reviews
Customer reviews have the power to make or break a business. In the age of social media, especially, their influence has grown in strength as they spread across cyberspace. To use reviews as a marketing tool requires strategic planning and creativity.
Many consumers feel that a review is just as reliable as an actual recommendation. Making positive reviews easily visible should be a priority when it comes to designing your website, curating your social media pages, and communicating with existing and potential clients.
If you have a website up and running, take some time to highlight customer reviews on your landing page and home page. You can also incorporate them into other sections to give consumers a better idea of your services.
9. Optimize your local SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a great way of building a solid online presence for your business. Despite the fact that it requires a bit more effort, this tool is a guaranteed way to increase income for businesses that operate locally, as opposed to internationally.
Creating a Google My Business Account and making more effort to connect with your customers online are two effective methods to increase your ranking in search engine results. Others include:
– Optimizing voice search
– Targeting local keywords
– Make use of online directories (YellowPages, for example)
– Be specific about your location
– Aim at mobile first – desktop second
This takes practice, but can make a huge difference.
10. Be active on LinkedIn
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are great platforms for marketing your business. But they are by no means the only ones. LinkedIn is often overlooked when it comes to connecting with customers and professional associates. In contrast to many other platforms, its sole focus is on professional networking and development, which means you’ll be in good company. It can be used as a vehicle for content marketing and networking.
Marketing your business is 100% necessary for its success and it doesn’t have to break the bank. These 10 low-budget tools are proof that there’s plenty of opportunities to market your business in a cost-effective manner.
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