Marketing a small business can be a time-consuming and often confusing business owners whose main focus is to keep their business running. If you notice your integrated marketing solutions are not attracting as many customers as you’d hoped it may be time to reconsider your strategies. If you are looking for inexpensive ways to market your small business without incurring in high costs, here are some solutions:
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4 Inexpensive Small Business Marketing Solutions
Relationship Marketing
One of the first small business marketing strategies we are mentioning is relationship marketing. If you have a limited budget; relationship marketing is an inexpensive strategy that generates leads and attract new customers to your business. Some relationship tactics include:
Referrals: referral programs are easy to set up and have a low maintenance cost. Ask your existing customer base to refer your products or services to their family and friends, in return offer them an incentive for doing so.
Affiliates and Partners: creating an affiliate or partner program allows others to endorse your products and services and build up mutually beneficial relationships that generate lead exchange.
Networking events: networking events are a great opportunity to promote your business and products to others. Attend local meetings, networking events or informational events. Be sure to introduce yourself and ask for business cards.
Internet Marketing
More and more people rely on the internet to find the information they need, for this reason it is a must to market your business on the internet. As a small business owner, you need to make it easy for your customers to find you when they are doing a search. The key is to create valuable content for your customers while creating a buzz around your business.
Social media: one of the best ways to reach out to your customers is using social media marketing. However, it is not enough to create a Google+, Twitter or Facebook account, you also have to maintain it. A key factor in social media is engagement; you must ensure you are keeping customers interested by providing valuable information.
Website: having a user-friendly website is key for your internet marketing efforts small business marketing to succeed. Review your website and ask yourself is the site easy to navigate? Is the text easy to read? Is the information available useful and relevant? And most importantly, is your site mobile-friendly? According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Centre 63% of adult cell owners use their phones to go online. Google offers a free tool that analyzes your site and reports if the site has a mobile friendly design
Online Contests: online sweepstakes, giveaways and contest attract customers to register and stay engaged on your site.
Pay-Per-Click: pay per click advertising is a necessary tool to drive traffic results. Use this strategy if you need to increase traffic for a seasonal campaign, if you need help targeting specific keywords or if you need to gain more exposure.
Print Material
Small business owners have relied on this traditional marketing method very heavily, however having collateral is important. You’ll want your business card to stand out from your competitors’. You’ll also need the graphic design on your collateral to represent your company’s personality and identity.
Samples and free offerings
Consumers are careful before purchasing. They research options before they buy to find out what choices are available, for this reason giving them a taste of what you can offer them is a great idea. Giving away services or products that you make is usually an inexpensive marketing strategy that will leave customers appreciating the value of your products.
Creating effective small business marketing strategies is most definitely time-consuming. I know what you’re thinking, “I don’t have time for that!” Instead of doing it all yourself or even spending your payroll on a team, outsourcing some of your marketing needs can save you time and money.
