When you plan out your marketing strategy, you have to think about your customers, the results you want to get from your efforts, and even your available resources. This can be hard work, especially if you are on a frugal budget. Here are 8 ways to market your small business effectively without breaking the bank.
Create a Pitch
You should be marketing whenever you leave the house. Research shows that the average attention span of an adult is around 8 seconds, so that is all you have to really grab someone’s attention.
If you are able to engage a potential customer during these 8 seconds, then you have one minute to try and sell them on your product or even on your service. You never know when this is going to lead to new business opportunities, so it is well worth putting the effort in to try and practice your pitch. You need to be pitch perfect!
Leverage your Local Community
So many people try and think big when it comes to marketing. This can be good, but it can also be expensive. If you only run a small business then you need to think locally.
Try and sponsor a local sports team, print out bookmarks and leave them at your library and get involved in general. You also need to think about your ideal customer, and where they spend their time. You can then focus your efforts so that you can really make the most out of your budget.
You may be in competition with other businesses in your area and this is completely normal. That doesn’t mean that you can’t collaborate with other non-competitors in your area.
Try and make an agreement where you can cross-promote your products, as this can really help you to save money.
You might also want to use coupons, website links or even social media promotions to help you out as well. When you do this, you can save money and you can also really get to know the other entrepreneurs in your area.
Network
Networking can help you to build your customer base. Get out there, shake some hands and get to know other people who work in the same industry as you.
You do have to commit a lot of your time to networking if you want to see results, and you won’t get them instantly either.
When you are able to develop your network enough however, you will soon see that you have access to one of the greatest assets any business owner could ask for.
Give a Speech
So many people hate public speaking and this is completely understandable, but there are so many businesses out there who want people who can speak on subject matters.
Take a deep-breath, volunteer and try and put yourself out there. You really don’t have to be a professional at public speaking, but you do have to make sure that the information that you are sharing is going to be helpful to your audience. The more you do it, the easier it will get as well so you do have to keep this in mind.
Referrals
It is so important that you ask for customer referrals as part of your small business marketing and branding strategy. Most people say that they are in fact willing to provide a referral if they are asked.
The problem is that if you don’t ask them then you won’t get it. Referrals make it much easier for you to get in the door with new customers and it will also help you to make the most out of the base that you have already established.
Build Relationships
It is a lot less expensive for you to keep a customer when compared to getting a new one. For this reason, you need to establish a strong relationship with them wherever possible.
One of the many ways that you can do this is to try and keep in touch with them via email marketing. Ask your customers for their email address and also ask them to visit your site now and again to get their feedback.
This will make you look way more professional and it will also help you to really connect with them on a deeper level. When you are able to combine this with things like Google Ads, you can soon see the benefits. If you don’t feel as though you have time to do this then you can actually automate Google Ads PPC today.
Offer Coupons
Coupons are a fantastic way for you to attract new customers. Research has shown time and time again that customers will go out of their way to try and use a coupon as this is a great way for them to save money. If you are able to offer coupons then this can really help you to expand your customer base and it will also help you to generate return visits as well. It is just another low cost way to help boost your business big time!
