10 Tips to Marketing On a Budget
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10 Tips to Marketing On a Budget
Your Marketing Budget should be UNLIMITED.
Don’t worry, we’ll explain more about that later, but for now, you’re probably trying to figure out ways to get your Business, Brand, or even just Content in front of the right viewers… for minimum cost!
Oh, we hear ya!
If this is your first read, here with us at Community Business Resource Centers, we want to offer you a warm introduction by saying:
Every. Single. Business. Brand. Creator. or even Idea. NEEDS A MARKETING PLAN!
Imagine eating dry oatmeal. No water, no milk or fruit, just a bowl of dry oatmeal.
We want you to imagine this every time you try to progress or scale your business without marketing.
It can be consumed, but it’s a tough scoop to swallow.
THAT’S A BUSINESS WITHOUT A MARKETING PLAN!
But if you’re like most Small Business Owners just getting started, you’re working from little to no additional cash flow beyond creating the business structure.
We get it! So these next 10 Tips to Marketing on a Budget are on us!
(psst. Bookmark This One!)
There are so many creative ways to Market Your Business without much effort OR budget, but you’ll want to make sure you’re doing it the right way for the best response.
Because what Small Business Owner has extra time to waste on efforts and strategies that don’t work?
This leads us to the very first Tip:
Give your business security and peace of mind with an Approved Registered Agent.
Social Media Marketing- The “Unsalesy Way”
Don’t you DARE take the DM Desperato Approach! It not only hurts your credibility, but if you’re early on with a new social account, this could get your account deleted! We know, we know, you have an amazing item or service that everyone needs to know about, but try this way instead:
If they’re an ideal client for services, find the post that expresses their need for your service and share a few tips to help them. (This shows your expertise)
EDU-MARKETING is the 21st Century Approach to Sales
-If you’re a Small Business Owner, it’s a good chance your drive is to fix a problem you’ve found a passion for, or maybe you’ve turned a hobby or craft into something people love! With everything being so easily accessible, your marketing will have to be hidden deep within you and your team displaying different forms of entertainment for your target audience. I have to confess, I practically RUN past the Kiosk booths in the Mall when I see the salesperson coming my way! It’s so uncomfortable, even if it’s something I would actually like, I don’t want to be forced!
Now have that same Kiosk display a form of entertainment that teaches me about why I really need that product, and a Sales Person who simply says “hey, let me know if you need help with anything!” and guess what, I’ll probably hang around, ask questions and buy something!
-Educate your audience. Share just enough to prove you know what you’re doing but not so much that they don’t need you or your services to get it done!
Capture & Build Your Email List
Use your Social Platforms and Website to capture the visits from your traffic into email subscribers. If they are willing to share their email in exchange for a useful download or to join a community, you’ll have a better response and open rate with your emails. This is a form of direct marketing that’s free and when done right, has a tremendous amount of conversion.
Can we Google Your Business?
You do not have to have a physical business location to create a Google My Business account. In fact, most of the Small Business Owners we work with, create one using our Registered Agent Services and never have to worry about sharing their personal home-based business address. Create an account and start sharing your social post right on Google!
Become a Guest Blogger
It’s not very hard to find a blog in any niche these days, but if you want to find some new eyes and interest, seek out Guest Blogging opportunities on blogs where your services will complement theirs or add value to their product. Social sites like Instagram give you the option to “duet” or “remix” with other creators. Take advantage of this option and connect with creators who could potentially be future collaborators. (p.s. we’re always looking for new voices so you can sign up to join our guest blogger program by emailing us HERE.)
Become a Guest Speaker
If Speaking in public doesn’t scare the living daylight out of you (like some of us around here) this is an excellent way of building your reputation as an expert of your industry while also displaying your characteristic and building trust. Once you have a community who trust your word, you’ll be able to sell without selling at all!
Sometimes marketing is as simple as being in the right place at the right time for the right need! So why not be where people go to simplify their search for things? Before you jump on any directory that will have, make sure it’s not Spammy and irrelevant to your business!
Build a Community
If you’re an online eCommerce business, your community will mostly consist of Social platforms, so you’ll need to be genuine and consistent throughout your platforms. If you have a business that’s local and supported within your community, you should take advantage of building relationships around your services and products.
Create a Referral Program
The key to knowing your business is knowing that it will not be for everyone, however, if you can build a good community around your business the people who may not need your service will find benefit in sharing it with others. So why not make it worth their while by offering small incentives for those who do? This is also a great way of “marketing backward” by only needing to pay out for the referrals that convert. So start with an easy-to-understand Referral or Affiliate Program and go after your target market & their followers!
Start The Business of Your Dreams & Let Us Handle the Paperwork! File Your Ohio LLC with us Today!
*These prices INCLUDE the $99 State Fee!
Build a Consistent Automated System
You don’t need much to be consistent with your brand or business, however, you don’t want to always be selling. Build Character, ask questions, share facts and EDUCATE your potential customers as often as you can. This is where a good system will come into place. Create a Marketing Planner each month that consists of 4 essential approaches (we’ll share the 4 we use that help increase our conversions…. and it’s not Social Media focused!).
Build Relationship
Teach
Offer
Share
And that’s it! Save and Bookmark this for future reference when you need it. Also, know that we are here for you, so feel free to contact us if you have any questions or need guidance!
Our goal is simple:
Make Small Business, BIG BUSINESS!
We’re here when you need us,
Community Business Resource Center Team
Have you tried any of these tips? Do you have any to add to this list? Have you been successful without a large marketing budget?
Let us know in the comments below, we love sharing real-life experiences with our Community.