Marketing Tactics for Limited Budgets

Marketing on a budget can feel so hard. It feels like every time you see a great new opportunity to promote your business you can’t. Well, some things might be out of your price range. However, there are plenty of free or low-cost ideas you might not have considered. Do not underestimate the power of marketing your business. You can have the absolute best idea, but if no one knows about it, you’re stuck. There are so many options that with a little time you can fulfill. Here you will find our top 30 tips for getting your message out there.

1) Choose a great name and logo

If you have a memorable and engaging name, your customers are more likely to remember it. If it sparks a little interest in them too, this is a benefit. Add to this a great looking logo and you are onto a winner. Ensure it looks great on a small business card and on a giant banner alike. Together they will be a driving force for your business and give you a head start without trying.

2) A newsletter

Send around a newsletter to your clients. This is most likely by email, but you can print out physical versions if you have premises. Add appropriate information that might be of interest as well as links to your site. Direct customers to whatever is appropriate for your business. This might be news articles, prices, deals, and discounts etc. Send out no more than weekly or they may annoy people if more regular.

3) Customer referral scheme

Have a scheme in place for current customers to refer their friends. This might give them access to coupons, entry into a prize draw or something else. Still, an incentive to pass you the details of their friends. As they could be future clients it is well worth it. Also, a personal recommendation from a friend is a big improvement on an impersonal intervention. Word of mouth and friend of a friend is a great way of tapping to new clients.

4) Survey for a chance to win

Open a short survey and invite people to complete it for the chance to win a prize. You can use free online survey tools to do this. You then have the email addresses of participants to add to other campaigns. In addition, the survey itself might give you some vital information that can help you. A low-cost option to gather some vital results is easy using this collection method.

5) Online contest

It is easy to hold an online contest. You can host this on your website and people can enter there. Alternatively, you can host it on Facebook. In return, each participant gives a ‘like’ to the post and ‘shares’ it. Presumably, your product net cost is far less than your sale value. Therefore, you can potentially offer a great prize that doesn’t cost you much. It will, however, get your name out there.

6) Use coupons and promo ad credit

When it comes to clicking ads and Google rankings, there are often promotions. Click advertising puts your advert on another site or search ranking. You pay but it does bring them directly to your website. These are strong online marketing tools, so can be very expensive. Take advantage of free credit and promos when you see them to get something for nothing. Using these tools can get plenty of new customers that are in the correct demographic for your product.

7) Email marketing

Sending promotional emails can be a good way to advertise your business. It is a good idea to have a promotion on a particular product as a draw-in. You can use the email addresses gathered in other ways mentioned to create a sender list. By having something that might be of interest to clients they may click into your site. By encouraging them to view what is on offer, it can be a great marketing tool.

8) Instructional video

Almost no one likes seeing themselves on camera. However, mini instructional videos can be a great way to promote your business. Whatever it requires some specialist knowledge. Exploit this by explaining how to do something, that your clients might be interested in. By posting this on your website or social media, your clients will see it. It might encourage them to buy your services or share with their friends. They might then become new clients.

9) Your website

A website is a great place to start to advertise your business. It should look clean and slick with easy to find information. There are plenty of places with free templates that you can use or seek inspiration from. You should always ask some people to have a look at your website before you publish it. This is mainly to verify that the information is where it should be. It should be as easy as possible for clients.

10) Write regular blogs

Write regular blog posts for your own website. This should be brand new content that is interesting and relevant to your audience. If you’re not a great writer, you can use online freelance writers to create one-off content. It will really help your clients to engage better with you. It will also bring them back to your site again and again. Equally, it will improve your Google search rankings and you may see people finding you that way. 

11) Top 10 lists and article linked to your business

Posting articles and writing top 10 lists can be a big boost to your business. Link these to your business and it defines you as an expert in your field. It also gives interesting information that clients will find useful. These rank well on Google search too. That means more people are likely to see your website. The more people that see it then the more people you have as potential clients. It opens up a whole new set of possibilities.

12) Facebook page and posts

Setting up a Facebook page for your business takes only a few minutes. Yet it has the potential to be seen by a huge range of people. Fill in a few messages and add files such as contact details and price lists. Ask everyone you are friends with to like it and share it if possible. Ask new clients to do the same. You can then post articles and links to your newsletter for it to become a depository of information.

13) Tweet

Set up on Twitter and tweet interesting things little and often. It is OK to tweet every day. If this feels like an onerous task, then you can schedule tweets. You can schedule for a couple of weeks or a month in less than an hour. This can be time well spent when you are less busy. You can access it anywhere there is an internet connection and reach so many people.

14) Infographics

Everybody likes to see something brought to life. An infographic is a colorful picture that gives information. Create one of these to share on Facebook and Twitter. You could find yourself getting a huge range of shares and retweets from interested parties. Link this to your business and it could increase your client base. You can also use your company colors to create the infographic. This gives you additional links to your business.

15) Write up old data

Data comes and is gone in a flash. However, it can link really well with your business and be useful to your clients. Find some recent data and write about it in a new and innovative way. Make it relevant for clients or other businesses and people will read it. Something like this can give you a special edge in your business. It can make things fresh and interesting in no time.

16) LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a great place to find potential clients. Obviously, it depends upon the business but getting your name on here is important. You can use the space to tell followers pertinent and relevant information about your business. It is a great tool to spread the word.

Offline Options

17) Go to places and events your clients go to

Go where your clients go. Events, activities, parties and anywhere else. It sounds really obvious, but if your current clients are there so will be potential ones. Take the opportunity to reach out and speak to people about what you do. Have something on hand to give out to those who are interested.

18) Business awards

Apply for Business Awards online and if you win you have validation in the marketplace. You will get your name spread far and wide. You will be able to use their name and logo to promote yourself. It will also give you additional recognition. This can be a great boost to staff and supporters and develop their belief in you.

19) Business card

A small piece of card with your company name, logo and details on. This piece of card is a way to open doors in a small and inexpensive way. Business cards can give people a little information about your business. They are small, so people are usually happy to take them. Even if they don’t act on it today, they might do so in the future.

20) Leave a business card for a chance to win

If you have physical premises, consider having a bowl at the desk. Suggest clients place their business card in for a chance to win a monthly or seasonal prize. You then have the business cards and contact details of hundreds of people. All you have to pay out for is a gift related to your business. This need not be very expensive. It could just be a free lunch or a twenty dollar voucher. You can then make use of those details.

21) Host event or class

Can you host an event or class at your premises? The people coming in for the event are all potential customers. Equally could you give a series of talks or teach people something? Setting up a business and being an entrepreneur is no mean feat. There must be specialist topics you could speak about that people would be interested in? Even just about setting up your own business. These will get your name and business known better.

22) Car personalization

OK, it’s no surprise that car personalization is really expensive. There is a way to do this though that is a lot cheaper. You can buy large slimline magnets to attach to the side of your car. These can be printed with your logo and company name. An easy and dollar saving way to promote your business every time you use your vehicle.

23) Paper coupons or leaflets

You can print paper coupons or leaflets to promote your business. There are better ways than standing out in the street though. Try partnering with a local business. Perhaps give the secretaries a freebie to spread your coupons around. Choose businesses that fit with yours or perhaps ones very near to yours. Get half the size or half the number you want to cut costs, but always print in color.

24) Balloons at local event

Is there a local event you can hand out printed balloons, sweets or similar? These are the great value, high quantity incentives that work. There are likely to be events where you can do this for free without needing to pay. It can be a perfect way to mesh with the local community.

25) Local contest

Is there a local contest coming up where you can be the sponsor? It doesn’t need to be something huge or international. It just needs to be somewhere to get your name known. If you can bring along some samples or items to show people, this could help. A local contest is a fabulous chance to get involved with the local community in a positive way.

26) Donate prize

Could you give a prize related to your business, to a competition? This will cost you less in real terms than handing over a cash prize. You could be seen to be highly generous too. In the long run it might only take a little money or time of yours. A prize can be a lovely way to support charity too. You are likely to gain good word of mouth mentions from this.

27) Join Professional Organizations

Are there any Professional Organizations you could join for your type of business? They often give subsidised or reduced cost entry to events. In addition, they often put on networking events that can help you greatly. They can assist you in being seen and heard of, which is a great boost to any business. A great bonus that could have such a big impact on you.

28) Trade shows

If there are appropriate trade shows, then these could be a business boost. They could add value to your products and ensure that thousands more people hear about them. A trade show equally allows that quality time in talking to people. You can also find out about others trading in the same business area. This might give you new ideas and a little extra scope to think about them.

29) Cold call

No one likes it, but cold calling can get you results. This needs to be quantified by saying if, and only if, you speak to the right people. If you are selling things for children, it is best to speak to people under 50 for example. Equally if it a service for older people then you will not want to speak to new moms. Target your cold calling to get far more positive results.

30) You are your business

The most important thing to remember is that you are your business. You are your biggest selling point. Therefore, your business is potentially nothing without you. Look smart (if that is what works for your business) and get out there telling people. Speak to people, tell them all about your passion for this business. The more you do, the more it will be seen in your business. If you love your business then you need to be the one to make it happen.

There is so much on offer to promote your business. So many free and low-cost opportunities that you can make use of. You simply cannot do everything, but you can find the right options for you. If something doesn’t work, then just try something else instead. There might be times that opportunities find you, and they can be ideal. Other times you will need to go out and find something. One thing is so true, however, marketing is so important. Ignore it and your business will find it hard to succeed in today’s climate. Remember though that you are the face of your business. Be willing to give it your all, for the best marketing tool around.