3 Low-Cost Marketing Opportunities for Small Businesses
Low-Cost Marketing Tactics You Need to Implement for Your Small Business
If you’re a small business startup or an established small business, let’s be real… cost is a big factor in your marketing, and, likely, you’re constantly in search of some low-cost marketing opportunities for your small business. Am I right?
Marketing your business is vital to your success. But let’s get on the same page about one thing… marketing your small business does NOT have to be expensive.
There are plenty of low budget marketing opportunities for your small business that you might not have considered.
Let’s explore a few of those low-cost tactics.
3 Low-Cost Tactics for Your Small Business
1. Create (and maintain) a blog
Blogging is just a good business strategy. If your company doesn’t have a blog yet, this is one of the easiest and most budget-friendly marketing tools (hellooo, it’s practically FREE!) your business can utilize.
When it’s done well, a good blog can:
- Boost your SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- Drive traffic to your website
- Establish authority in your market
If you already have a website, you should be able to get a blog page started for next to nothing. WordPress is my website platform of choice when I build for my clients. It also has a free version where you can start your blog if you don’t have a website yet.
(PS – If you’re a new business and don’t have a website yet, get ahold of me and let’s talk about that!)
A few things worth noting… If you decide to start a blog for your business – GREAT! You are moving in the right direction. However, for it to actually work for you, you’ll need to have quality content to share, and you’ll need to maintain it. Meaning, give it fresh new content consistently.
“Consistently” does NOT mean you need to crank out new blog posts every week (that would be ambitious, especially if you’re just starting). I suggest trying to put out a new blog post every month and then go from there.
Start developing your blogging strategy for your business as soon as possible – it will undoubtedly help your marketing efforts and is one low-cost marketing tactic you shouldn’t be ignoring.
2. Engage in Social Media
Social media. Another very low-cost marketing tool that can be utilized to help market your business. You’re probably about to skip over this section because… duh! Social Media is soooo obvious. But is it really?
Social Media Mistake #1 – The fizzle & fade.
So many small businesses and startups do the obligatory Facebook Page. They fill out the information. Maybe they even post on their feed leading up to their launch and then… BAM! The effort dies. The marketing geek in me is screaming at you right now, “Nooooooooooooo!”
I get it. Being a small business owner is not for the faint of heart. Often, the day-to-day operations of the business trump your marketing efforts. But this is a huge mistake! If you don’t take the time to continue nurturing your social accounts, it could cost you big time. Make sure you don’t put in a ton of effort just to let the warm leads die.
Social media mistake #2 – doing it ALLLLLL.
Listen, you don’t need to be the best at everything. Find the social media channels that make sense for YOUR business, and invest your time and energy into those. If tweeting 20x a day isn’t going to get you a sale, then don’t do it!
My suggestion is to focus on one or two platforms (Facebook & Instagram) as your foundation. After you have a solid, steady foundation, you can build on from there IF it makes sense.
Social Media Mistake # 3 – Not having a social media marketing plan.
If you’re posting by the seat of your pants, you’re not doing social media right. You need a plan. Your goals should 3-fold:
- Awareness – get people to know and learn about your brand (followers, shares, etc.)
- Consideration / Engagement – people know about your brand, like your page, and are considering your product/service. (Likes, comments, mentions, etc.)
- Conversion – use call to actions to drive traffic to your website, clicks, email signups, etc.
Everything you post should have one of those goals in mind. Social media can generate new leads and revenue for your business with a relatively low budget when done well.
Above everything else, though, remember that social media is meant to be SOCIAL. Engage with the people interested in your business authentically, and it will take you farther than almost anything else. Build up your followers into a true community around your brand, and I promise that will be INVALUABLE to your business.
3. Email Marketing
Email marketing is another low-cost marketing opportunity for your business. What’s so good about email marketing? Well, for one thing, it’s YOURS.
Social media is great, but the truth of the matter is that it’s a lot, and you’re never guaranteed to get your content in front of your audience. You can post the “right” things and the “right” times, but you’re still at the mercy of algorithms.
An email list is yours. You own it. You determine when (not if) your list “sees” your content (not an algorithm). The people on your list are also there for a reason. They already have an interest in your business. They are already a WARM audience, ready for you to nurture and tell them why they need to make a purchase with you.
They are just waiting for the right reason to pull the trigger. That’s a pretty powerful tool. And if you do it right, you can even automate a lot of your email marketing it, so it’s working for your business 24/7 without even having to think about it. Email marketing is a marketing tool that definitely should NOT be ignored.
From a cost perspective, it can vary. But if you find the right platform, you can manage to do it for a pretty low cost. As your list grows for most email platforms, so will the cost – so you do have to keep that in mind. However, when you’re first starting, there are some great options out there (Constant Contact, SendinBlue, ConvertKit, and more!).
My personal favorite, however, is Flodesk. Flodesk is the only email marketing platform that I know that does not charge you more for building your list. Say what!? That in and of itself is amazing. What’s even better is it SUPER easy to use and creates, hands down, the most beautiful emails out there.
So what’s the catch to Flodesk? Well, it’s currently still in Beta, which means it does lack in some of the robust features that these other big players have. But they are a growing company and have many of the key features coming down the pipeline. If you use my special link right here, you can also get 50% off for life (as long as you have an active account).
Low-Cost Marketing for Small Businesses – Conclusion
Low-cost marketing might take a little effort, but it can be done. And it can be done well. If you use these three marketing tools, you’ll be well on your way.
If you need a little extra help, I’m here for that. JW Creative specializes in helping small businesses with their marketing efforts – from consultations to fully integrated marketing strategies.
Fair warning, some of the links provided in this article may be affiliate links. Most of them will give you a great deal if you use them, but it will also give me a great deal too. Basically, it’s a win-win situation.
