It’s no secret that marketing campaigns usually require big budgets in order to lead a brand to its path to success, but this is not a general rule actually. There are a lot of companies which managed to do this even on tight budgets.
In most cases, traditional advertising methods are ridiculously costly and very hard to measure, meaning that a small business, for example, should completely stay away from these, at least at the start.
On the other side, there are also some great, cost-effective online marketing techniques, suitable for a small business with a reduced budget. And no, we’re not talking about email or social media marketing, since these are way too common and everybody knows about them.
Therefore, without much further ado, let’s go through seven ‘cheap’ ways of promoting your business!
Start with making your own pitch
You should be marketing your business all the time and for this, you need a great pitch. The average attention span is just six seconds, so make sure you summarize everything as quick as possible, in order to grab everybody’s attention.
Create a lot of buzz
What if we told you that you don’t need to work with an agency in order to generate a lot of buzz around your company?
There is a platform called Help a Reporter Out, where you can get in contact with actual reporters who are looking for story ideas and resources. Pitch a story related to your business to them and you can easily score even a big media appearance, for free.
Offer coupons
Who doesn’t love free stuff? Coupons are definitely a great way for a small business to attract new customers. Actually, researchers found that this method is successful if you want to expand your customer base, not to mention that they can generate return visits.
Organize giveaways
Let’s take things logically: if you want to make somebody purchase your product or service more, then you should offer the opportunity to test it.
Free trials, samples or even giveaways are just a few of the methods you can use to allow people to experience what you’re offering, become comfortable with it, and then buy more.
Ask for some referrals
Basically, online marketing is about making others talk about your business. And this also includes asking them directly to do this. Most people will provide a referral if they are asked, while just a few of them will take the initiative and do it on their own.
So don’t be shy and ask them to talk a bit about your product or service since you could miss some big opportunities if you don’t.
Network as much as possible
One of the best ways of building a business is getting out there and start meeting people, then let them know about what you’re doing.
Sure, networking requires time and there’s no guarantee that you will have results, but this doesn’t mean that it’s not one of the greatest assets you should have.
Work alongside other small businesses
Collaborating with other non-competitive businesses in your area and cross-promoting is another great online marketing method you can use. Whether you rely on coupons, reciprocal backlinks or even bundled promotions for social media, you can enjoy some great results and expand your customer base.
On the other side, you can always use IB Systems USA to make your small business known everywhere. With over 9 years of experience in helping local companies in the Tampa Bay area with their online marketing efforts, you will surely find here all the help you need to make your business visible.