When was the last time you beat your head against the desk, trying to figure out the best combination of marketing activities for your business? Even if you never get to that point, creating marketing magic is a very common challenge for small business owners, especially when there is limited time and a limited budget in the mix.
To help get your creative juices flowing, this issue of the Bonfire Buzz provides a compilation of posts with a wide variety of marketing ideas. Read through these lists and make a list of new activities you may want to try in your business.
Oh, and just a reminder that you should conduct market research and create a marketing plan before diving in.
To Get Your Head Spinning
This is an article I wrote for About.com not too long ago that is literally packed with ideas for kickstarting your marketing activities. I’ve included ideas from a number of areas including planning, networking, social media, email marketing and more. (If you have a marketing idea to add to this list, you can do it here.)
Read more on About.com: 101 Small Business Marketing Activities
Ideas for the Budget-Minded
I love this post by Ivana Taylor because not only does she zero in on marketing ideas that fit a bootstrapping entrepreneur’s budget, but she also breaks it down by activities that will require some time and legwork, and some that are quick and painless.
Read more on OPEN Forum: 13 Marketing Activities You Can Do For Less Than $20 A Day
And Even More Budget-Friendly Ideas
Neil Patel is no stranger to entrepreneurial success, and that’s made pretty clear in this article that provides another list of low-investment marketing ideas. Pay special attention to the links he shares in the descriptions of each activity — packed with resources.
Read more on Quick Sprout: 21 Big Marketing Ideas for Small Marketing Budgets
Crazy, Inspirational Ideas
If you find yourself doing the same old marketing activities day after day, you need to give your marketing plan a violent shake. There may not be a better way to do this than to review some of the craziest ads out there. You probably won’t be duplicating any of these ideas in your business, but I bet you will get inspired to try something new.
Read more on Creative Guerrilla Marketing: 12 Inspirational Guerrilla Marketing Examples
It’s Research Time
Next time you have an hour (or five) available, take a look at this post. It’s overflowing with links to case studies that show social media marketing done right. Click through to just a few, and you will start to see the trends and pinpoint ways you can ramp up your own social media return.
Read more on Simply Zesty: 50 Social Media Case Studies Worth Bookmarking
Image credit: alexskopje