By Christian Ralph
A common misconception amongst small business CEOs is that a successful marketing strategy cannot be achieved through a small budget. Considering that every business owner is a marketer and can expand on existing expertise with simple research, it doesn’t necessarily have to be true.
Exercising your marketing and business promotion tactics can be done on a small scale whilst still experiencing an increase in sales, leads and conversions. But how do you create a campaign that brings your business success without budgeting much cash? And how can you reach a new pool of customers without compromising your own?
We share how any small business owner can promote their brand whilst on a budget, and how exposure for your brand can be extremely beneficial – especially for an e-commerce website.
Become Active Online
Did you know that there are over 2.3 billion active social media users online? That’s a pretty shocking amount considering that the total worldwide population has been recorded at just over 7.4 billion in July 2016.
Social media accounts are one of the most valuable social media assets that a small business could have and just require an investment of time. Ensure that your profiles have been filled out correctly and share content relevant to your industry that prospective customers would find useful. This can help to build a loyal following and increase your chances of a sale.
No matter your industry, there’s bound to be potential customers looking for the services your business offers.
Create Your Own Promotional Materials
As an entrepreneur, your business will be your prized possession. Whether you’re explaining to somebody on the train about your day or in a professional business meeting, having professional media to hand out can leave a great touch and help people remember you.
Small touches often make the greatest impact as customers notice details. However, it doesn’t have to be expensive. Sourcing your own business printers is a great option for small business owners looking to lower their promotional costs as they can be used for daily printing operations and create branded promotional material in-house.
Run a Competition
How many times has your attention been captured when you see the word “FREE”? Your mind works exactly the same as a customer, so offering free products can entice future customers into trialling your services. You never know – if they like it, they could place repeat orders.
Running a competition can increase the exposure your brand receives depending on the way you market it. If your social media accounts are already optimised for reaching new people, you could encourage social sharing as an entry for extra chances to win. This will boost your social following as well as increase the awareness of your brand.
The trust people have in your business can also be increased using this marketing tactic. By using an external piece of software to host the survey and choose a winner, you can prove that your brand is fair and un-biased.
As you can see, promoting your business doesn’t have to be a costly exercise. When creating your marketing strategy, including these simple tactics can help to boost your success and find the best way for interacting with prospective customers.
