Marketing Tips for Small Businesses with Small Budgets

Small businesses usually have small budgets. That can lead to problems with marketing but here are some tips to help with just that.

Having a small budget is a pain, especially when it comes to marketing. Some of the great ideas costs a lot of money. If you’re not careful, you end up spending all your money on marketing but it goes nowhere! There are some great options that cost little or nothing but you can soon find that you spend all your time on them and they still don’t help you boost your sales.

You need to promote your small business, though, and you need to do it effectively. Here are some tips that I’ve tried and have found success with and I hope they help you!

Marketing Types to Choose From

Chris Heiler

Create a Marketing Plan and Keep Checking Back

Your marketing plan is the most important part of this whole process. It details your budget, the types of marketing that could help you and those that are within your budget. It also details the time that you will spend on the different types of marketing and how often you will check the analytics to make sure it is working for you.

This marketing plan is changeable and you should consider changing it every few months or so. You can remove the forms of marketing that simply aren’t doing anything, focus on those that are excellent and then look into the ones that could work if you use more effectively. It will also help you assess your time to avoid spending too much time on marketing or decide whether you need to hire someone specific to help you out in this area.

As your budget for your small business increases, it is time to look at the plan again. Assess where you can use the money and make sure you use it wisely. There’s no point simply throwing money into marketing just for the sake of it. You will need to assess how well the type of marketing has worked in the past and whether it is time to take it to the next level.

Creating Your Marketing Plan

Consider Free Forms of Marketing

There are many free forms of marketing that you should consider as a small business. Many of these are highly effective, especially social media and content marketing. Set up a Twitter account, create a Facebook fan page and look at all the other types of social media out there. However, you will need to look into how each one works and start small. It’s easy to sign up for all accounts and then find yourself overwhelmed and unable to spend the time you need on each one.

Another great form of free marketing is getting listed in the business directories. There are many available, including Yell. While some will charge a small amount, most charge nothing just to be listed as a business. You can add your location, which also helps with your geo-search results. As people start looking for your type of business, they’ll find you much quicker than ever before.

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Spend a Little for an Investment

With your small budget, you need to spend it wisely. Think about the areas that will turn out to be an investment. The most important is your website. If you don’t have one already, create one! If you have one, it’s time to make it stand out and offer the best marketing potential. You should set up on your own domain name, which will involve buying hosting, but it is better marketing than a free domain.

When creating a website, consider adding a blog. This is great to utilise your content marketing strategy. Your blog will help you build authority and will use keywords so that you’re found in search results. You can also add a subscriber list so you build an email list and can start using email marketing.

Now that you have a website, it’s time to create link backs to it. Guest post on blogs that cover a similar niche to you and use article directories for free postings about your niche. You will need to follow the rules on the directories and for the guest posts but you will increase your reach and see more friendly, open and an authority.

Create Your Email List

Email marketing remains as one of the most effective forms of marketing around. It is low in cost and extremely easy to set up. The hardest part is getting people to give you their email address and they’re only going to do that if they want to learn more from you and you offer something valuable.

Start by creating something valuable to offer as a freebie. This gives people a reason to sign up to your list. Some people will simply sign up just to get the freebie and then unsubscribe but others will want to hear what you have to say after reading your eBook or using your free gift. As long as you continue to offer valuable content, they will remain on your list and you have the chance to turn cold leads into warm sales.

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Get Out to Networking Events

Marketing isn’t about sitting behind the computer for the whole day. You need to start getting out and networking. Often it’s not what you know but who you know, especially as a small business. There are many free events around or you can pay a small amount for bigger events; just make sure you have your business cards with you!

If you’ve never networked in the past, it can be nerve-wracking the first time. It’s important to relax and practise before you go. It’s also worth investing in a great suit and learning the tricks of networking from others to boost your business.

Marketing doesn’t have to be expensive. There are affordable tips for all small business budgets. Create your marketing plan and go from there. You will soon find that your business improves and you start making the profit of your dreams.