Low Budget Marketing Ideas sounds interesting, isn’t it? Are you wondering if you will end up spending more than you’ve planned for? Well, if you want to gain more customers and make a profit then not marketing your products may turn out to be the biggest factor your business may fail.
So, how does one go about it? Should you book hoardings, send out mass emailers, pay for a commercial? Not really. I began the article saying low budget marketing ideas and that’s what we are going to discuss. Marketing on a shoestring budget is not just an art, it’s science too. Have I managed to make you curious enough to read these ideas, I am sure will work perfectly for you this year.
My take on low budget marketing ideas:
Publish Unique Content
Unique content, which means something different from the usual PR articles businesses publish in newspapers. Often PR articles are not enough to garner the interest in your product unless someone is looking for it. So, what can get you noticed? Well, blogs and articles. A blog is an amazing tool in the online marketing arsenal. Blogs that are different, out-of-the-box and imaginative create a buzz helping you get much better leads. Search engines like Google, Bing and others are looking for quality content, some topics that very few talk about but are the most searched items on the Internet. Such blogs are opportunities for you to explain your product in-depth without sounding like a sales pitch. Yes, you’ve read that right. You don’t pitch your product, you explain how your customer will benefit from it. Create a buzz to go viral
Corporate Films
YouTube videos are the rage today, aren’t they? Everywhere you go you can see people pulling out their mobile phones to create a video or watching a video someone has created on a topic you are interested in. Ranjana Raghuwanshi, Founder, Kreative Kut Productions says, “A video has more impact on your audience. It has the ability to get you 50% more traction than you would otherwise.”
Just creating a video won’t help. You must think of a way to either educate your customer, market your product intelligently or become a thought leader people look up to for answers they seek. That’s where corporate films come into the picture. A well made corporate film can help you gain trust, add credibility to your expertise, and make your product visible to your target audience easily.
Social Media is your friend
If you aren’t on social media, you aren’t doing enough. Everyone is on social media and you should be too. The world becomes your oyster on social media where communication becomes easy. Reaching out to your target customer via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram is now the accepted norm. Attracting customers, engaging with them, and updating them on new products and services becomes easy. These channels are great platforms for feedback and consumer reviews.
Use Infographics
We know an image speaks a thousand words. Well, a good infographic is just that, a good image with vital information. Infographics are the most amazing marketing option for your business. They have the right look that will attract people to see and share them. Creating an infographic and allowing others to use them for their website or presentations as long as you get credit for the infographic. These simple byte size informational images help you increase the backlinks to your website and referral traffic.
Grow Your Network
Each one of us has connections that we’ve interacted with before at previous jobs, our neighbourhoods and among friends. However, when you are looking to grow your business, your small circle of connections is not enough. Growing your network, connecting with businesses that compliment your products or service, collaborating and nurturing a relationship that will help you in the future. You can always participate in an event, signup for a webinar or a workshop for the same or allied industries.
Website is a must
Whether you are just starting up or have been in business for a few years, a website for your business is a must. When people do a web search for your business, your website must show up in the top 10 results. If your potential consumers are looking for products or services in areas near them, your website must be one of the top results. To ensure your website is on the top of the search engine results consider SEO.
How does your website help? Well, if your website has all the business information about your products and services, your location, contact details and business hours then connecting becomes easy. Customer testimonials, a blog are other ways to increase your reach.
Ultimate Business Cards
You must have attractive business cards for making your identity strong. You can give to those people, whom you think worthy. Every people you meet regarding your business should end up offering your business card. These are all the major keys for the low budget marketing ideas to develop your business.
Brand your Vehicles
Whether you have a bike, a car or a company vehicle that you use regularly, think of branding it with your business logo and information. If you have budget constraints you can always get decals and stick them on your windows or put up magnetic stickers instead of a full paint job. A low budget marketing idea that will give you results for sure and add to your brand recall value.
Connect with the local media
Doing an ad promotion in a national daily is expensive, however, connecting with local media may be economical. Most local media offices are willing to visit your business and talk about it if you have a unique product or a useful service. Do remember, they would not cover your promotional content in their local papers, magazines, and newsletters unless you’ve bought an ad spot with them. So, connect with reporters, send out press releases, etc.
Do these ideas work? Well, you’ll never know unless you use them for your business. So, are you going to? I’ve used most of the ideas mentioned in the article above.
-Archana Chettiar