Marketing your business is vital to your ongoing success. However, that may seem impossible with a minimum (or nonexistent) budget. Old sayings like “you have to spend money to make money,” simply aren’t entirely true in the age of digital marketing.
How to market your small business on a shoestring budget:
Be open to opportunities when they arise. Fun ways to make connections include attending free or low-cost luncheons in your community, volunteering for a worthy cause, asking for referrals from friends and family, and creating content that accurately represents your brand.
It might also mean using free or low-cost digital marketing methods like email marketing and social media marketing.
2. Start Building Your Email Marketing
You’ll first need to build an email marketing list. Check out this resource from HubSpot for how-to tips. Once you’ve gathered a list you can use an automated email marketing platform. Mail Chimp offers a free plan up to 2,000 contacts in your account, and up to 12,000 emails sent per month. With the free plan, you’ll also get basic templates, 1-click automations, behavioral targeting, and seven marketing channels.
Other email marketing platforms to consider include Constant Contact and Active Campaign.
3. Use Social Media Marketing for Brand Awareness
Social media marketing helps improve brand loyalty, offering an effective way to build relationships with customers and prospective leads. However, it can quickly consume your time. As a business owner, time equates to money. Focus on your business by using a scheduling platform to create a batch of social posts in advance. Setting aside a block of time each week to schedule posts will simplify your social media marketing efforts.
Free and low-cost schedulers to consider include Hootsuite, Buffer, and Planoly.
4. Use Graphics Software for Custom Designs
If hiring a graphic designer is out of your budget, you might consider using an online platform, like Canva, for custom content and graphics to showcase your brand. Hiring a graphic designer is always a great option, but if you have the time to spare you can create professional layouts in a variety of templates with Canva, an online program allowing you to drag-and-drop images, add photo filters, icons, shapes, fonts, and more.
5. Create a Plan and Stick to It
The biggest challenge for small businesses is sticking to a marketing plan. Marketing is a long-term approach to a short-term problem. A six-month campaign may not generate a profit until month eight.
Get started and create a plan. If you work with an in-office team, use an enlarged whiteboard calendar to create campaigns. If your team is remote, use a shared online calendar. Start by adding special events, upcoming product launches, and holidays. Then fill in the gaps with planned campaigns. Be mindful of product inventory and the time it takes to promote. For example, allow a minimum of four weeks to market a new product (or service) before it launches.
Marketing your business is important. If you have a limited budget, you might want to consider these tips to help you get started.
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