Small Business Tips | Marketing on a Budget

6 Small Business Marketing Strategies That Cost Little or Nothing

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For a small business, especially a new one, digital marketing expenses may be difficult to afford. Fortunately, there are a lot of effective marketing strategies that are both inexpensive and do not require you to be a marketing expert.

Harness the Power of Social Media

One of the best forms of digital marketing for your small business is having a strong social media presence. However, you are competing with a lot of others to get attention, so success requires some creativity.

The most important thing in establishing a following on social media is to be active. Post frequently, respond to others in your niche and market, and be sure to cross promote on different platforms.

Use your account to promote your business by doing contests or giveaways that require following or subscribing to an email list. By having your followers spread the news, you not only get more eyes on your account, but it promotes brand recognition for your business.

Use Affiliate Marketing to Drive Sales

Approach bloggers or those with a large social media following and offer them the chance to be affiliate marketers. By promoting your product or service to their followers, they can earn a small commission on any sales.

Affiliate marketing can create a win-win scenario for you and others seeking to boost their online presence and make money. It is also a great digital marketing technique, because you only pay when a sale is made and your business gets a built-in recommendation from someone customers trust.

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Form a Strategic Partnership

Expanding on the idea of affiliate marketing–consider partnering with another small business to boost growth for both businesses. By sharing resources and knowledge with another company that offers complementary products or services, your business will gain exposure and credibility.

The type of partnership will depend on your business, but can include a collaborative product, access to exclusive discounts for each other’s clients, or sharing the cost of a sponsorship or marketing push.

Offer Webinars

Webinars make it easy and efficient to communicate with people interested in your niche. A webinar can be used to demonstrate your expertise and show potential clients why your product or service is useful.

Don’t just use a webinar as a way to openly plug your product, however. It needs to offer value to the people watching. Let your experience and advice on the topic do the marketing for you.

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Write as a Guest Blogger

Guest blogging is an effective way to draw people to your website.

To make this strategy work for you, write relevant content on blogs that are in your field and have a lot of followers. In your author bio, put a link to a page on your website where people can get a free download or learn more about your business.

You may not get a lot of traffic back to your site right away. But it’s still a good way to demonstrate your expertise and become well-known in your field of work.

Create a Lead Magnet

Lead magnets are a great option for small business marketing because you can create them at no cost and they help provide leads for ongoing marketing efforts. They are a proven way to turn people who are interested in your product or service into paying customers.

Offer a free resource in exchange for signing up to your email list. This resource can be a checklist or guide that solves a problem for your potential customers or demonstrates what you can do for them.

To Sum Up

Whether you are just launching your business or are looking to expand your digital marketing efforts, don’t underestimate what you can do for yourself. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on marketing your small business.

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