Can marketing be free? Of course it can. Small businesses without a large advertising budget can actually easily reach their target audience with some free or low-budget tools.
There are ways that really help promote products and services without spending extra money. We have collected for you 10 best free and low-budget marketing ideas that will help small businesses sell themselves profitably and effectively. Read about all this in detail in the article.
Email newsletters
One of the proven tools that helps expand your telemarketing data target audience and promote your product in the least expensive way. You can hire a copywriter to create sales emails, and this will cost money, or you can save money and create the newsletters yourself.
Turn on your creative thinking, approach the task creatively. Work on the design of the letterhead, experiment with the subject and content of the letter. The more creative and intriguing the design and presentation of the email newsletter, the greater the chance that recipients will open and read your advertising message, and thus, perhaps, become your first customers. Go for it!
Social Media Marketing
The second method is no less simple. Register, competently and aesthetically design a business profile in all popular social networks. It is absolutely free, but very effective.
Positioning your brand on social platforms marketing list will show off your best features and attract a large number of potential customers, allowing you to significantly expand your target audience. Of course, sales will not increase immediately after registration, but nevertheless, this method is an excellent foundation and a guarantee of future success.
Some companies may not even have as the demand for interactive an official website, the creation and promotion of which requires certain investments, but they do have an Instagram page, with the help of which they successfully sell their goods and services.
For example, if you have your own coffee shop, bakery, cheese factory or barbershop, then it will be enough for you to create bright profiles on VKontakte and Instagram to attract the lion’s share of the audience and win their favor and attention with your services.
Start small!
Content Marketing
Creating and maintaining a corporate blog is another powerful promotion tool. Even if you are not a professional copywriter-marketer, you can easily master this profession yourself and create selling and visually attractive content yourself.
First, study your target audience: their needs, age, social status, gender, interests and tastes. Decide who your potential buyers are, what interests them, what is beneficial to them, etc. Then analyze the positive and negative sides of your competitors and take note of all the pros and cons.
Think about what you can offer that they don’t have? Highlight your strengths, find a twist, make an offer they can’t refuse.
Next, define the task. Develop a clear strategy, tactics and make a content plan for the month. And then competently and beautifully package your offers, promotions, product information and fresh unique ideas into visually attractive and meaningful content.
Diversify your delivery. Intrigue your readers! Don’t get stuck on one style and genre. It can be not only regular texts for a blog and social networks, but also news press releases, podcasts, etc.
“Word of mouth” or discount for recommendations
A good old and proven method, which in most cases works even better than the most expensive advertising. Many small companies began their promotion with this simple and well-known method.
Offer your customers a generous discount for a referral. The offer might look something like this:
- ” Bring three friends and get a discount “
- ” Get a discount on your first purchase using a referral link “
- ” tag a friend in a comment under the post and get a bonus/gift/present ” etc.
This method, beloved by all, works without fail. What client would refuse a discount or a gift on condition of performing simple actions?
Interaction with the client
Clients should not be forgotten. They must be remembered, encouraged and maintained in constant contact with them. How? For example, through training and organizing various events with their participation.
You can also offer them to use the support service or create useful informational content that will help solve their problems. There are many ways to interact. Choose the one that suits you and your customers best.
Partnerships
It’s not just your customers you can effectively collaborate with. Look for partners to collaborate with in related industries. By teaming up with other small business owners who aren’t your competitors, you can double or triple your strength.
This low-cost method is beneficial to both parties and will allow you to reach new potential buyers, significantly expanding your target audience. How is such cooperation built?
- These could be mutual recommendations for a certain percentage of sales.
- Joint PR during various events and much more.
Free product testing
Offer to try your product for free. This is the least expensive way to promote. If you are selling an information product, then launch a free online course for promotion, interest the audience in your product, and leave the most interesting part for “dessert”, offering to make a certain payment for this.
Let’s say you sell an online course for single women who dream of getting married. In the free course, outline the main points that can help the audience solve the problem, and make a detailed analysis and an extended course with a package of audio meditations, individual consultation and homework paid by subscription.
If you are engaged in the sale of food products, etc., for example, you have a snack bar, bakery, restaurant or cheese factory, then simply arrange a free tasting of your dishes. People will appreciate it and will certainly buy, and your minimal costs will quickly pay off doubly.
Also, various samples in perfume shops and beauty salons, free online and offline consultations of individual specialists, free audits, etc. have a great effect on sales. Attract people at the beginning of your business with your services and products for free to form a strong customer base that will subsequently bring in a steady income. Don’t be afraid to take risks, don’t be stingy, be generous and everything will certainly pay off. Remember that any return is always a receipt.
