How to market effectively is one of the biggest challenges faced by small businesses and entrepreneurs today.
There are many marketing techniques that can be used, and choosing the right approach for your business is not easy. Small businesses also have a limited budget to use on marketing which makes it even more challenging.
A good marketing strategy is a very valuable tool for any business. In order for your business to be successful, it is essential for people to know about your brand as well as the products and services you offer. This is where a good online marketing strategy can help.
Here some ways one can market their business on a limited budget.
Use the Guerilla Marketing Method
Guerilla marketing looks to leverage creativity, imagination and originality in place of a big budget. Smart small businesses with a limited budget often use guerilla marketing to compete with huge companies. There is no shortage of creative guerilla marketing ideas.
Here are just a few examples:
- If you have a brick and mortar location, pay someone to create eye-catching art with chalk.
- If you sell a product that can be used on the street, employ undercover agents to promote your product directly to potential customers. For example, Sony hired agents to ask strangers to take photos of them and then raved about their camera.
- Organize a flash mob to garner crowd attention and promote awareness of your brand.
Use the Social Media to Socialize
Popular social media channels include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google Plus and Snapchat.
Each of these social media platforms is unique in its own right and require unique ways of engagement. Rather than trying to master it all at once, choose a few that seem to suit the business and try to master those first.
Generate Valuable Content
Not only do potential customers love great content, but so does Google. There are many ways to share information i.e. blogging, creating videos, hosting podcasts, designing infographics or submitting articles to online authority sites.
Not only will one gain authority as an expert, but also get free traffic. One can offer to be a guest blogger for another complementary website or be interviewed on a podcast.
You don’t always have to produce the content yourself. You can hire freelance writers, graphic designers, and personal assistants through websites. If you run out of ideas, you can repurpose old content and give it a new spin.