Marketing is absolutely essential for growing your business. You may think you can’t afford it, but this is not true! You can market your business with a budget. There are plenty of great marketing opportunities out there for entrepreneurs willing to make the effort. Following are four easy ways to market your business that cost little to no money.
1. Start Using SEO
If you want people to read your website content, that’s where SEO counts. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It means creating quality content and presenting it in a way that will have your site showing up at or near the top of search engine results.
To start with, you can choose some keywords—words you want users to find your site by. Use these keywords in some of your headings and throughout your posts to improve your position in search results.
2. Start a Blog to Market Your Business with a Budget
If you have a website, you can start a blog to provide useful content to your target audience and practice your new SEO skills while you’re at it. As customers are drawn to your website to read your blog, you will hopefully increase your sales conversions.
Before you start your blog, take time to consider who your target audience is. You’ll want to create blogs that catch their interest. Also, you don’t want to spend your time catering to people who aren’t likely to buy your product or service. This is true of any marketing efforts.
3. Use Social Media
Most people are on social media and regularly check their feeds. Here is a great way to market your business on a budget. This makes social media platforms an excellent place to reach your target customers. It’s best to start out with just a couple of platforms because you need to invest the time to stay active.
Facebook is a good choice because most people have at least a Facebook account. Post articles, pictures, or quotes about your business, product, or industry that you believe will interest your audience. Instagram is an excellent social media platform for posting pictures, which is great for businesses that have a visually appealing product they can show off. Repost or share favorable content from your customers, too. This will engage your audience, and your followers will appreciate content that seems authentic.
4. Start a Customer Referral Program
If you provide great service, customers will love your business and will want to recommend you to their friends. This is what a customer referral program is all about.
There is no recommendation a potential customer is more likely to trust than a friend’s. This makes using referrals from your current and former customers your most powerful potential marketing tool. Here are a few ways to get started:
- Just ask. Call or email to ask customers to talk about your business. Email promotions allow for predesigned email templates that can be reused. However, calls offer you the chance to talk to your customer and add a personal touch.
- Offer a referral reward. By offering a reward to customers and their friends, you can motivate existing customers to refer new customers.
- Use customer satisfaction surveys. At the end of the survey, thank customers who give you good marks and ask them to refer their friends.
Summing Up
These are all wonderful ways to market your business to potential customers without breaking the bank. By using any or all of these tactics, you can bring in clients with minimal expense.
