Last updated on April 28, 2021
As per statistics, one of the most widespread challenges businessmen face when it comes to marketing is tight financial resources. Therefore, unless you are a mega-brand or a startup powered by an established company, you are bound to have a limited marketing budget. If that’s the case for you, here are some of the best marketing plans you can rely on that won’t burn a hole in your pockets.
- Start by using social media
As per reports, more than two-thirds of Americans today have an active social media profile. Therefore, if you want to reach a large chunk of the audience online, social media is the best way to go about it. Among other sites, some of the most popular social media handles you can use for your business include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Reddit, Snapchat, LinkedIn, and GooglePlus. All these social media platforms have their own set of distinctive features. Due to their unique functionalities, they specialize in engaging their particular set of specific audiences. You can either choose to master all in the first go, or you can take baby steps and start by covering one platform at a time.
- Your content should hold value
Apart from eager and enlightened audiences, Google too gets impressed by valuable content you publish on your social media handles. Some common ways to share quality content include blogging, making videos, hosting podcasts, submitting articles to websites that have authority sites, designing infographics, coming up with online posts, and more. With all these content generation techniques, you won’t only be able to make your profile active and lively for your audience, but you will also have a chance to fetch more online traffic for your website.
One of the best ways to impress Google to fetch in more traffic is by becoming a guest blogger for a different, complementary website. Just in case you run out of ideas, you can always remodel an older, existing piece of content and give it a new spin. If your company does not have the bandwidth to create this much content, you also have the option to hire freelance writers, graphic designers, and many such professionals online.
- Don’t forget the discounts, giveaways, and contest ideas
Who doesn’t love complimentary gifts? One of the best ways to gain trust and goodwill or your audiences is by giving away fun items. In fact, such tactics are perfect to build your brand image in front of potential customers. Don’t worry, these giveaways need not be expensive. Things like fridge magnets, mugs, accessories, online eBooks, checklists, and white papers are enough to keep your customers happy.
Moreover, an excellent way to promote your products and create a name for yourself is by putting them up on Facebook in the form of discounts and promotions. Now, your followers on Facebook can choose to purchase that product at a discounted price in exchange for sharing your post or engaging your brand in some or the other manner online.
- Use online advertising channels
For a small company, using the traditional means of marketing can be financially draining. This is because the conventional means of advertising include hoardings, TV, radio, newspaper and magazine ads, etc. Not only are these channels very expensive but measuring results through them also becomes very difficult. An excellent alternative to the conventional marketing style is online advertising. Not only is online advertising cheaper, but it is also result-oriented and can target audience in a better manner. Some of the most widely-used online advertising options include Google Pay Per Click ads (PPC) and Facebook Ads. And while you are at it, don’t forget to list your business on other free online directories such as Yelp, Google Maps, and Google Business.
In addition, some effective free of cost methods to promote your business are mentioned here:
- a) You can add a promotional telephonic message that plays every time your customers are on hold.
- b) If you have a retail store, you can use window decals to promote your business.
- c) You can also advertise on email signatures or letterheads.
- d) Most importantly, don’t forget to send across special holiday discounts, birthday discounts, and surprise rewards to your valued customers.
In conclusion
After reading this, you will be able to understand that marketing your entire business on a budget through online methods is not impossible. Even though you might not have wads of cash to spend on your mind-blowing marketing tactics, you can still have a stellar plan laid out for your company. In fact, if you strategize well, your results might be better than what you’d expect, ultimately spiking your revenues. To get the best out of these tactics, all you need to do is be creative and think outside the box.
Author Bio
Bharat Patel, who heads the digital marketing team at Brainvire Infotech, is armed with over 12 years of experience in the fields of online marketing and project management. He is extremely proactive in implementing the latest technological innovations in his projects. Bharat’s core expertise lies in search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, and conversion rate optimization, among other things. His immense flare of writing encourages him to consistently pen down words revolving around current trends and innovations that relate to his fields of interest.
