Marketing A Business On A Small Budget
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a huge pool of resources and a big team of employees to come up with a successful marketing campaign. In fact, many effective marketing campaigns require little manpower and can be achieved with limited resources. What matters is the quality of your advertising content. Things like coming up with a compelling elevator pitch, or establishing a good network are all marketing strategies that can be done with a few employees and a shoestring budget. In this article, we’ve come up with a list of the best marketing tips that you and your small team should follow in order to enhance your business’s marketing strategy. Keep reading to find out more! Plus, if you need to streamline your overall business management, use this paycheck sample to create a paystub.
1. Craft an elevator pitch
First things first, you need to come up with a good elevator pitch. According to research, customers only have an attention span of fewer than ten seconds. So, you need to come up with something catchy, yet memorable.
Think about your company’s vision. Or how your company stands out from the rest of the competition. You can create a compelling elevator pitch by considering either one of these things. Just remember, once you engage potential customers with your elevator pitch, you don’t have much time to convince them to buy your product or service. Look at your elevator pitch as a form of investment. The more time and effort you put into it, the bigger the returns. So, don’t skimp out on this step. Your elevator pitch is your stepping stone to potential business opportunities so make sure it’s done well.
2. Leverage your community
When marketing your business, it’s always best to aim small before expanding your outreach. You don’t need the whole world knowing about your business and its products or services. Start by getting the word out to the people around you. Think about your friends, family, and the local community. If you can’t get people around you to support your business, there’s an even lower chance that people from across the world, or even your country, will either.
Be the sponsor for a local ballgame. Get your company to participate in a charity walk. Put up posters around your neighborhood. Once you establish a customer base within your community, then you can look at expanding your promotional reach.
Additionally, it’s also important to think of the type of customer your business is targeting. Think about the places they might frequent and where they’ll be most like to see your promotional content. You’d want to focus your advertising efforts on those places.
3. Collaborate
Your competitors don’t always have to be your enemies. In fact, the best way to get a higher turnover of customers is to collaborate with businesses that offer similar or complementary goods and services.
Get together with companies who are willing to partner with you and offer discounts, coupes, bundled promotions to prospective customers or clients. Collaborating is always a win-win for both parties so don’t be too quick in shutting out other businesses.
4. Network
A tried and true marketing strategy — networking is always at the top of many businesses ’ list for one of the best marketing strategies to engage in. In fact, many successful companies are built on strong networks. What your business or employees may not have or know, there’s bound to be another company that can help.
So, get out there! Meet more people and start building a strong network for you and your brand. You never know which of these connections you might need to rely on or the business opportunities that might arise from these networks.
5. Give a speech
Most people aren’t a fan of public speaking. But, giving a speech is a great way to establish your and your business’s credibility in the industry as well as promote your company at the same time. Organizations are always on the lookout for industry experts who’re willing to present and share their experiences. So, don’t shy away from such opportunities! Volunteer to give a speech or sign up for one. Better yet, if an organization approaches you, take it as a sign that people are interested in your company and leverage the opportunity.
6. Create buzz
Unlike in the past, small businesses don’t need to hire professional agencies to get media coverage. There are many sites out there that help connect journalists with potential sources. By joining one of these sites, you can respond to a journalist’s request for expertise on a certain industry or subject. This way, your business can still get media coverage without having to pay an exorbitant amount of money.
7. Ask for referrals
Networking with professionals in the same industry as you are is one thing. But, you also shouldn’t forget one of your business’s most valuable assets — your customers. Getting your customers to share about your business with their friends and family is an effective marketing strategy that comes at no extra cost at all. As such, it’s important to build strong relationships with your customers. You can do so by sending or newsletters or emails to keep your customers updated. But, spamming can also be a turn-off. So, be sure not to send them out too frequently.
You should also consider your business’s customer support. Are customers able to reach you easily? Do you respond to their queries and feedback in a timely manner? All these things influence your customer’s experience and shape their impression of your brand. If you want them to promote your business, you need to ensure that their experience is a positive one.
Conclusion
From all the marketing strategies and tips we’ve listed in the article, it’s easy to see that you don’t need a lot of manpower or a big budget to come up to promote your business. What’s more important is the effort that you put into advertising your brand. So, what are you waiting for? Maybe you need to rewrite your elevator pitch. Or you need to start networking. Whatever the case may be, you’re definitely well on your way to marketing your small business in a more effective manner!