7 Budget-Friendly Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses

This year, marketing spend is expected to rise by 14 percent. Does the idea of spending 14 percent more than you already are on marketing make you a little anxious?

The good news is that you don’t have to spend a fortune to promote your business and bring in new customers. Listed below are 7 budget-friendly and creative marketing ideas for your business that you can implement today.

1. Claim Your Google My Business Page

When it comes to building a cost-effective marketing strategy, a good place to start with by claiming your free (that’s right, free) Google My Business page.

Your Google My Business page is a listing that ensures your business shows up on Google Maps, as well as the local section of Google search engine results and the Knowledge Panel designed for branded searches. By claiming this free page, you automatically expand your reach and can get your business in front of more people’s eyes.

What’s even better is that your business will show up when people are searching for products or services like the ones you offer. This further increases the likelihood that they’ll check out your business and become paying customers.

2. Use the Right Hashtags

You know that posting on social media is an important part of growing your business. However, if you’re not using the right hashtags when you’re publishing your posts, you might not be getting as much engagement as you deserve.

Hashtags make it easier for people to find your posts and engage with your content online. When certain hashtags are trending, it can be beneficial to include them in your posts (as long as they’re relevant to the overall content) to gain traction and attract more people.

It’s also important to use hashtags that are specific to your business, though. Use hashtags that contain your target keywords, for example. Location-based tags are helpful, too (such as #OklahomaHairDresser).

3. Don’t Forget About LinkedIn

When most people think about online marketing, they think of social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Don’t forget to include LinkedIn in your marketing strategy, though, especially if you run a B2B company or spend a lot of time trying to connect to other professionals.

LinkedIn is often underutilized. This means that it can be easier for you to get noticed if you’re posting on the platform and engaging with other users regularly.

Make an effort to post blog posts or other types of content a couple of times per week (2-5 posts is an ideal amount for most businesses). Respond to comments and join forums, too, so you can build connections, establish yourself as an authority, and continue growing your brand.

4. Create an Email Newsletter

Email newsletters help you to stay in touch with past customers, as well as those who have expressed interest in your business before but maybe haven’t pulled the trigger on your products or services.

By sending regular emails, you can keep your business at the forefront of their minds. You can also send promotional messages that nudge them in the right direction (discount codes, information about sales, etc.).

Email marketing is very inexpensive, and most platforms offer low monthly rates in exchange for their services. If you haven’t created an email newsletter yet, or if you have one but don’t send anything regularly, now is a good time to change that.

Just be sure not to overdo it and spam your contact list with daily messages. That’ll end up getting you blocked, which is the last thing you want to deal with, right?

5. Start Blogging

One reason people don’t send regular email newsletters is that they’re not sure what to include in them. If you start blogging, though, you can use excerpts from the blog or links to recent posts as newsletter content. It’s a win-win.

Blogging helps you to boost your search engine ranking and increase your credibility as a business owner. It also provides more fodder for social media marketing and can help you to expand your reach.

If you’re not sure what to blog about, start with frequently asked questions.

What do people always want to know about your products or services? What kinds of questions do your customers typically ask when they’re shopping in your store or connecting with you online? Keep a list of these questions and then answer them with long-form blog posts.

6. Collaborate with Other Businesses

Of all the marketing tips and tricks out there, one of the most underutilized is the act of collaboration with other businesses.

Consider local businesses in your area that offer services or products that complement yours. For example, if you run a nutrition and supplement store, could you team up with a local chiropractic office or gym to host an event or run a promotion?

By partnering with other businesses, you can expand your reach and get your brand in front of their audience. They also benefit by getting their products and services in front of your customers.

7. Send Direct Mail

Most business owners assume that print marketing is dead in 2021. That’s not the case, though.

Traditional marketing tools like direct mail can be very effective, especially now that a lot of businesses aren’t taking that approach. You might find that mailers stand out and may pique people’s interest more than they once would.

According to the experts at Team Concepts Printing, direct mail can provide a significant return on investment, and it’s easy to customize to specific segments of your audience. It also gives you chance to get creative and try something different.

If you’re looking to shake things up and reach your local audience, direct mail is a great option to consider.

Try These Affordable Marketing Ideas Today

Have you been having a hard time figuring out how to create a marketing strategy without breaking the bank?

If so, start with these 7 budget-friendly marketing ideas. They’ll help you get the word out about your company in an affordable, effective way.

Want to learn more about marketing and building a business? Visit the Business section of our site today for more helpful resources.