Small businesses are always looking for ways to market their products or services without breaking the bank. Fortunately, there are plenty of creative marketing ideas that won't cost a fortune.
Here's Wave's quickfire round of ideas you can get started on today!
1 . PARTNERSHIPS
Have you considered partnering with other small businesses in your community to cross-promote each other's offerings both online and offline? Identify the right business to partner with and the mutual benefits could far outweigh what you can each achieve alone.
Light up social feeds with a partnership competition on Instagram or Facebook where followers have to follow, tag a friend and like a competition post to win a product/service from both businesses.
If you have a physical location you can promote your partnership in-store as well with collateral promoting the unique selling points of the partnership.
2. Websites
It's always surprising the number of small businesses out there that either don't have a website, have one but it's completely outdated or have invested in a new one but doesn't invest their time in keeping it fresh and geared towards their customer. Your website is essentially another store-front and should be maintained with the pride and dignity it deserves.
We get it, it costs money, but services like Wave's 10-day website ensures small businesses can get out there, rank against competitors and grow with ambition that matches their founder.
3 - Referral programmes
Offer a referral programme that incentivises current customers to tell their friends and bring in new business. This could be a discount on their next order, a free gift, credit or a gift card.
4 - Loyalty Programmes
Never underestimate the loyalty card. There's a reason why they've stood the test of time. It doesn't have to be over complicated – a free coffee for every 10 purchased works wonders. For service-based businesses, offering long-standing clients early access to new features and services can boost loyalty and breathe life into working relationships. Again, we've introduced this method to business 'Ginger and Pickles', making sure customers keep returning for great coffee.
5 - WRITE ARTICLES AND BLOGS
If you have a website, start to promote yourself as a thought leader in your industry by writing articles or other website content around topics that matter to your audience AND that they are searching for. Ubersuggest is a powerful and free tool that offers keyword suggestions based on your chosen URL or target keyword.
With three daily searches available for free, this tool can help you generate a long list of keyword ideas that can be used for your next blog post, product ideas, or even to capture more organic traffic. However, if you require more than three daily searches, a paid subscription is required. Use Ubersuggest to maximise your online marketing potential and take your business to the next level.
Top tip: you could even put in your competitor's website and see how to get better keyword ideas.
6 - Events
Hosting events or workshops is another effective way to attract attention and engage with potential customers. As well as product launches, and annual events you can drive-up awareness of your business by running events that tie in with your company's and your customers' values such as a book launch, fundraising for a local charity, talks or anything else that could but you as a thought leader in that space.
By thinking outside the box and getting creative, small businesses can successfully market themselves without overspending.
7 - local SEO
Local SEO is a powerful tool for small businesses looking to attract customers in their local area. Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on improving a website's search engine ranking, local SEO is all about ensuring your business is listed correctly on platforms like Google Maps and Google My Business. By optimising your business information, you can ensure your business shows up in local search results for relevant queries, helping to drive traffic and generate leads. With the majority of consumers now using online search to find local businesses, local SEO is a must for any small business looking to succeed online.
Get started on your local SEO with these three action points:
- Consistent naming. Consistency is key when it comes to local SEO for small businesses. Make sure that your business name, address, and phone number are identical across your website, social media profiles, and listings. If there are discrepancies, search engines may view it as a risk and direct potential customers to the wrong location, which can harm your ranking.
- Complete the profile. Make sure to complete your Google business profile with all the necessary information, including a phone number, photos, and a list of your products or services. A complete profile will increase your chances of appearing in local search results and attract more potential customers to your business.
- Reviews. Positive reviews are crucial for local business SEO. High volumes of positive reviews increase the chances of ranking highly in local search results. While it's acceptable to request reviews from customers, search engines have sophisticated systems to detect fraudulent activity such as fake or paid reviews. If you are able to get 5% of your customers to leave a review, you'll be on the path to local SEO success in no time.
In conclusion, marketing on a budget is all about being creative and strategic. By implementing these ideas and thinking outside the box, small businesses can attract new customers and grow their business. There are many other cost-effective marketing strategies out there, so don't be afraid to experiment and try new things. With a little creativity and effort, small businesses can successfully market themselves to stand out online and reach their full potential. So, start brainstorming and see where your creativity takes you!
NEXT STEPS
If all this seems overwhelming or you think it could take too much time, Wave offers a number of inbound marketing services to help you attract new customers to your business.
