It’s no secret that marketing can be expensive. However, as a small business owner, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get the word out about your products or services. In this blog post we will discuss three cost effective marketing strategies for small businesses to take advantage of right now.
1. Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is one strategy that works amazingly well when done correctly. However, it’s important to know what you want to get out of it before diving in head first.
Social media marketing involves posting content on various social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the goal of generating awareness and engagement among potential customers who might not otherwise hear about your business. While it requires a lot less money up-front than other forms of advertising (such as TV, radio or traditional print ads), it is generally more time-consuming. It’s important to dedicate time and energy to developing a relevant social media marketing strategy for your company.
If you’re new to the world of social media for business, it’s best to start by focusing on just one or two platforms. Try to post every day with the goal of building an online community. You may want to promote a few posts in order to get the ball rolling and gain traction more quickly. This type of advertising is very cost-effective because you can get super specific about the demographic you want to target, ensuring that not a single penny of your budget gets wasted on an irrelevant audience.
Remember to use social media analytics tools to gain an insight into your audience and the types of content that perform the best. Most channels have a basic free version that can prove very helpful.
2. Learn the Basics of SEO
Another cost effective form of online advertising that many small businesses may not yet have heard about, but should definitely take advantage of is SEO (Search Engine Optimization). While it does not happen overnight, the right SEO strategy can definitely help your business rank higher in search results and receive more traffic from people looking to purchase products or services like yours.
So what exactly is SEO? Well, it’s basically just a way of making your website better for search engines so that they can find your website easier and rank it higher when people search for certain keywords related to the products or services you offer. This process takes some time, but there are a lot of strategies small business owners can take advantage of in order to get their sites ranking higher on search engine results pages (SERPs).
If done correctly, SEO could help you get more traffic to your site, which leads to increased sales.
Some basic ways to optimise your business website include:
- Compressing images to improve loading times
- Using a Content Distribution Network (CDN) to speed up your site
- Creating keyword-rich pages and blog posts
- Regularly publishing new content
- Creating plenty of internal links
3. Email Marketing
Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to market your business. Not only can you send updates and newsletters, but it’s also a good way for customers to contact you with questions or concerns. You can also offer discounts or coupons through email which creates an incentive for them to buy from your company again.
One way to increase the effectiveness of your email marketing is by creating an autoresponder series. This starts with sending out introductory emails that include information about who you are, what services you provide, and any other relevant details about your company. Then, once there is some type of interaction between customer and business you can send follow-up messages with relevant content.
For example, if someone purchases a new watch from your website or store front, then they will receive an email afterwards thanking them for the purchase and providing some basic information about what to expect in regards to when it would be delivered. Once there is movement on their order, they may receive an email update or notification about when to check in for the package. This is just one way that you can use your autoresponder series.
You can also include helpful information and features on different pages of your website, such as an FAQ section where users can get help with their purchase or other concerns.
Another way to increase conversions through email marketing is by offering an incentive for people to sign up, whether it be a free ebook or coupons and discounts. Once a prospective customer signs up, you can use an automated nurturing email sequence to guide them along the customer journey.
Summary
When it comes to marketing your small business, the above three cost-effective strategies can prove very powerful. Social media is a great way to target potential customers and build brand awareness. Meanwhile, SEO will allow you rank higher on Google searches which results in more website traffic and ultimately more revenue. Finally, email marketing allows you to create automated campaigns with personalized messages to nurture your customers and keep them coming back. When combined, these three strategies can really drive your business forward and enable serious growth.
