We have made a list of low budget marketing ideas to help you get your small business noticed.
Click on the links below to learn more about each one:
1. Begin Social Media Marketing
2. Create a Google Business Profile
3. Ask For Google Reviews
4. Work on Email Marketing
5. Make How-To or Informational Videos
To find out more about our low budget marketing ideas, continue reading below. Or, you can contact the team at Relevantly to find out how you can create the perfect marketing plan for your business.
5 Super Easy Low Budget Marketing Ideas For Small Businesses
1. begin social media marketing
Social media marketing is one of the easiest and most cost-effective marketing methods available today.
While it does take some time and effort to learn the basics, most computer-savvy business owners can do some social media marketing on their own.
Facebook advertising, for example, is considered one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies.
You can run ads for as little as $5.00 a day and if you run a great ad, you can get a really high return on investment!
Facebook ads are effective and easy to set up
If you do not have the time to learn how to run ads yourself, it can actually be more cost-effective to work with a social media marketing company.
Choosing to outsource your social media marketing to a small, specialized business means that you won’t have to spend your own time and energy learning how to run ads, create the visuals or content, or analyze the results.
When you choose to work with experts, it also means you are more likely to get great results from your ads because the pros know the right visuals, messaging, call-to-action, and specific targeting to use.
Whether or not you choose to work with a social media marketing team or do it yourself, it is a great, cost-effective marketing method that works well for small businesses of all types.
2. Create a Google Business Profile
It is free to make a Business Profile on Google, and it comes with so many benefits!
This is especially helpful for local, small businesses, as your business name, location, and other information will appear on Google Maps when someone searches for a related product or service.
An example of a My Business Profile that pops up when someone types in “marketing services Kitchener”
When you create a profile like this, Google showcases all of your relevant information such as:
Your business phone number
Your business hours
Your business address if applicable
Your business website
Your Google reviews and star rating
This may not seem like “marketing” but it is! Making your business easily accessible to those who are searching for the products or services you provide is one of the best and easiest ways to have new clients and customers find you.
3. Ask Your Existing Customers Or Clients For Google Reviews
Similar to the previous tip listed above, it is super easy to utilize Google’s business services. It is free, and is great for ongoing marketing!
Consumers care about reviews, and one of the most prominent places to easily find reviews is on Google.
“90% of shoppers read at least one online review before deciding to visit a business.”
One study found that 90% of shoppers will read at least one review online before they choose to shop at a business.
Another study found that 94% of shoppers have reported that reading a negative review impacted their decision to purchase from a business.
That pretty much means that almost all consumers are not just looking at online reviews, but they are actively making purchasing decisions based on what they see.
Low budget marketing ideas: positive (and negative) reviews can influence other shoppers
If your business is lacking reviews, consider simply asking your existing, satisfied customers if they would be willing to leave you a short review.
Many customers who are satisfied with your business will be happy to help you out - they probably just didn’t think to do it on their own!
You can make things easier for them by sending an email with a link to your Google reviews, so all they have to do is click the link and leave a few short sentences about their experience with you.
Make sure to thank anyone who does!
4. create an Email Marketing plan
Email marketing can be quick, effective, and low cost or even no cost depending on how you do it and the services you use!
The hardest part with email marketing is usually obtaining the emails. Many businesses will set up “lead magnets” to help collect an email list.
Lead magnets are essentially free resources, ebooks, tools, or other downloadable digital products that users can sign up to download.
They provide their email addresses and in exchange, get great content from you for free. Click here to see some great lead magnet examples and learn more about how they work.
Email marketing is an approach that can help turn potential customers into actual customers!
While email marketing can be very effective, it does take a bit of time to learn and some practice.
You do not want to come across as “spammy” - otherwise, your contacts will probably feel frustrated and ignore your emails or unsubscribe from your list.
You want to find a balance between selling your product and services and also providing helpful information such as tips, tricks, and resources that your email base will be interested in reading about.
To learn more about effective email marketing strategies, click here.
5. Make Informational or trendy Videos
When it comes to low budget marketing ideas, videos are really taking off right now, partially thanks to the rise of TikTok.
While many videos out there are purely for entertainment, some small businesses can take advantage of this trend in videos by creating interesting video content related to their products and services.
For example, if you own a bakery or café, you could consider making some baking videos. Or maybe you want to follow some of the interesting food trends and make your own video about a popular topic.
If you own a home renovation business, you may want to take footage of a project’s before and after, and showcase the highlights from that.
Videos can be a fun way to get to know your customers and clients better, learn more about what they like, and simply try something new and see if it works for your business!
Trust Relevantly For Your Small Business Online Marketing
If these low budget marketing ideas got you interested in marketing but you simply don’t have the time or know-how to do it yourself, you can rely on the experts at Relevantly.
We understand the unique challenges that small businesses face because we are a small business too. We work closely with our clients to come up with a marketing plan and package that suits your unique needs and budget.
At Relevantly, we have over 15 years of combined marketing experience and have helped small businesses across Ontario, Canada, and North America build their brand online.
If you want to begin creating an effective social media marketing strategy for your own business, contact us today!
