How to Expand Your Marketing Efforts with Limited Resources

If you’re like most small business owners, you have limited resources to market your company. Even when you have a marketing plan, your budget is usually meager and is the first thing you cut when you need cash flow. But not all marketing is expensive. You can market your small business effectively with these low-cost, high-impact marketing strategies:

• Send emails regularly. While this is not a new tactic, it’s a very effective way to improve brand awareness and develop a relationship with your customers. You can send information about specials being offered or provide relevant information through articles or blog posts. Plus, you can implement simple ways to build your list to reach as many people as possible, such as pop-up messages on your website, employee requests at your store or office, or a note on your invoices. Start with sending an email monthly and go from there.
• Optimize and go mobile. Search engine optimization (SEO) is still the cornerstone of increasing visitors to your website. Make your content relevant to your ideal customer and align that with keywords or phrases. You can find keywords on the Internet for little to no cost. Additionally, design your website so customers can load and read it easily on any mobile device.
• Get local. Many people will search local first when searching for a product or service. Take advantage of local searches by promoting your business on apps and websites, such as Yelp, Foursquare, the Yellow Pages, and even your local chamber of commerce.
• Be social. Social media is one of the most cost-effective and quickest ways to create brand awareness, develop a rapport with your customers, and even turn your customers into your advocates. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr can all be used to market your business at little to no cost. But it’s best only to use the social platforms your customers use most often. Try a few options and see where you get the most engagement.
• Create an event. Offer a free event to the community to spread the word about your business. For example, if you own a yoga studio, offer free a class on how to de-stress. Additionally, you may even offer to use your office or store for a networking event through the chamber of commerce.

You don’t need a large marketing budget to get the word out about your company. Be smart and intentional in your approach and use the right tools. And use these strategies to help you move your business to the next level.