If you’re like most businesses you don’t have a Super Bowl marketing budget, but you still need to be able to ensure maximum exposure. Every dollar spent matters and has a job to convert to sales.
If you’re operating on a shoestring budget or have had to allocate money elsewhere this year and move it from your marketing, here are a few ideas to help you do more with less:
Social Media
This is the obvious one because you can build an audience for nothing but time. However, in order to do this, you will have to build relationships and that means investing the time to comment, like, share engaging content, and have conversations. You won’t build a loyal, active following just by creating a profile and scheduling posts. You need to be present just like all the other relationships you hope to deepen.
When using social media, it’s also important to select a platform where your ideal target market is. If you’re looking to market to people under forty, for instance, TikTok is a growing app. However, if your ideal customer is older than that, it might not be worth your time.
Chamber Bucks/Local Currency
Check with your local chamber of commerce to find out if they have a currency program that you can be a part of. It’s usually free to participate and they will help market your business as a participating merchant.
Your Pitch
You never know when the opportunity to get the word out abut your business will present itself. When it does, you want to be ready with a strong reason why people should buy from you. Craft a 30-second to one-minute elevator speech about who you serve and how you help. Be specific without concern about who you will alienate. You don’t want to attract “may-be’s.” You want to ensure good fits for what you offer are intrigued and self-identify as such. You want them to have a “they can help me” moment when speaking with you no matter how short the conversation is.
Leverage Everyone
Most of us assume our friends and family know what we do and who we do it for but that is not always the case. That’s why it’s important to take every opportunity to leverage your connections. That means taking advantage of things like adding your tagline or elevator pitch to your email signature. Posting to your personal social media accounts who you’re looking to help or work with.
If you’re a service provider, tell your friends what you do and for whom. Then ask them if they know of anyone looking for your services. You can also tell them you have spots open for a client looking for X or a particular kind of work environment. Be specific about the type of people you’re looking to work with and what your availability is for short term or long term projects. For instance, you might post “I have availability for a short web redesign of 3 pages in the next month.”
Getting the word out about your business doesn’t have to cost a lot of money when you use these ideas and other word of mouth strategies.
