Small Business Marketing on a Shoestring

Small Business Marketing doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg.  I repeat, you don’t have to break the bank to create your small business marketing plan.  BUT…you must do something to get the word out there.  Most small business owners are hopeful that when they open their doors, customers will be tripping over themselves to come in and buy their products and/services.  They know that their products and services are the best, their prices are reasonable, and that they provide a customer buying experience which is second to none.  Given all of these must haves for a business, why shouldn’t they expect the doors to be busting at the seams with new customers?  Well the customers won’t come if they don’t know about the business.  This is why small business marketing is so important.

Opening and operating a business without a small business marketing plan is about as good as opening a business in the middle of a very large cornfield.  No one is going to know about it and it will take quite a long time to get a following to sustain the business.  Many small business owners believe that it requires a huge investment in order to get the word out to their potential customers when sometimes it just takes a little bit of an investment of time and money.

We as business owners need to see marketing as a TOP PRIORITY on our business to-do lists.  Effective Small Business Marketing can be done on a shoestring budget and we’re here to show you how to do it.  Below we’ve laid out some very effective, low or no cost ways to get your business in front of potential customers.

• Grand Openings / Events Can Lead to Great Beginnings

  • If you own a bricks and mortar store, have a Grand Opening.  Invite everyone including the media.  Partner with other businesses to host a (you name it) fair.  Examples:  If you’re a chiropractor, invite other health professionals to set up a table at your office and do a health fair as sponsors.  Ask them to provide a gift to be raffled off and/or free samples to provide to attendees.  What is great about doing this is that you not only have your marketing efforts working for you, you also have the marketing efforts of all of the participating sponsors as they want to get as much exposure as well.  This is a great addition to your Small Business Marketing plan

• Make Alliances and Cross Market

  • Every business has cross marketing opportunities.  Think about what other businesses align with yours.  Example would be a massage therapist could cross marketing with a hair salon, nail salon, spa, etc.  You can do cross promotions as well as package deals.  Trade and display each other’s brochures and business cards.  Another example could be a landscaping business.  This business is ripe to cross market with businesses such as lawn care, tree removal, pest care, patio installers, etc.

• Network, Network, Network

  • Let’s face it, we’re all busy, but if you aren’t taking advantage of all of the business networking opportunities out there, then you are missing out on building some great business relationships which can eventually refer your business to others.  Networking really needs to be a tool in your small business marketing toolbelt
  • No matter what type of business you have, networking is a VERY effective method of getting your business in front of others.
  • For the most part, networking is FREE; it just takes time out of your day.  What is great is that MANY business networking groups are FREE.  To find networking opportunities in your area, a great place to start is by going to Meetup.com.  Many of the Chamber of Commerce chapters allow potential members to check out a couple of events free, BNI is another great networking group.  Of course you can just do web search for “business networking” and then look within your area

• Become Social – Your Customers Are

  • Every Small Business Marketing Plan needs to include leveraging social media marketing.
  • Generating buzz about your business is as easy as going to your computer and logging into any number of social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN, Google +, etc.).
  • Don’t have much of a following on these platforms?  There are a number of things to get people to “Like” or “Follow” you.
    • Put signs up in your business with a blub about “Find Us on Facebook” or “Check Us on Google +” then use a QR code to link them to your social media site
    • Don’t be shy about asking your current contacts to follow you
    • Create a contest where you give away something to someone who likes or follows you
    • Ensure that you have social media icons on your website which visitors can link to you through.

• Get Your Customers to Brag About You

  • Let’s face it, we all trust what our friends, families, co-workers say about the experiences they have at various businesses such as restaurants, auto repair shops, etc.  So a great small business marketing tip is to get your current customers to brag about you to those they know.  To do this:
    • Create a customer referral program
    • Encourage customers to share their experience with others
    • Go out of your way for customers, set yourself apart from your competition

• Giving Lends to Gathering

  • A huge shift in small business marketing these days is that the focus needs to be on giving potential customers value before they purchase from you.  One way to get people to learn more about your business is to be active in forums, Facebook Groups, Google +Hangouts, blogs, etc.  Add valuable and interesting comments when interacting with people through these mediums
  • When you start getting customers, make sure you have a mechanism of gathering their email address so you can send them valuable coupons, event information, etc.
  • Give your website visitors something free if they provide their email address.  Provide something free like a “Top 10” list of tips or tricks dealing with topics related to your business.  Example for a massage business would be “Top Ten Ways to Reduce Stress” or “Five Easy Ways to Prevent Muscle Fatigue”.  Your customers get some great information and it builds a relationship between you and they as well as it provides you with their email address so you can send out newsletters later.

• List Your Services for FREE

  • CraigsList and Oodle.com are GREAT ways for you to get your business in front of people, but don’t just create your standard boring CraigsList ad.  Create an ad which has vivid pictures and calls to action.  Make sure that you set up the ad so if they click on the ad it takes them to your website.

As you can see, the list goes on and on regarding how you can get your Small Business Marketing efforts started.   Make sure you make an effort to get your message out there to the public and generate interest in your company.  If you’d like to learn more or need help in implementing any of these valuable tips, please contact us at Spark Local Marketing (864-477-2111), we’re happy to help you with your small business marketing needs.

Spark Local Marketing is a local digital marketing company serving the entire South Carolina Upstate and Western North Carolina area including:  Greenville, Simpsonville, Spartanburg, Mauldin, Easley, Anderson, Clemson, Seneca, Asheville, Hendersonville, Waynesville