Let’s get this out of the way: the reason your business isn’t thriving is that you’re not marketing it enough. It isn’t about the products or the customer service (those come in second, most of the time). It’s because people are not aware that a brand such as yours exists. Traditionally, marketing and advertising a business involve printing pamphlets and brochures and giving away flyers. Some businesses have money for billboards, while others will use telemarketing. But in today’s digital world, the possibilities are endless; the best part is that these possibilities will fit within your budget.
Be Loyal to Your Brand
Being loyal means using your brand’s business name, logo, contact information, and slogan on every marketing material. From the product’s packaging and the business card to the office stationery, your brand should be splattered across every conceivable material. In fact, make sure that your brand name and logo are present in every part of your office, including that glass door handle that you purchased from bannersolutions.com. The high-quality products of the company can easily handle sticker ads.
Whether you’re sending out an electronic or printed document, it should contain your brand’s name, logo, and contact details. That goes the same for your office design. This is the cheapest way to raise awareness about your brand.
Use Traditional Media
Traditional doesn’t mean dead. So many business owners make the mistake of shrugging off traditional media when, in fact, it has been tested time and again. Printed mediums such as flyers, brochures, banners, and stickers are cheap marketing and advertising materials. You can check out what local companies have to offer because many can now produce high-quality decals, stickers, and banners.
Maximize Transport Advertising
You are probably familiar with private and public vehicles wrapped with advertisements. You see these on buses, trains, and company cars. Take advantage of the chance to promote your business wherever you go by putting a sticker on your own car’s windshield. If you want, you can even put the name of your business on your car’s doors and windows. You can ask some of your employees (only if they want) to place a small sticker on their cars, too.
Verify Your Social Media Profiles
Your target market will trust your business more if it has a verified account across all social media channels. Do your best to reach the verified status on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Your business profile will have plenty of perks when it is verified. Another thing you should focus on is your Google My Business profile. Make sure to create one if you haven’t already; verify the profile if someone else created it for you. Claiming your GMB profile is easy; it will help market your business better.
Post Regularly on Social Media
The most cost-efficient way of marketing your business is to use social media. You need to post about your business regularly. There are different optimal times to post on social media. It depends on the type of business you are in. As a general rule, post before and during lunchtime because that’s when workers are on a break. They have time to check out their social media feed.
Implement SEO in Your Content
You need to take time out of your busy schedule to write about your business. It doesn’t have to be a research paper, but it will help if the content is excellently written. It has to be cohesive and informative. Most of all, it has to soft-sell the business to the customers. No one likes to read content that tends to sell hard rather than inform. If you know how to use search engine optimization (SEO), that’s another way to save on marketing costs. If not, you might have to hire someone who can optimize the site and content.
Contribute to an Industry Magazine
Advertising in magazines will cost thousands of dollars. Not all businesses can afford that. But do you know what you can afford? You can write an expert article and have that article published in an industry magazine for free. These magazines usually have guest contributions from business owners, managers, and staff. You can talk about changes in the industry and promote what products and services you offer.
Sponsor a Contest
People love contests. They love winning prizes and getting stuff for free. So why not sponsor one? It’s the best way to promote your products and services because you are literally giving away your own products. It’s a chance for your customers to try out your products for free. If you have faith in your products, you have every reason to believe that you can turn them from casual to loyal customers.
There are hundreds of free and cheap marketing strategies you can take advantage of. But you also have to be careful about investing too much in different techniques. While using different methods is commendable, they may eventually confuse you and your audience.