You know you have to market your small business to get any traction against the competition, but are challenged to put together what may even be called a reasonable budget.
Fortunately today it’s easier than ever to market your business online. Nevertheless, marketing a small business with a small budget can be quite a bit challenging. Free and low cost takes more time and effort, but the opportunities are many. Let’s focus on some basic, effective and best of all inexpensive ways to market your small business.
Use Social Media – Social media has significantly changed all facets of human life. Due to the millions of active users on social media, social media has become a honeypot for many small businesses. The first step towards reaping the benefits of marketing in social media is opening social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. One of the ways of ensuring that you effectively use social media avenues in your marketing plan is by posting engaging, relevant, and informative content.
Your Website? – I assume you have a site for your company, and if not, this needs to be your first order of business. Today they are easier than ever to either set up yourself or have done for you, in so doing create a base of operations for your business. Do yourself a favor however, and make sure you do not use a website solution where you don’t actually own the site. While these seem like an easy way to go, in the end you don’t end up owning any online assets and your options are extremely limited. Opt instead for your own domain, hosting and site design. You’ll be glad you did!
Use Business Cards – Another ineffective way of marketing your small business is via using business cards. Giving out your business card can help you land new clients. Make them tactilely impressive, and visually appealing.
Be a Presence at Local Events – Even if your business is not locally-oriented, coming out and giving a face to your business will net you many more leads than you thought possible. You never know who the person you network with today will end up being tomorrow. (And don’t forget to bring those new business cards!)
