Without marketing, your small business will not continue to attract new customers and grow. You understand this and want to market your business, but you might also feel that you can’t afford it as a new small business owner. The good news is that your initial marketing efforts don’t need to break your budget to be effective. You just might be surprised at how far you can get with persistence and some creative thinking.
Make Sure You Have a Strong Social Media Presence
Signing up for business accounts with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms doesn’t cost you a penny. However, it will cost you some time as you build up each account to something that people want to follow every day. Be sure to create and publish engaging content, interact with followers, and always answer their questions or address their concerns. Plus, reaching out to influential bloggers and other influencers may help to raise your credibility faster than you could on your own as a new and unknown company.
Give Away a Small Product or Branded Merchandise
People love to get things for free, especially when it’s something they can truly use. We recommend establishing a small budget for giving away some inexpensive products at no charge. This is often the best way to earn the trust of potential customers when they use the product and see that it is of high quality. If your company doesn’t currently create a product that’s suitable for a giveaway, work with a printing company to have its logo transferred to shirts, bags, coffee mugs, pens, and other everyday items. This is an easy way to get your company’s name out in front of more people.
Request Reviews and Referrals
People trust the recommendations of their peers far more than they trust paid advertising. You can use this fact to your advantage by offering customers a small non-cash incentive to complete an online review of your company. Setting up a referral program that rewards both the new customer and the person who referred him or her to your company is an effective and inexpensive way to market business.
Market Your Business Everywhere You Go
People notice when you’re enthusiastic about your brand and that you’re ready to answer questions on the spot. You can invite them to do so by wearing clothing with your logo on it, having a magnet with your business information made for your car, creating a screensaver for your computer with your company logo, or another creative idea. Whatever you decide to do should serve as an invitation to others to learn more about your new business. You should also write, practice, and perfect a 30-second speech about your company that’s ready to go on a moment’s notice.
As always, Juvo Business Group is available to meet with you to help brainstorm the best marketing strategies for you. We are small business consultants who strive to use our experience and passion to help business owners achieve their goals. Let’s meet for coffee and see how we can work together.
