There is a misconception by many that we cannot do marketing without a big budget. Gone are the days that we needed only traditional promotions such as TV, radio, and print to promote one’s business.
Promoting your small and medium businesses is now easier more than ever because of the ease of networking and promotions based on the rise of doing business both offline and online.
Here are some cost-effective ways of low-cost promotion options for your business:
1) Industry partnerships
Doing industry partnerships is a great way to promote your products that can lead to brand awareness and increase in sales. It would be better to pair up with a bigger brand to help you gain exposure.
How do you convince a bigger company to partner with you? You should show them what the benefits they can get from the partnership. Show them during your pitch that you researched well about their company. Pitching doesn’t always mean discussing your concept at the board room. This can also mean chatting with the CEO at an event where you meet him again.
2) Social Media
Social media gives you the chance to go viral and spread the word about your brand. You can make free accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Find the best social media where most of your target audience is at and concentrate on building a community in that platform. Most Filipinos are on Facebook and Instagram so most local brands are building content around these platforms.
The key here is to give fast and fun information about your products and services. Many brands compete for the attention of potential costumers through social media so your content needs to be brilliant to get your potential customer’s attention.
Also, study what other people in your industry is doing. You will see what works and what doesn’t so this will be a great guide on how to make your content calendar.
3) Blogging
There are many existing business blogs but how does one stand out of the noise? The answer is making great content on a well-designed platform.
Great content means sharing information which is relevant to your target market. When these people find your content compelling, they will have you top of mind on their next purchase.
Blogging isn’t limited to writing but can also be done through videos and photos. This can be adapted depending on the type of business you have. There will be a different approach for a management consultancy firm from a restaurant. You can find resources such as D.I.Y. infographic templates and free stock images to help you make your content more appealing.
Blogging is also a great way to get people to sign up for a newsletter. Capturing e-mails from a blog instead of a product page means that these people find value to the content you deliver and like your brand. These are the people who you want to be your loyal customers.
4) Attend Trade Fairs and Bazaars
Find bazaars with great locations and relatively low participation costs. These are great avenues to make pop-up stores and expose your brand to your target market.
Research on the event to be sure that you will not lose money in the long run.
Make sure that you set a sales target that will help recover the cost of your bazaar spot with added revenue. It would help if you attend a few ones before participating as a merchant so that you can prepare for the next one you’ll attend to.
5) Business Cards
Handing business cards to contacts and customers is still a great way to keep top of mind to people despite the digital age. It may seem like a small thing but having your calling card stand out is a great way to be top-of-mind to the right people.
Make your business card stand out by making your design related to your industry. Don’t go for the plain design with unpolished execution. This will leave a negative image to your clients and customers. There are also some who use a plain design but is made of materials apart from paper such as fiberglass and plastic.
Final Thoughts
You can start marketing your small or medium business even on a tight budget. There are a lot of ways that you can make your brand known to your target market through utilizing the right channels with the right approach.