The average company is trying to do much more with much less. Consider my hometown of Salem. Marketing teams here are dealing with a citywide budget shortfall and a stressed population with little money. Few companies feel flush enough to pay for a media blitz.
That’s where budget-friendly marketing strategies come in.
The tools I’ll outline below don’t cost much in capital, but they can bring the average company big returns. Whether you’re in Salem or Singapore, these ideas are worth considering.
Use Social Media for Local Connections
Many small businesses use social media sites to push first-time visitors to make a sale. They share photos of products with a big “BUY NOW” button that’s almost irresistible to ignore. While this can be a good approach, it’s costly.
Most social media sites use a pay-to-play approach. If you want to reach new customers, you’re required to place an ad and fork over a fee. Your budget could be gone in just a few minutes.
Using social media to connect with others in your community is different.
With this approach, a business will simply find other local companies and follow them. Commenting on quality posts is a reasonable next step. Visitors will see your logo, your name, and the kindness you show your peers. In time, that could translate to more followers and more organic sales. Your only cost? Your time.
Share Info via Email
I’ve talked to many Salem companies (and a few nonprofits) that have collected customer/visitor email addresses, paid for a piece of email marketing software, and then never used it.
What a lost opportunity!
If you already have email addresses collected and an email program in your toolbox, you should absolutely use it. Share a note about a special event coming up, a limited offer, or a reason to reconnect. You might be surprised by how much people want to hear from you.
Respond to Reviews
I often see Salem-area businesses neglect the power of review responses. I’ve talked about negative review responses in the past on this blog, and I maintain that all companies should address customer concerns when they appear online. But good ones should get a response, too.
A customer sharing a compliment deserves a moment of public thanks. You don’t have to write a novel, but you should thank the person for taking the time to jot down notes. By doing so, you tell potential customers that you’re paying attention and care about your community. This approach might entice people to visit you since you seem so warm and caring online.
Once again, responding to reviews costs you nothing but your time. Short responses may take you just minutes to write, and they could pay off in a big way.
Optimize Your Website
Businesses rely on websites to tell customers where they are, when they’re open, and why they’re worth supporting. Tools like Wix make slapping up a site quick and easy. However, optimizing them takes time. Unfortunately, many companies skip this step.
I’ve seen companies with pages that say things like “Content goes here” or calendars that have events from 2019. I’ve also seen companies (including nonprofits) with inaccurate hours and out-of-date phone numbers.
Drilling through your site doesn’t have to be time-consuming. Pull up pages on your phone while you’re watching television or waiting for the bus. Email yourself a list of the items that require your attention, and tackle one a day.
Making the most of a site you have is a budget-friendly approach to marketing. You don’t need to redesign everything to get the results you want. Just ensure that what you have works well.
Repurpose Content for Maximum Reach
Repurposing content means creating something once and using it over and over again. It’s one of my very favorite things to do, especially when I’m working with companies that have a tiny budget and need big results.
Start by crafting one piece of long-form content. You could write pieces that show up on your blog, stories that you’ll tell in a series of posts on social media, or information you plan to share in a printed flyer. Then, share that content everywhere else. Your flyers become social posts, and your social posts become blog posts, etc.
This blog can help you get started with repurposing content. Give it a try!
Outsource Marketing Strategies with Confidence
Budget-conscious marketing should include outsourcing the tasks you don’t know how to do or are uncomfortable doing alone. Hiring an expert could save you money, especially if you need training to tackle marketing tasks like a pro. An expert could also bring in bigger results, which could lead to a larger marketing budget in time.
I offer in-person marketing in Salem, Oregon. I encourage anyone (of any budget size) to contact me to talk about how I can help. I also provide marketing help for far-flung clients (including some in other countries) and would love to connect with you.
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