Running things on a budget seems to be the reality for most small businesses these days. With a global pandemic raging and many consumers tightening their belts, businesses have had to change the way they operate to keep afloat. One of the ways you can start saving is by comparing electricity suppliers in order to find the best rate for your business. You can then switch providers if you find a better option. Marketing during times like these is always tricky. You need to invest in getting the word out while also making sure you have enough to keep your business running. You need to ensure that you’re using tools that enable you to save time and money while making your brand more visible.
For example, if you’re on a tight budget and you want to send out postcards, you can use a postcard maker instead of hiring a professional designer. You can then download a web-optimized image of your postcard or generate a live link to share with anyone. Solutions like these are perfect for web display, sending in an email, or sharing on social media! By using simple hacks, you’ll start excelling in the digital world while saving tons of money.
Here are some affordable tips that will help you market your business online when your budget is limited.
Email Marketing
Email marketing can be simple if you’d like it to be. There are many email applications that let you sort your addressees, send to specific groups, and manage an effective campaign. An email campaign can be about more than just sending virtual flyers to your customers. You can be more aggressive with incentives, specials, and products. Since you are cutting back on your advertising budget, use email as well just to keep in touch with your customers and remind them that you are still in business and ready to serve them. You can also use email to SMS gateway services which allow you and your business to benefit from the ability to send emails that are received as text messages. With this, you can rest assured that your message will reach your audience. There are a few email software providers that offer tools at no cost, for light users. Try taking advantage of these while your business is still in the growth stage.
Automation
Oftentimes, when you are on a limited financial budget, you are on a limited budget with your time, too. You have competing responsibilities, and when you are trying to make things stretch, you probably also take on more than usual. With an automated text, call, and email application, you can automatically reach out to your customers quickly and easily. One of the keys to digital marketing is getting consumers to open your materials in the first place. Text message open rates are the best you can possibly get. This means you can reliably count on a high number of your SMS recipients to see your message every time you send something out. In addition to the aforementioned methods, it’s also important to automate daily tasks that end up taking a large part of your day. For example, if your business relies on client bookings, you need to implement an automated scheduling system that allows your clients to self-schedule 24/7. This will help you increase attendance and revenue by allowing your customers to schedule during non-business hours. Most importantly, by providing a top-notch customer experience, you’ll build strong client relationships.
Search Engine Optimization
Hopefully you’ve already invested in search engine optimization marketing and are seeing the benefits. However, while you should regularly invest in ongoing SEO marketing tactics, sometimes the budget can prevent you from doing so. The good thing about SEO is that you can improve your performance without always having to spend a lot of money. Updated, relevant content is always valuable for search engine rankings, so you can have some articles written for your website, or even write them yourself. Use a keyword generator or consult with your SEO marketing firm for keywords. Either way, it’s a low cost way to see some improvement or just to keep pace with your SEO.
Work On Your Social Media Game
There’s never a bad time to work on your branding, and when you are on a limited budget it might be even more important. Take some time to engage with your customers online. Share content, answer questions, and generally make your brand visible. It doesn’t have to take a lot of your time, but allocating a section of your day to work on social media can pay huge dividends. Not only that, but social media marketing is an inexpensive way to get the word out. With targeting algorithms you can pay to advertise only with users that have been identified as more likely to be interested in your product or service.
Research
When times are tough, you need to jump on every little advantage and opportunity you have. One thing you can do is to research what your competitors are doing, or even what similar businesses in other locations are doing with their marketing. Take note of what you think is effective, and what you think needs improvement. Then, you can implement some of those ideas into your marketing and SEO. This doesn’t mean copying, but it does mean being inspired by some of the techniques they use. It is usually best to target the businesses that consistently appear near the top of search engine rankings.
Audience Analytics
You need to be efficient with your marketing dollars. That means that you need more views and consumers of your content. Throwing out a broad net and seeing what you catch may not be feasible. That means that you have to truly understand who your customers are, and what inspires their choices. Social media platforms have built-in programs that are in most cases completely free that will give you insights into the people who follow you. This includes the other things in which they are interested, their demographics, and anything else that can be revealed through a user’s profile and social media consumption. You can use this information to better target your marketing to bring in people who are most likely to buy your product or service.
Tough times do not mean that you have to stop with your marketing. It might be more important than ever before, but you’ll have to narrow your focus to be effective. In some cases, it might be that you have to budget a little more of your time to achieve what you want. Use these tips so that your low-budget marketing efforts can be the most efficient possible so that you can survive when things are lean.
