As a small business owner, marketing is an essential part of growing your company. If you’re on a tight marketing budget, these small business marketing tips can help you build visibility.
Connecting with Customers
Leverage existing clients. It’s simpler to keep an existing client than to bring a new one on board, so make sure you aim to keep people coming back. Give them extra incentives to return and continue using your products or services.
Run a giveaway. Free stuff is always popular, so try setting up a contest and letting a few people know about it. Giveaways often go viral, which means millions of people see them and will remember your company. A giveaway can be run online or off, but if it’s online, you can make sharing it on social media part of the entry process. The more shares you get, the more exposure . . . and it only costs you the prize.
Connecting with Others
Sponsor a local sports team. Sponsoring a team is a fun way to give back to the community while also raising awareness for your company. It’s a simple method of marketing that any local business can explore.
Networking counts. Anyone and everyone could be a connection to your next client, so networking is always a good idea. Keep business cards on hand and give them out to the people you meet. You should never miss a chance to talk to people and find out what they do. Check out trade shows, local events, and any other opportunities you might get to share what you do.
Partner with someone else. Joint ventures can be a terrific method of small business marketing. By working with someone else either to develop a special product or to create a piece of content that you can both share, you double your audience. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved and can drastically boost your company’s visibility. You will meet all sorts of other entrepreneurs by visiting our OSP Facebook Group. Connect with some of them and find yourself a partner.
Connecting with Content
Become an expert in your niche. You may already be an expert in your area, but do people know that? You can establish credibility by offering your services as a public speaker or by writing and publishing a book. Self-publishing is easy these days, so there’s no excuse not to do it. Once you have a book published, you immediately become an expert in the public eyes. This is true even if you never promote it and just use it as a way to showcase your knowledge.
Participate in an interview. Tying into the previous point, becoming an expert in your niche is easier if you are interviewed. HARO (Help a Reporter Out) is a good place to look for potential opportunities for interviews. If a reporter uses your quotes or the interview in an article, he or she will credit you and possibly your company, as well. There are plenty of opportunities to get your business in front of people, so keep an eye out and participate whenever possible.
Reuse your existing content. Do you have amazing content on your website? Instead of constantly adding more content, you can recycle the content already on your site and use it for marketing. For example, take an article and make it into an infographic or a SlideShare presentation. You can also turn content into a video that may be used for marketing and vice versa.
Newsletter marketing. Every business, no matter what size, should have an email newsletter. This allows you not only to stay in contact with your clients, but it also gives you a way to reach more people. Newsletter swaps involve two complementary companies sharing each other’s special offers. You get a whole new audience and can reach an interested group of potential buyers. If you’re doing a swap, it is completely free.
Connecting with Spotlights
Offer discounts and sales. Who doesn’t love a great deal? A quick search on Facebook or Google will give you a long list of sites that feature special offers. If you’re giving a discount or offering a coupon code, you can be featured on a number of these sites and get plenty of free publicity.
Newsletter marketing. Every business, no matter what size, should have an email newsletter. This allows you not only to stay in contact with your clients, but it also gives you a way to reach more people. Newsletter swaps involve two complementary companies sharing each other’s special offers. You get a whole new audience and can reach an interested group of potential buyers. If you’re doing a swap, it is completely free.
Apply for an award. Look for awards in your business niche and then apply for them. You may be surprised at how little competition there is in many categories. By building your collection of awards, your business will also gain exposure and you’ll be recognized for the wins.
Small business marketing requires doing things a little differently. If you don’t have millions of dollars to spend on promotion, then you’ll need to get creative. From making videos and repurposing content to offering discounts and becoming an expert, there’s something for everyone on this list. Be sure also to read the Marketing Guides on your OSP dashboard. If you’re not an OSP client yet, use this link to sign up, and you, too, will have all sorts of resources at your fingertips!
