There are several ways to promote your business that are effective, inexpensive, and will not damage your brand in the future.
1. Work With Your Customers To Improve Your Product/Service
Pouring resources into promotion strategies is pointless if your clients are not happy with your product or service. If you don’t want the leaky bucket effect, make sure you do X.
The leaky bucket effect referst to the wasted effort of bring people to your website who don’t convert into customers and never come back.
This typically occurs when businesses laser-focus on marketing and lose sight of the value their product/service has for the customer.
There is no guarantee that you will be able to convert all website visitors into customers. If you’re not getting results from your marketing efforts, you need to make changes to how you generate website traffic, your pricing, or what you offer.
This is an opportunity to find out from your customers what they like and what could be better. The data can be used to improve marketing communications or the product. This is because other people are likely to have the same likes and dislikes.
As you speak with your customers, you may find some that would be good candidates to be brand ambassadors. Reach for some basic market research tools:
- Surveys – Can be performed 100% online for free with tools like Google Forms or Survicate. You can use them for measuring customer satisfaction.
- Interviews – Allow for face-to-face discussions. Can be performed even without a predefined structure. Often used for exploratory purposes.
- Internal data – Draw conclusions from reported issues and online reviews. If possible, interview your customer-facing employees.
2. Get A Google Business Profile (And Optimize It)
If you have not created or claimed your Google Business Profile, be sure to do so. There is no doubt that local SEO is crucial for small businesses.
Google Business Profile makes your business visible to potential customers in your vicinity in three ways:
1. Google Map Pack
2. Google Maps
3. Local knowledge panel (when the search query includes your
brand’s name)
You can create or claim your Google Business Profile for free here. If you already have a Business Profile, you can claim it here.
To learn how to optimize your profile, read our guide.
3. List Your Business In Relevant Directories
Websites like Yelp and Google My Business offer listings for businesses, providing information such as the address, operating hours, contact information, website, etc.
Some directories are free; others are paid. But you may want to consider even the paid ones because directories give you three significant benefits:
- It’s the quickest way to get your business to the first page of Google for competitive keywords.
- Your business will show up in search results of those directories.
- Citations (mentions of your business) in local directories can increase your chances of showing up in the Google Map Pack.
List your business, starting from:
- Big data aggregators like Express Update and Neustar Localeze.
- Core platforms like Facebook, Bing Places, Apple Maps, and Better Business Bureau.
- Industry and local sites relevant to your business (e.g., FindLaw for lawyers, Tripadvisor for hotels).
You have the option to either manually list your business or use a submission service that will manage all of your citations from one central location. Also, you can investigate your competitor’s citation sources and emulate them.
Two resources that will help you in this process:
- Our complete guide to building local citations.
- This list of top local citations by country.
4. Manage Your Online Reputation
BrightLocal’s study showed that 91% of people read online reviews regularly or occasionally, and 84% of those people trust online reviews as much as they would trust a personal recommendation.
And it makes sense when you think about it. It can be difficult to choose to not pay attention to the opinions of others when so many people have already tried the product.
Positive reviews can help improve your ranking in Google Maps. You should try to get your customers to leave online reviews, and answer all of them, regardless of whether they are good or bad. This will demonstrate to your current and future customers that you are extremely dedicated.
You can ask customers to leave a review of your product or service whenever you have the chance to contact them (in person, by email, by text message, or in a thank-you note after purchase, for example). You can use tools like this one from Google to generate reviews.
There are many online tools available to help you keep track of your reviews. Some examples are Grade.us, ReviewPush, etc.
5. Tap Into Search Demand With SEO Content
Content that is designed to improve a website’s search engine ranking is called SEO content.
When your content is ranked highly on search engines, it will generate consistent traffic without any extra cost. That’s when you tap into search demand.
This strategy is based on finding relevant keywords with traffic potential. If your keywords are more relevant, you have a higher chance of converting traffic into sales or other types of engagements you need.
Remember that even if you are number one, it will not last forever. If your rankings fall, you may have to go back and revise your content.
First, determine if SEO content is right for your business. This is the case if the answer to at least one of the below questions is yes:
- Are people looking online for what you sell or do?
- Are people looking online for solutions to problems your business helps to solve?
You can answer that using a keyword tool. If you have ideas for keywords that you would like to use, our free keyword generator can help you look up keywords to use. You can research a domain’s search demand in various countries and across four different search engines.
6. Make Your Own Video Ads
Video has become a central part of marketing as more consumers prefer to watch short clips before making purchasing decisions. Even so, they may not be affordable for you.
Even though marketing teams and video shoots can be costly, there are some awesome tools you can use to make amazing video ads by yourself.
Your smartphone’s camera can capture excellent footage in high definition, and once you’ve edited it, you can use a business marketing video maker app like Boosted to turn your clips into professional, fully branded, and fun videos that help you engage with potential customers.
You can create short videos using your own clips and Boosted’s library of stock footage. You can also add text, visual effects, and different layouts.
You can upload videos in a few minutes for free. You should use video marketing analytics to improve the performance of your videos.
7. Stay active on social media business pages
Social media can help you connect with customers more directly and show off the playful side of your business. platforms allow you to quickly respond to customer feedback and show that you value their experience with your company.
It is important to post regularly on social media to stay relevant and top-of-mind with your audience. Even a small comment or update can help keep your business’ presence on social media fresh, and it shows your commitment to communicating directly with your customers.
You can also promote your business while demonstrating your know-how by commenting on other individuals’ and businesses’ social media posts.
Find social media platforms that are popular with people interested in your type of business, and use them to answer questions and participate in conversations. This will help you reach new audiences and get more exposure for your business.
8. Advertise Discounts And Promotion With Affordable Email Marketing
Email is still one of the most important tools for marketers, even though it isn’t as fast as social media or instant messaging.
About half of customers like getting promotional emails each week, and there are many ways you can use email to boost sales. There are email tools that are inexpensive like MailChimp or GetResponse that give you more control over your campaigns.
This allows you to segment your audiences on various factors, schedule automated emails, and monitor the performance of each email.
You can increase the number of people who click on links in your emails by improving the content of your emails.
9. Publish A Small Business-Themed Blog
Most consumers would rather read an article about a company rather than an advertisement from the company.
A blog is a way to make your business more interesting by sharing your knowledge or stories about your company in a unique way that people will become familiar with.
In terms of blogging, more is more. If you stick to a publishing schedule, it will make your business look more reliable and easier for your team to meet deadlines.
If your staff lacks adequate writing skills, you can outsource your blog content for as little as $20 per post. Companies that have SEO skills can help your content climb the search engine ladder and reach potential customers for your business.
10. Create Fun And Creative Graphic Content
Short content can help get readers to your site.
No matter how long you have been in your business, you can probably share some interesting tips and explanations with consumers.
If you want to show off your expert knowledge and make people curious, try packaging your content in new and interesting ways. You can create unique visuals by using free design tools online, which you can then upload to social media or embed on your blog.
Even if you don’t have a lot of money to spend, there are still ways that you can make your company known to your audience. Even though marketing may be difficult, the costs should never be high enough to deter you from continuing to do it.
To become a household name, start by finding the free and affordable tools that let you do more with less.
One marketing tactic small business owners can use that’s not very expensive is vlogging their daily lives running their businesses. Check out how to make a successful vlog here.
11. Contribute An Article To An Industry Magazine Or Website
advertising can be expensive, whether your business is big or small. especially if you’re advertising in mainstream media.
It’s not only expensive to advertise in magazines, but there’s no guarantee that you’ll get any return on your investment.
You could spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on ads and get no return on your investment. If you want to get your name out there without spending a fortune on an ad, try getting featured in an industry-leading magazine or website.
If you want to get published in an industry-leading publication, all you have to do is write a relevant and informative article. Contributing articles is usually free of charge.
Many magazines and websites allow guest contributions and will promote your small business in the author’s bio. Referral marketing is a great way to market your business without spending any money on marketing.
By simply asking your customers or clients to refer you to their friends or family, you can reach a whole new group of potential customers without spending any money.
12. Host Or Co-Host An Event
Whether you already have a lot of followers on social media or you’re just trying to get people interested in your brand, hosting or co-hosting an event or contest is a great way to do it.
You can generate more interest in your store by holding a sale or contest where contestants can win a free gift.
The most important thing is to give something away for free. This makes it almost certain that your audience will feel like they are getting something worthwhile from their interactions with your company.
One strategy to promote your business is to collaborate with other businesses in your industry to co-sponsor a contest or giveaway. ourcing and crowdsourcing. This in turn helps generate interest in both co-sourcing and crowdsourcing.
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