Effective marketing is no doubt one of the most important essentials for any business big or small. But, as the owner of a fledgling startup with limited seed capital, you may not have the necessary funds for big budget advertising. The good news is that the advent of the internet and
With a little smart thinking, you can organize marketing strategies that will give you the results you want within a short while. Some options include publishing content, organizing contests and giveaways with custom t-shirts, social media posts, and partnering with competitors, to name a scarce few. Wondering how these techniques can work? Read ahead and understand how.
Publish Content that Provides Value to the Reader
Content marketing that is rich with the most-searched for keywords is one of the most effective budget advertising strategies you can use. Check out these statistics on the HubSpot that reveal how 51% of smartphone users find new products and services when they browse the internet. It may also interest you to know that 47% of customers read and research articles about how specific products match their needs before contacting the seller websites or their sales representatives.
Authoritative content establishes you as a knowledgeable source of information and viewers are more likely to trust your company above any other. Go ahead and publish such content on your website blog section. You can also opt to send articles to high-traffic sites with backlinks going back to your website so readers can find it easily. If you know your products well enough, design the articles and blogs on your own. Alternatively, hire freelance writers or virtual assistants to write and publish the content for you.
Organize Contents and Giveaways
People love to receive free stuff and that’s a sure-fire technique to attract attention and entice consumers to buy your brand as this article on Chron explains. If you can design a giveaway campaign that is fun, exciting, and has the potential to go viral, it could prove to be the one of the best budget advertising moves. Use your website, social media platforms, or physical options like flyers and banners to promote a contest.
Talk about how participants can send in innovative designs that the company can use as its new logo. You could also request viewers to come up with catchy slogans and phrases. Announce that the best design and slogan will win free t-shirts. To match your budget advertising needs, you can use a sliding scale system. The most attractive sketches can win tees while runners-up can get more economical caps and beanies. Make sure to give out some item as a “Thank you for participating!” It could be something small as a keychain, fridge magnet, pen, or drinking cup, but is sure to make an impact. Consider the contest as a win-win strategy where you can get a range of free designs for your company brand.
Create a Presence on Social Media Platforms
As research conducted by Statista reports, more than 77% of Americans use social media platforms regularly to post updates about them, search for new product releases, look for information on a range of topics, and of course, find the latest entertainment options. And, that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Considering the amount of time people spend on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, Snapchat, and various others, you cannot afford not to have a presence on them. Media like Facebook allow you to create pages for your company free of cost along with offering you valuable assistance in using the portal for budget advertising.
Try your hand at a few of these channels and you’ll soon learn how to use them to create the perfect marketing tools for your company – at very affordable prices.
Get the Media to Talk About Your Company
Use the media for budget advertising by devising some strategy to gain attention. For instance, organize a donation drive in support of the community or some special cause. Talk about more parks for kids to play or families to picnic. You can also choose to donate a few samples of your products to the senior center or local pet shelter. Send out press releases and invite representatives for interviews about why you think that a cause is important. Consider pulling some crazy stunt at the local grocery store that has people laughing and talking. Or, strike an emotional chord with viewers going, “Awwww!” Getting a few selfies and shares is often enough to gain the attention of your chosen audience.
Partner with Companies Offering Related Products
When you have only a limited amount of funds to allocate toward marketing, find companies that sell related products and partner with them. Not only can you reduce the costs in half, but you’ll have more ideas to work into the budget advertising campaign. For instance, if you’ve just launched a line of stationery for school kids, consider joining hands with another startup that sells kids’ clothing and shoes. You’ll gain better visibility because parents shopping for clothing are also likely to need school supplies and vice versa. To get a better understanding of how that can work, check out this feature on The Balance Careers.
Supplement these advertising techniques with channels that will promote your company free of cost. List your brand for free on directories like Yelp, Bing, Better Business Bureau, and Google Business among others. You can also post ads in the local online magazine or newspaper that has an impressive number of regular readers. Offering holiday discounts on products along with coupons for special occasions are also great ways to the attract attention of the right audience.
You don’t need to invest large sums toward gaining visibility for your business when it is still in that startup phase. Look around for affordable and free options and you can make the right impact with the minimum of fund allocation. Try it!
