Creative Marketing Tips for Small Businesses

How do you promote your small business without burning a hole through your wallet?

Anybody who owns a small business or has created a startup company knows that in most cases, their primary bottleneck is money. Unlike business enterprises who have ample marketing outlays, startups and small businesses have to work with tiny marketing budgets. They have to be extremely cautious in their marketing spend, and make every dollar count.

But small businesses also need to advertise their product and services, otherwise no one will ever know that they exist. The big question here is this: how do you advertise your small business without burning a hole through your wallet? Read on, and we’ll give you a few helpful ideas to do just that.

Content, Content, Content!

As always, content comes first. No one can really overemphasize the importance of fresh, relevant and unique content on your company’s website. Good content singlehandedly helps in engaging your site visitors, bringing in more leads, and creating precious new links.

There are hundreds of ways of using content, so don’t limit yourself to only a few. Publish articles in a magazine, it costs less than advertising and it can sometimes be more valuable than putting articles up only on online media. Repurpose and reuse articles that don’t seem to be working well enough.

A collection of old articles could become an ebook or print handout, and you could even create videos that can be viewed exclusively by subscribers.

Community Awards

Why not think of setting up your own awards event for your local community or business audience? Having them jostle to win your awards is one of the best ways to increase your visibility and create a buzz around your brand.

Workshops and Seminars Always Help

Conducting workshops and speaking at seminars is a great way to be seen and noticed. Not only will you appear knowledgeable, but you can also network with a lot of influential people. Don’t forget that such events can also help significantly in gaining more publicity for your small business.

Join Associations and Use Referrals

Local associations can be of immense benefit because of their connections with job boards, events and online forums. Remember, networking is everything when it comes to surviving in today’s business. Your chance of success is, in many ways, directly proportional to the number of people you know. People who know you also have a higher possibility of sending business your way via direct word-of-mouth advertising.

Partner Up!

Your business could easily enter into a partnership with another related but non-competing company. That way, both of you could share advertising space, reduce expense loads, and direct business to one another, creating a win-win partnership.

Communication is Key

Spread the word as far and wide as possible. Don’t shy away from any communication channel - they are all useful in their own specific ways. Tell people who you are and what you do via social media, email, regular post, forums, blogs, and even more targeted approaches such as LinkedIn.

While you’re at it, consider opening a toll free phone number and setting up a live chat facility on your company’s website.

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