Jeremy Kaplan
When you start a business, you are not going to be successful if you don’t get your name out there. If customers don’t know about your business, they won’t be able to take advantage of your products or services. If you are like many new business owners, you may not have much money in your budget for marketing, therefore, you should know how to do it on a budget.
Use Social Media
Social media can do much more than get you connect with school friends. You can use sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin to create a business page and invite people to like and share your page. You can use status updates to let customers know what you have to offer and any specials or sales that you are running. You can also write your own blog, allowing you to personalise your business for your customers.
Create a Promotional Video
If you cannot afford to produce a full advertisement and buy the airtime to have it shown, you can create a promotional video on YouTube. It is the best and also cheapest way to create something that people from all around the world can see. If you are already advertising on social media, you can put the link to the YouTube video on your page so that customers will be able to find it.
Promotional Gifts
Promotional gifts are an effective and relatively inexpensive way to get your business’ name out there. If you give your promotional items to customers, and other people see them with your merchandise, it is a great way for hundreds of people to see the name of your business every day. You can personalise items, such as pens, coffee mugs, t-shirts, and tote bags. These ideal promotional gifts can be easily purchased online, so there’s no hassle or real time consumption in doing it.
Create a Page on a Review Site
There are several review sites online where you can include all of the information about your business. You can add the services you provide, your hours of operation, and your business address and phone number. After your business page is set up, you can encourage your customers to write reviews. The better reviews you get, the better your chances are of being successful.
One excellent site is Google+. Not only can customers give reviews, but by creating the account, people can easily Google your business. Also, your customers will be able to find your business location easily on Google Maps. Yelp is also an excellent review site to list on.
Advertise in a Local Community Magazine or Newspaper
If you have a low budget, you can place an ad for your business in your local community magazine. Since these ads go to all of the homes in the community for free, it is a great way to get exposure. If your community does not publish a free magazine, place an ad in the local newspaper. It may be a bit more expensive, but in order to make money, you need to spend some.
Radio Advertisements
If you have more than a few hundred dollars in your advertising budget, you should consider a radio advertisement. The cost of the spot would depend on where you live. It may be something that you need to save up for, but it can be very effective in the long run.
Marketing your business is necessary to be successful. Luckily for new start-ups, there are several inexpensive ways to market your business effectively.
