12 Low-Cost Small Business Marketing Ideas

It’s the word small we’re talking about today when discussing small business marketing ideas. Small in cost, small in time spent, and small in quantity. You could be forgiven for thinking we’re only going to help out small businesses by sharing these fab marketing ideas – and you’d be right!

There’s a big difference in not only the quantity, but also the type of marketing a small business needs to do. Sure, the big guys do it well (think McDonald’s and The Warehouse), but if smaller businesses copied them, things could go poorly rather quickly.

So, being the helpful bunch of accountants and business advisors we are, we’ve put together a great list of twelve marketing ideas specifically for small businesses, like yours!

12 Exceptional Small Business Marketing Ideas

You won’t have to blow your budget or head out of your comfort zone to try these top 12 marketing ideas:

1. Create great content for your website – you could pay for advertising to send traffic to your site, or you could write such awesome content search engines ranked highly and people shared with their friends. Ads will only send you website traffic when they are turned on; turn them off and the traffic stops too. Great website content is there 24/7, even years later.
2. Hunt out the ad promos – often major advertisers such as Bing and Google offer discounts or promotions for their services. If you’re going to pay for ads, you might as well get them with a discount.
3. Host contests – there’s nothing like giving something away to draw in the crowds. You can run the competition via social media and use it to attract the type of customers or clients you want to attract. Be warned that you may attract the professional competition enterers, who are just in to win and not to learn about your business.
4. Email marketing – some people swear by it, and others avoid it like the plague. Research shows that it does work well to make sales and keep your business at the forefront of a customer’s mind though.
5. Give out branded balloons – find a suitable event and then give out balloons filled with helium, which are branded with your business details — cheap and unusual
6. Keep active on social media – if you’re a social butterfly, this will probably be easy for you. If not, then it can be like pulling teeth. On the same platforms your target audience are using, publish regular content including blogs, promotions, and photos of your business.
7. Push your USP – your unique selling proposition or USP is what sets you apart from your competition. Make sure everyone knows it.
8. Join online networking groups – yes, it’s mixing with other business owners, but as you build relationships with them, they are more likely to recommend your business to others, or purchase from you directly.
9. Set up a referral system – target your existing customers or clients by offering them a discount if they refer someone new to you. It’s a win-win.
10. Create videos – be they unboxing of your products, an instructional video or showing a product’s features, videos are always well received.
11. Host a webinar – there are many webinar platforms you can do this free through. Use it as a time to demonstrate your skills and knowledge, not a sales pitch.
12. Partner up – it may not make sense to partner with your competition, but why not join forces with businesses who offer complementary products or services? By promoting each other’s stuff, you increase your visibility.

Remember that if you get stuck, asking for help is one of the best things you can do! Our friendly team are here to help, and if we don’t know the answer, we’ll find someone who does for you. Don’t be shy, get in touch with the team at MBP today.