MARKETING BUZZ BY SHERYL MADDOX, PSYCHEMEDICS CORPORATION
10 Ways to Market Your Business on a Shoestring Budget
A
re you a small business or startup, and don’t have the money to hire a big marketing team or implement an
expensive advertising campaign? Tere are many ways to effectively market your business on a limited budget—expensive isn’t always beter! A targeted plan, some creative ideas, and a litle talent can help you squeeze as much efficiency as possible out of every dollar. Here is a list of ten small budget ideas and
strategies that you can use to get started: 1. DESIGN A WEBSITE—Tis should go without saying, but one of the most important tools your business can implement is a well-designed website. If you have the budget, hire a freelancer at minimal costs to build the site. Oth- erwise, you can still create an impres- sive site using a pre-designed template. Make sure your website is optimized upfront for search terms most com- monly used by potential visitors to your website—this is a low-cost way to en- sure that you are driving the right type of potential customers to your site.
2. PUBLISH GREAT CONTENT— Find the best writer on your team, and have him or her start creating articles, blog posts, best practices for your industry. Work with industry publica- tions to publish the articles or guest- write for a customer newsleter or blog. Publications are always looking for relevant content!
3. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA—Creating a social media presence on sites like Twiter, Linke- dIn, YouTube, and Facebook doesn’t cost a thing; and it can be used to reach customers in real-time to promote your business. Running a special? Post it on Facebook. Exhibiting at a conference? Tweet out your booth number.
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4. CREATE NEW INFOGRPHICS— Have a great designer on your team? Infographics can be a powerful market- ing tool that people will share, and can then drive traffic to you. Just make sure you include your company’s name, logo, and a link to your website at the botom of the graphic.
5. GIVE OLD DATA NEW LIFE — Tight on money or low on new content? Polish up an old study or blog post. Put the data in a new format by creating an eye-catching chart or case study.
6. APPLY FOR AWARDS—Boost cred- ibility by winning an award. Tere are many different types of awards you can apply for, including industry awards, local business awards, customer service awards, and marketing awards. It costs nothing but a litle time to find relevant awards and submit an application.
7. UTILIZE FREE ADVERTISING OFFERS—Many sites like Facebook and Google offer free promo credits just for trying out an ad campaign on their site. Tis is a great opportunity to test the waters and see if an ad cam- paign might be right for your business.
8. CREATE A CUSTOMER REFER- RL PROGRM—One of the easiest and most effective ways to obtain new customers is through word-of-mouth advertising. Consider developing a refer- ral program that offers existing custom- ers a free product, discount, or other reward for referring new customers.
9. PURSUE SPEAKING OPPOR- TUNITIES—Organizations are oſten looking for willing and qualified subject-mater experts to speak at their conferences, meetings, and Lunch & Learns. Remember, these opportuni- ties are usually not the place for a
direct sales pitch, but rather a time to share information that is educational and helpful to the audience. Even if your presentation is not directly about the product or service you are selling, you are still advertising your company name and positioning yourself as a credible authority in the industry.
10. BUILD RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH EMAIL MARKETING— Email can be a great way to get custom- ers and prospects engaged with your business. Start by using a free email marketing service like MailChimp or Constant Contact. If you find value in it, you can eventually move on to a more sophisticated email service. Te key is to not get identified as spam—by sending out relevant messages to a targeted audience.
Tese ten inexpensive strategies will
get you started with creating a marketing strategy on a shoestring budget. It’s not always about the money you spend—a litle strategy, time, and effort can go a long way in engaging customers, building relationships, and keeping your brand top- of-mind in the industry. ❚
Sheryl Maddox runs the Marketing Program for Psy- chemedics Corporation, the world’s leading and largest hair drug testing company. After earning her degree in
Communications and PR, Sheryl has spent the last 15 years focused on brand building, content marketing, and digital marketing for companies in a variety of industries. Since transitioning to the drug testing industry over eight years ago, she has been heavily involved in the industry, serving on and chair- ing multiple committees for DATIA and IFDAT, and writing articles for several publications.
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