Six Tips for promoting your business with a smaller budget
Marketing doesn’t have to be expensive, it’s about showing your customers and your community that you care. This could be anything from friendly advice, a quick tip, or just a helping hand.
So we’ve put together a few easy, free or inexpensive ways to help promote your business in what are very much challenging times….
approx 5 minute read
1) E-meets
Meeting and talking with potential customers has always been part of our business.
Meetup with potential customers online. Use a tool like Google Hangouts to communicate with clients.
2) EDMs
It’s important to keep in touch with your customers, and EDMs are a cost-effective way to distribute information to a lot of people – quickly.
Consider sending regular EDMs to keep your customers up to date with changes in your business, what you’re doing as a business to prevent the spread of the virus, and how you’re looking after the wellbeing and health of your staff, suppliers and customers. Mailchimp is a great tool to use for sending EDMs
Don’t hesitate to get in contact with us if you need help designing and sending emails to your database – we’d love to help.
3) Google My Business
If you haven’t already set up Google My Business now is a great time to do so.
Google My Business is an excellent way for customers to get in contact with you without seeing them directly.
You will have seen this when you search for businesses on your phone and it gives you the option to call their business directly. Best of all It’s free, easy to setup and you don’t need a physical store.
Google My Business is also useful for seeing how your business operates in terms of customer satisfaction as customers can leave reviews and you can address complaints. This helps your business build relationships, address pitfalls and build authenticity. Paving the way to becoming a trusted business.
4) Sell online
If you’re a brick & mortar small business – or even if you’re not. Now would be the best time to start selling online.
Selling online easier than it has ever been before. It’s a great way to connect with current customers, attract new customers and will add a convenient avenue where customers can buy your products reaching a broader audience. It’s also more streamlined than the traditional process of retail, with lower overheads
If you need help getting started setting up an online store we can help you.
5) Optimize
Much like getting a new haircut, it’s always good to re-visit website copy.
This will help you attract more of your local customers without leaving your house.
A cost effective way to bring in more business is to rewrite pages. Cull irrelevant pages and Create relevant content and copy. Match it to the audience you’re trying to attract.
Ask yourself the following questions:
What makes your business special?
What is your point of difference?
Once you’ve found those answers you can work them into your copy to show customers what makes you unique and great. Re-visit old content. Chop and change out irrelevant pages. Try to provide current and potential customers with the best customer experience. Best of all if you do it yourself the cost is free.
Changing the aesthetic and making your website easier to manage will all help your business in the long run.
6) Start a blog
People love a great quippy article, especially if you’re an expert in your field.
A blog provides you with a platform to provide reassurance, expertise and guidance to your customers.
Sharing information is a great way to show you’re authentic and reputable and an expert in your industry. You can offer tips & tricks, advice, techniques, hardships, stories almost anything that can help other businesses succeed. Best way to look at a blog is to write about what you would like to read about. Bit of research. Keep it concise. Then it’s just a case of matching your knowledge to your target audience.
Blogs are great because there are so many different avenues you can go down. It can be friendly, advice driven, a difficulty your business overcame. Or just a piece of advice that everyone can benefit from. Just make sure it stays relevant and useful to your audience. There are plenty of places with great tips for blog writing.
Not sure where to start, or what to do first?
An extra tip… Promote with print
To help engage your community about who you are, what you do, where to find and contact you – we’ve listed some clever ways to use print to promote your business…
- Offer discounts or specials to people and businesses in your local area encouraging them to use your services or products
- With the absence of a handshake, send your customers a personal note on a postcard or letterhead
- Distribute your food menu and offer free delivery
- Showcase your product range on a brochure
Spread the love to your customers with a refer-a-friend voucher
If you need help with design, we can help with that too, contact your local Nettl Studio
