So you’ve got to get creative with your marketing ideas for your small business and an even smaller budget?
One of the biggest problems that I come into contact with small businesses is that they need customers but no matter what is done, they can't seem to gather the attention of their potential customers.
Well if this is the case for your business then hopefully this article will shed some light on a few abstract ideas that you can use to get eyes on your website or business. Essentially if you are a business without customers then you are technically not an actual business.
First, let’s take a look at what and where you can find your potential customers. This is an essential part of marketing and If you do not complete this step then all of your work beyond this step may be for not.
This can be done by doing a simple Google search and basic market research. You should know the average age and gender of your most qualified customer as well as who they prefer to hang around and also what groups or associations they may be members or subscribers to. Once all that data is compiled you should have a great idea of where to start. Ok so now that we have a good idea about where to find those who would need our services, we now have to get our brand or name in front of them.
And how are we going to get this done if you/we are on a shoestring budget like I have been plenty of times? For one I will say that creativity can trump all marketing budgets. Here's an idea I thought of while I was just sitting in my office one day and needed to get my name out there. What if you had a stamp made with a simple ink pad that said: “Unrelenting SEO.com…Put Your Money To Work!” Then every one dollar bill that I came across I simply stamped it on them.
I am not suggesting you do this because I believe defacing money is illegal but think of the power and reach that would have for what spending $10 on a customized stamp?
Think…
I would suggest one of the most effective ways would be to simply print out a flyer with your message and attach a business card to it with a paper clip.
This does a whole lot more than the regular shotgun method advertising. For one, it is a two-piece mailing so it increases your chances of the targeted person on keeping your material.
What I have found in my experience is that the flyer will be read and then gets tossed out, but the business card is filed or pinned to the wall and will be used almost immediately.
It has to do with the psychology of the reader and them sort of being forced to make a decision between the two pieces. This is not rock solid but for the total cost and the return on investment is better than any other method.
Also along the same lines of when it comes to your budget, another cheap method is buying lawn or bandit signs. You can probably get around 4-5 for $100 dollars, but the price will vary from location.
Check with the local laws about this one as there already may be an ordinance against them. Next if in your local town you have a business paper call and see what the advertising rates are.
You may be surprised as my local paper only costs $10 per week and get’s a pretty good amount of circulation with the business community. It’s a little funny and easy to sell B2B because all the other businesses are checking in with the paper to see if their add looks right and most B2B sales are made because other owners get eyes on your ads.
Now finally we can go over another effective method for creative marketing for your small business. Most people I speak with about this method think that it is tacky and unprofessional but it is highly engaging. That method would be placing a magnet or putting signage on some section of your vehicle.
I know, I know but just listen. The people who have those placed on their vehicles are not only getting their brand out but they are also getting phone calls due to the sheer number of eyes that are seeing those messages.
If you drive around in your town how many people will see what you have to offer. I bet over 100 every day from just running normal errands.
That is more concentrated exposure to your brand than any other method for one single transaction. Now that is powerful! From what I have been told, is that you are going to want to place the information on your back window so as people can read it more clearly at stop lights or in traffic.
I mean c’mon as much as many people would not like to admit it, those messages are getting read and getting calls to those businesses.
I recently added another video on this topic and but it involved affiliate marketing but there are some great methods in it and I advise you to check it out below.
So there you have it, my three top tips for creative small business marketing. If implemented in conjunction with any other methods you can come up with should get your clients coming in and essentially adding business and money into your bottom line.
As I was writing this article I figured I better well put some resource material together for all you readers who actually take the time to go through this. First I only want to say just go and grab the book Guerilla Marketing if you haven’t read it already.
Next start utilizing any and all means you have at your disposal to get your message out for cheap. It will pay off.
Head back to my SEO marketing blog homepage for more!