Proven Ways To Promote Your Business On A Small Budget

Whether you’re a new business or just trying to attract more customers, there are many ways to promote your business without spending a fortune.

Running a business can be hard enough, but it can be even more tricky if you don’t have a big budget for promoting your business. However, if you know where to look, there are plenty of options for promoting a business without spending a lot.

Looking for new ways to promote your business?

Don’t have a big budget for your marketing efforts?

Below, we’ll share our best tips on promoting a business on a budget while gaining great results and plenty of new customers.

Always Be Promoting

When marketing your business on a budget, the key is always to be on the lookout for opportunities to promote. This continuous promotion not only keeps your business in the spotlight but also instills confidence and proactiveness in you as a business owner.

Always look for opportunities to mention your business when dealing with customers or talking to friends or family.  However, it’s essential to consider the appropriateness, i.e., the context in which you share your message.

While managing how often you bring up your business is essential, don’t shy away from subtle promotion.  Let your passion for your business shine through, as it will inspire and motivate others to see how they can help you.

Community Involvement

If your company is online—e.g., eCommerce, SaaS, or a subscription business—you may skip this section on local community involvement and head to our Online Business Communities section.

Promoting your business locally is a great way to increase community involvement. This not only helps create brand awareness but also builds trust and loyalty among local customers.

Consider getting involved in local festivals, events, or business conferences in your city. Public events are great places to hand out flyers or freebies to get extra attention for your brand.

You may also consider giving presentations or speaking at a local college or a professional event. Many organizations would love to hear about business owners’ experiences, so look for ways to share your expertise with others.

Building a positive reputation in your community is essential and a very cost-effective way of promoting your goods or services. This will reassure you about the value of your investment in community involvement.

Online Business Communities – on Social Media

If your business is online, you’ll need to get involved in online communities. As an online business, you’ll already be present on social media platforms.

However, to market your business for free, you’ll need to find and participate in online communities that align with your business interests. Search for groups that are industry-specific or synergistic to your business sector.

Regularly connect with other members, for example, on LinkedIn. You can share and contribute to groups and connect with professionals. View their page and join the same groups. This is a strategic way to network, gain insights, and grow professionally.

Example:

Say your business is a Cryptocurrency Security Standard Auditor (CCSS). This is a niche field of expertise.

While you may not find groups that match, you can discover notable groups for cybersecurity professionals, blockchain, We,b3, etc.

Broader groups to join on LinkedIn would be:

• Information Security Network – over 500K members
• Big Data, Data Science AI IoT, Cybersecurity, and Blockchain – over 3 million members
• Information Technology Audit and Governance Group – 96K members

Orr niche pages on LinkedIn, such as the Crypto Currency Certification Consortium (C4), currently have over 12K followers.

Another option is to join discussion forums. For example, if you were a property investor and started your own property management business, you’d find discussion forums for property investment talk, like PropertyTalk.

Collaborations

Look for organizations and businesses to collaborate with regularly.

Present ideas for joint marketing initiatives to other industry group members and LinkedIn pages. There will be many opportunities to expand your reach and grow your customer base when the collab is aligned with all parties’ joint goals and interests, so there is buy-in and high user attendance.

Webinars, Podcasts

Running webinars and podcasts can take a fair bit of preparation, but you can use the material more than once. For example, say you find an internet security vulnerability that users need to be aware of—your presentation can be tailored for a webinar, a podcast, and maybe even a chapter in a book.

Consider collaborating with partners who have complementary strengths and resources to your business. Promote the initiative jointly using all the brands in the marketing message.

Use your email marketing lists and have a registration page or sign-up to download page to collect email addresses for post-event follow-up.

Finally, practice makes perfect—perfect your presentation through practice and feedback so the message is understood, open, transparent, and professional.

Sponsorship

While it may seem frivolous to sponsor an event or cause when cash flow is tight, sponsorship boosts brand profile and visibility. Choose causes and events that interest your customers. Online and offline, there are causes that can reveal a ‘human’ side to your business.

Fostering goodwill will strengthen sales and customer loyalty. Volunteering at community groups where you can subtly promote your business with the people you meet. Engaging directly with causes and event organizers can create collaborations and potential sales opportunities.

Discounts and Special Offers

Creating special offers, promotions, and discounts is hardly a new concept. Yet, some great deals and promotions can be an excellent way to get new customers and are still highly effective. For instance, a ‘buy one, get one free’ offer or a ‘limited-time discount on a popular product’ can attract new customers.

Limited-time promotions are versatile tools in your marketing arsenal. They can help spread the word about your business, increase brand awareness, or even drive sales. Consider offering a week-long promotion or sending coupons for certain items or services to unleash your creativity.

Integrating your promotions with other marketing techniques is crucial to maximizing their impact. Whether you’re using email marketing, social media, or other promotional methods, the key is to create a comprehensive strategy that effectively reaches your target audience.

Referral and Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Embracing referral marketing techniques is a promising strategy to boost your business. This approach, leveraging the power of word-of-mouth, not only fosters trust but also holds the potential to significantly expand your customer base. After all, people tend to value the recommendations of their social circle.

With a referral marketing promotion, you’ll give your current customers or clients special discounts if they refer more business to you.

To set this up, you can create a unique referral code for each customer, which they can share with their friends. When their friends make a purchase using this code, the new and referring customers can receive a discount.

Another effective way to harness the power of word-of-mouth marketing is by ensuring your business has a strong online presence with positive reviews on platforms like Yelp, Facebook, and Google. These reviews, serving as a testament to your business’s credibility, can significantly influence potential customers.

Encourage your customers to share their experiences through Yelp, Facebook, and Google reviews. Additionally, consider featuring a few of these testimonials on your website. This not only provides potential customers with valuable insights but also reinforces the credibility of your business.

Final Thoughts

The truth is that there are many ways to promote your business on a budget if you’re willing to think outside of the box a little bit.

By considering and trying some of the options above, you can find new customers for your business while spending much less than you may have thought you needed to.