Print   RSS

Low Cost Marketing Techniques

marketing on a budget

Lynne Saarte

September 12, 2008

Every small business has to advertise on a budget. Any marketing technique that can be done without spending a great deal of money is a great deal for a small business. Here are some possibilities for you to consider as you develop your marketing plan.

Keep it Local

If your business deals mostly with local customers, you may want to localize your advertising. Spending money on nationwide (or worldwide) advertising could be a dramatic waste of money for your business. Instead, move that money into cheaper, local avenues. These include phone books (an ad in a phone book is surprisingly cheap), newspapers, and radio stations.

The specific types of tools that you will use depend on your exact budget. But any local advertising will be more affordable that more wide range efforts. Invest more resources into business cards and posters. Design a brochure printing project that will put brochures in the hands of local customers. The idea is to narrow your spectrum and focus on the potential customers in your area.

Blogging

Blogs are wildly popular these days. Virtually everyone – from the corner store clerk to my grandmother – has a blog. If you can create an interesting blog that appeals to your customers and subtly promotes your products, you will have a potential gold mine on your hands. A well written and properly promoted blog can generate a great deal of leads and sales at a very low cost. It helps to have some computer savvy, but that is not necessary. You can still have a perfectly functional blog with little money coming out of your pocket.

Modern Online Ads

While marketing online is not quite as affordable as it was in the early days of the internet, it is still possible to find effective advertising tools in the online world. Some products, such as Google’s AdWords tool, allow you to target specific markets. You can even choose certain keywords that you want to focus on. When a customer searches for that keyword, your ad shows up on their screen, with a link to your website. This can be an incredibly efficient, and relatively inexpensive, marketing tool.

Direct Marketing

Sometimes, some good old fashioned direct marketing is the best way to go. Postcards and catalogs can be produced for a relatively low cost, and distributed to customers in your target location. If you are a locally focused company, and are not able to use internet marketing extensively, direct marketing techniques may be a good option for you.

The key in direct marketing is sending your materials to the correct customers. Try to target the people that are most likely to need or want your products or services. This can be difficult, but if you do some demographic research, you should be able to make some good decisions.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit: Brochure Printing

 Feedback   Submit Article