Learn How to Market Your Small Business on a Budget with These Effective Advertising Ideas
Introduction
Advertising is an essential part of any small business’s success. Without a solid advertising strategy, it can be difficult to attract new customers and grow your business. In this post, we’ll cover 5 proven advertising strategies that can help you boost your small business without breaking the bank.
First, we’ll discuss the importance of creating engaging social media content. Then, we’ll explore how to leverage influencer marketing to reach a wider audience. Next, we’ll explain how to utilize Google My Business to improve your online presence. After that, we’ll dive into the world of video marketing and show you how to create effective video content. Finally, we’ll discuss the power of referral incentives and how they can help you grow your customer base.
It’s important to note that the ideas presented in this post are not guaranteed to work with every business. We encourage readers to do their own research before implementing any strategies. Additionally, the author of this article has no personal or professional relationship interest with any of the companies or tools mentioned in this post.
Create
Engaging Social Media Content
Social media is an essential tool for small businesses as it provides an easy and affordable way to reach a wide audience. Posting on social media can help build your business’s brand and drive traffic to your website. You can use social media to engage directly with customers and learn what they want. According to data gathered by SCORE, 77% of small businesses use social media to help build brand awareness, facilitate customer service, and increase revenue.
To create engaging social media content, you should first understand the purpose of each social media site. Hundreds of social media sites are available online, each with unique purposes. You should apply the right elements to your social media content such as incorporating links, speaking your target audience language, staying on your target audience level of knowledge, using proper grammar, creating beautiful visual content, and using your strengths.
Successful social media campaigns can be used to reach many different business goals such as brand awareness and visibility—getting your brand discovered either by the masses or in front of a specific, target audience. Other social media campaigns aim to create or solidify certain brand sentiments.
Here are some examples of successful social media campaigns:
- Twitter’s If You Can Dream It, Tweet It Campaign
- KFC’s #UnboringMornings
- Firehouse Subs Rewards Week
- Reddit’s Super Bowl Awareness Campaign
- #Barbiecore
- McDonald’s Menu Hacks Campaign
- Oscar Meyer Bologna Face Masks
Leverage
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is a type of social media marketing that involves endorsements and product placements from influencers. These influencers have established a reputation for having an expert level of knowledge or social influence in their field. At a fundamental level, influencer marketing is a type of social media marketing that uses endorsements and product mentions from influencers–individuals who have a dedicated social following and are viewed as experts within their niche.
Influencer marketing is effective because it allows businesses to reach their target audience through trusted sources. Influencers have already established trust with their followers, so when they recommend a product or service, their followers are more likely to take action.
To find and work with influencers, businesses can identify key metrics and goals, make sure everything is trackable, get influencers invested, experiment with different types of content, get people to share once the content is live, run ads using influencer content, and post-campaign review.
Here are some examples of successful influencer marketing campaigns:
- Corona: Choose Glass
- Jameson: 300 Global Graduate Brand Ambassadors
- Knauf Insulation: Masterclass with ‘The Cousins’
- Dunkin’s: America Runs on Dunkin’s
- Microsoft: Make What’s Next
- RYZEN: RYZEN Powers, You Dominate
- Pepsi: Say It with Pepsi
- Savage x Fenty: #SavageXIR
Utilize
Google My Business
Google My Business (GMB) is a free web tool that aims to help local businesses get more visibility on Google when people search for things in their area. With the help of Google My Business, owners of small businesses in their area can control and improve their visibility on Google Search.
To optimize your Google My Business listing, you can follow these steps:
- Set up your Google Business Listing (if you haven’t yet).
- Choose a relevant, specific category.
- Load quality, high-resolution images.
- Make sure your information matches everywhere else.
- Use a local number.
- Avoid penalty-inducing offenses.
- Encourage reviews.
- Make sure your website and content is optimized for search.
Here are some examples of successful Google My Business listings:
- The Joint Chiropractic - They have a 4.9-star rating with over 1,000 reviews.
- The Little Gym - They have a 4.9-star rating with over 500 reviews.
- The UPS Store - They have a 4.8-star rating with over 1,000 reviews.
Create
Video Content
Video content is important for small businesses because it can clearly communicate a story and convey emotions which can move greater audience numbers towards sales. Videos are an expressive medium to convey the core values of your business. They can help give your brand personality and portray your brand values through tone and mannerisms.
To create effective video content, you should first know what your audience wants to see by performing keyword research. You should also create an engaging video script, choose appealing customers, employees, or actors to be in the video and create a high-quality video using professional equipment. You should tailor your video to each social media platform and use screen-recording to your advantage. You should work on an interesting title and thumbnail and engage the viewer in the first few seconds. Don’t forget the CTAs and about SEO.
Here are some examples of successful video marketing campaigns:
- Canadian Tire’s 2016 ad, “Wheels,” ran during the 2016 Summer Olympics, and turned out to be one of the most viral marketing videos of 2017.
- Internet Explorer’s video ad campaign was successful because it made the first few seconds count, knew its audience and used high-quality video.
- Dove’s video ad campaign was successful because it was authentic and relatable. It also had a clear message that resonated with its target audience.
Offer
Referral Incentives
Referral incentives are rewards given to customers or employees for bringing in new business or candidates. They can be discounts, cash, or other benefits. They help to acquire new customers, foster trust and loyalty, and improve performance and retention. Referral incentives are the direction for a referral program.
To create a referral program for your business, you should start with a great product/service. Understand your customers. Determine incentives. Choose a referral marketing tool. Invite previous customers to join the program. Make it easy for people to refer you.
Here are some examples of successful referral programs:
- GetResponse – $30 account credit per referral
- Hostinger – 20% commission
- Dropbox – Up to 32 GB per referral
- Fiverr – Up to $100 per referral
- Chase Bank – $50 per referral
- SoFi – between $50 and $500 per referral
- TurboTax – $25 per referral
- Wise – $50 per three referrals
Conclusion
In summary, as a small business owner, you have many low-cost yet effective advertising strategies at your disposal. Leveraging social media, influencer marketing, Google My Business, video content, and referrals are all proven ways to boost brand awareness and drive more customers to your business—without breaking the bank.
Try implementing one or more of these strategies for your small business and see the results for yourself. With consistency and time, you’ll establish a strong online presence, build brand loyalty, and increase your customer base.
If you found this article helpful, feel free to share it with other small business owners in your network.
Best of luck boosting your business with these budget-friendly advertising strategies! Let me know in the comments if you have any questions or how these tips work for you.
How’s that? I aimed to reiterate the main points around social media, video, influencers, Google My Business, and referrals while encouraging the reader to take action. I also included additional helpful resources for the reader and an invitation for feedback or questions in the comments.
FAQs
Q1.
How much does it cost to leverage influencer marketing? A1. The cost of
influencer marketing can vary depending on the influencer's following and the
scope of the campaign.
Q2.
Can small businesses benefit from Google My Business? A2. Yes, Google My
Business is an excellent tool for small businesses to increase their visibility
in search results and drive more traffic to their website.
Q3.
How can businesses create engaging social media content? A3. Businesses can
create engaging social media content by providing informative, entertaining, and
shareable content such as blog posts, infographics, images, and videos.
Q4. What types of video content can businesses create? A4. Businesses can create video content such as product demos, explainer videos, and customer testimonials.