Do you run a small business but don’t have much to spend on your marketing? Use these tips and you could be playing on the same level of the big boys.
There’s a term that’s floating around the web that’s on the tips of every business owner: bum marketing. No, you won’t be begging on the street for money – instead, bum marketing is a collection of methods to market your business in inexpensive ways.
This article will take you through various inexpensive methods you can use to market your business.
1. Article Marketing
Articles on the web, much like this one, are a great method to drive traffic and leads to your business. Articles are an inexpensive marketing method because it only requires one thing: time.
Article marketing details writing promotional and helpful articles related to your products and services, then linking back to your business website. Because of the value of articles, readers that want to know more or have the spark to buy your product will visit your website through your link.
Coupled with search engine optimization techniques, you can quickly write articles which draw attention, such as: how-to’s, interviews, guides, product reviews and more. Each additional article you publish on the web gives you another backlink (to rank high in search engines) and the opportunity to drive traffic to your online business.
2. Video Marketing
Youtube boasts an amazing 1 billion video views a day – just imagine, if you could tap into just a fraction of this viewer-ship, you’ll gain all the free traffic you need to drive up business.
Video’s are increasingly becoming easier (and inexpensive) to create. Simple web cams or HD cameras can be purchased for under $100, free editing software is available online and you already have all the topics you’ll ever need to talk about: your business.
The most important part about creating video to drive traffic (and sales) to your website is to product great content. Again, how-to’s and instructional videos related to your products and services are a great way to start building an inexpensive way to market your business.
Be sure to add a link into the description box on every video, include a call-to-action and you’re on your way to increasing your sales and build a community due to all the helpful information you’re sharing.
3. Buzz marketing
Buzz marketing is a relatively new term on the web – in short, it’s utilizing social media to create a ‘buzz’ around your business. Whenever a business releases a new product or service, people that actively talk about it on forums, blogs and social media is helping to create buzz around the business which eventually leads to more sales.
Buzz marketing is very inexpensive, all it takes is a little time and effort to find people within your business niche and give them great information they actually want to share with others.
This word-of-mouth advertising is very powerful. Think of the last time you and a friend talked about a new product – because you trust your friends judgement, you’re much more likely to buy.
4. Create a blog
Business blogging is all the rage these days but it can have its pros and cons. Many business attempt to write a corporate blog only to find out a lack of interest within their customers and community – the trick to avoiding this fallout is to provide great information and not overly promote your own business.
Creating a blog is quick and easy. Within a few short hours of installing, setting up and writing your first post, you will begin to trickle in traffic as your posts spread around the web. Blogs are a very inexpensive way to share information and help market your business online.
5. Guerrilla Marketing
There are many guerrilla marketing techniques which still provide a lot of value and inexpensive ways to market your products and business.
A few great techniques to utilize when marketing your products can be:
- Setting up signs around your town
- Giving away freebies (this generates buzz)
- Holding a contest or promotion
There’s really no limit to the amount of different techniques you can utilizes with guerrilla marketing. Try out wild and crazy ideas which people want to talk about. Keep it on a shoestring budget.
Final Thoughts
Marketing products doesn’t have to be an expensive ordeal; in fact, it can be quite cheap to use existing technologies, communities and the web to sell your products. The biggest trade off when utilizing each of these techniques is time but in comparison to a very expensive marketing budget, no-one can argue with saving a ton of money by using each of these inexpensive marketing methods for products.