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5 Ways to Market a Business on a Shoestring BudgetArticle Summary: In today's tough economic client, it's getting harder and harder to start a new business or grow an existing small one. And when we as entrepreneurs decide to spend money, we need to make sure it's going to the right place. This article will discuss some basic tips on how to market your company with a limited budget, both to pull in new customers and to grow the marketing budget as well.
Scott W. Cook Article Feed :
Things have dramatically changed over the last few years. Perhaps there has never been a time when businesses have faced more challenges when it comes to sales and growth as they do [url=http://www.lotogame.fr/hollisterfrance.php]www.lotogame.fr/hollisterfrance.php[/url] now. One of the biggest challenges we all face, thanks to the state of our economy, is how do we attract more customers with little or no money for advertising.
This is certainly tricky. But it is absolutely necessary. Because without marketing, we don't make money. So there has got to be somewhere where we can dig down and find the resources we need to attract the revenues to keep us going. And what are the primary resources of marketing? Well, they are time and money. Of course, there is a third factor, equally as important, and it is knowing what to do.
You can have all the time and money in the world, but unless you know enough to buy a sledge hammer, you might still be beating your head against a brick wall. This article will attempt [url=http://210.150.138.115/cgi-bin/bbs/fantasy.cgi]barbour france paris Carpet C[/url] to give you a few ideas on how to squeeze the most out of a limited amount of time and money. It will give you, at least the beginnings, of the knowledge to help you decide what to do. We can't get into hyper specifics here, because this article can be of use to so [url=http://www.fayatindia.com/giuseppe-zanotti.html]giuseppe zanotti pas cher[/url] many different types of entrepreneurs. What we will do is give you a big picture look and hopefully spark some ideas, or maybe even show you why it's okay to hire some professional help.
So let's assume that you have a monthly budget of $500. To some of you this may not seem like much, and to others, it may seem like a fortune. But honestly, $500 a month, spent with even a lower priced marketing firm, gives you about 10 hours of their time. And it can also be said, and we hope this doesn't offend anyone, that if you can't scrape up $500 to spend on your own business, perhaps you need to rethink being in business at all. Yes, that is a pretty strong statement, and there are business owners out there who really don't have $500 to spend. Perhaps they have $250, or even nothing. So we will address that in this article too, in the sense that if you don't' have any money, you ought to at least be able to find say 20 hours of your time each month to devote to marketing your company. And that's only $25 an hour. And if you're so busy that even finding 20 hours of time is hard, again, you need to really look at your situation. But 20 hours, or 4.5 hours a week, is not out of reach to anyone, no matter who you are.
So if you'll forgive our sterness, we'll jump right into the tips we promised in the title.
Marketing Method #1 - The Internet
While this article is not intended to be a dissertation on internet marketing, we will brush on it here. The best reason is that on our shoestring budget of $500 or 20 hours per month, or both if we're lucky, you can really do quite a bit online to promote yourself. And as we're so fond of pointing out on our website and in other articles, 97% of people search the internet [url=http://www.villazuki.it]woolrich outlet online[/url] today for information, and to make buying decisions, as well as just to see who you are.
The very first area you an focus on is optimizing your website, if you have one, for search engine ranking. There are a lot of ways to do this, and you can learn them yourself or pay your marketing consultant to do it for you. And what's really nice about SEO is that it applies to anything you publish online, your website, your videos, your blogs, your articles, even your social media postings.
Additionally, publishing rich content online is a great way to attract attention. As we mentioned, article marketing, blogging, Youtube videos, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media, broadcasting updates and offers to your email list and more are ways to attract and keep attention.
Of course, there are paid advertising programs online as well. You can buy ad space on Facebook, Twitter and [url=http://www.sandvikfw.net/shopuk.php]hollister sale[/url] the like which can be targeted to a specific demographic [url=http://www.davidhabchy.com]barbour outlet[/url] or geographic location. You can also use Google AdWords. Many people are familiar with this and other pay per click programs. You sign up, set a budget and then write ads [url=http://www.anepf.fr]doudoune moncler[/url] and choose keywords that are attached to those ads. These ads then show up on the side panel of Google searches and on other websites where they have chosen [url=http://www.mquin.com/pjsdoudoune.php]parajumpers pas cher[/url] to participate in Google AdSense. This is basically where you put ads on your site and get paid [url=http://www.tagverts.com/barbour.php]barbour online shop[/url] when they are clicked on.
The trick to pay per click programs is that they need to be managed constantly. You have to monitor your keywords and the performance of them and your ads to tweak it so you get the most for your money.
One other great way to attract attention online is with link building. There are sites that host links, both free and paid, as well as sites where you can post ads, both free and paid. You can put a link on customer's websites, if allowed, or general directories, or on things you publish, such as your blogs, articles, videos and social media. Link building is a great way to rank higher on searches.
Marketing Method #2 - Printed Media
One of the really great things that has happened in the last six or seven years is the advent of the online printing houses. Places like VistaPrint, UPrint, Printplace and so forth. The reason these are so useful for us entrepreneurs, especially those on a limited budget, is that they offer four color printing services for next to nothing compared to what you would have paid ten years ago.
For example, our $500 could get us a thousand 4 color postcards, a couple of hundred nice four color business cards, a few hundred tri-fold full color glossy brochures and even a banner, with enough change left over to pay for faster shipping and a round or two at happy hour when the stuff comes in.
So when it comes to creating high quality physical media for your business, this is where you can really shine. But remember, get the designs done professionally. You only have one chance to make a first impression, and printed material gives you that chance in a long lasting way, so make it a good one.
A good idea that most businesses can do, and this can be incorporated into your sales efforts, is to create a nice postcard mailer. You can have the addressing done, or buy labels and print them and label the [url=http://www.teatrodeoro.com/hollisterde.php]hollister deutschland[/url] backs of the cards yourself. You can even take them to the post office or get them metered for mailing. Or, again, physically put stamps on each one. The reason is that you can sen out a hundred at a time to your list of potential customers, and then spend the next week calling on them. Do this a few times. In other words, with advertising like this, you need repetition. It often takes at least three views of something before it clicks with the viewer. So when doing a mailing, you want to hit the same people at least three or four times. But combined with [url=http://www.davidhabchy.com]barbour sale[/url] a program of calling not long after they get your mail, can be a great way to build up a larger customer base.
We were once told, long ago when we were just starting out, by a very successful client, that he never hands someone a dollar without also handing them a business card. If you've ordered 250 4x4 glossy biz cards, they're not doing any good sitting in their box, right? So hand them out at every opportunity.
There really is a lot you can do with printed media, and do it cheaply now. So consider this option and brainstorm some ideas with your marketing specialist to see just how you can use it to your best advantage.
Marketing Method #3 - Always get a referral
Yes, it's true, this is [url=http://www.fayatindia.com/giuseppe-zanotti.html‎]www.fayatindia.com/giuseppe-zanotti.html‎[/url] not exactly earth shattering. Just about everyone who's ever been in business knows that they should ask a customer for a referral or ten. But do you know how many actually do this? It's a surprisingly low number. We often feel funny about asking for a name or number, like maybe we're being pushy. But hey, you're in business to make money and sometimes you have to push a little.
Just be respectful and patient about it. Some will give you a referral, or more [url=http://garciniacambogiaexposed.com/#comment-71208]Make a Donation for an Eye Institute - written by Groshan Fabiola[/url] than one. Some will not either because they themselves feel uncomfortable giving out a friend's info, or they just don't' know of anyone to give you. But the truth is, most of us know enough people that in almost any buying situation, there is someone we know who could use what it is you [url=http://www.yuki-bs.com/cgi-bin/epad/epad.cgi?res=1&mode=view&no=2530]jordan pas cher Comfortable B[/url] just bought too.
To expand on this further, if you already have a list of clients, or some information on customers who've purchased before, or even a mailing list, go ahead and contact them for a referral. Let them know what's happening with you now, and perhaps let them know about a special offer you've created for repeaters.
Another good way to get a quality referral, or even get your customers to do the work for you, is offer a referral incentive. Let your customers know that anyone they send to you who buys will entitle them to something of value in return, a discount, a coupon, a freebee, whatever.
Marketing Method #4 - Gorilla or grass-roots marketing
Here is an interesting one. Gorilla or grass-roots marketing is a bit of a departure for most [url=http://www.thehygienerevolution.com/hollister.php]hollister france[/url] of us. And it does not work with every business. But to put it simply, Gorilla marketing is getting out into the community on the street level and interacting with people one on one.
We've all been approached by someone when we're out handing out flyers about a new club opening in town, or passing out take out menus, or asking us to take a survey "really quick" before we continue on our way. These are just a few examples of gorilla marketing.
What's nice about this form of marketing is that it's relatively cheap to do. You hire a couple of starving college kids, dress them in an in-expensive but catchy T-shirt with your logo on it, and arm them with some cards, flyers and doo-dads and let them loose downtown or on campus. Their job is to make contact with everyone they meet, hand out literature and draw attention to you at every turn. A few hours of this on a weekend can really expose you to the local market in a fun and interesting way for those who are being approached.
And what's more, it doesn't cost a whole lot. Of course, grass roots marketing can take many forms. You can send your teams to trade shows, concerts, carnivals and so forth. You can design, print and place those little plastic signs on street corners. It's a bit low-rent, but you'd be surprised how many calls you get, not including code enforcement.
You can tack [url=http://www.batfriendtrust.it]hogan outlet[/url] your flyer up on bulletin boards, dress your people in company shirts and volunteer at an event, or even pay to have your banner displayed at a local fishing tournament, something like that. The ideas for this type of marketing are endless, so be creative.
Marketing Method #5 - Take Action
This may seem like an odd tip. But like we mentioned in the referrals section, this is vitally important and where many of us falter. It's where the rubber meets the road that things really happen. No matter what your methods of promotion, be any [url=http://www.mxitcms.com/abercrombie/]abercrombie milano[/url] or all of what we've listed here, things we haven't gone into, whether or not you've hired a marketing firm, take action.
It's our marketing that brings in the money. And no matter who you are or where you are, there's something you can do to get noticed. If you don't do it, nobody will ever know about you. You can have the finest product or service in the world, but if no one knows about it, it's just gonna collect dust, tick you off, and make your life miserable.
So sit down, either by yourself, with a partner, a spouse, or your professional marketing consultant, and write a plan of action. There's no better action than those we think about first. It's like the Navy SEALS say, "Plan your dive, and dive your plan."
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