5 Low Cost Marketing Avenues For Your Small Business

The cost of marketing can sometimes be intimidating.  Traditional, print, and digital marketing can seem to cost a fortune.  In fact, for little to nothing, you can stretch your marketing dollars using these five proven, low cost ideas, and start using them today!

1. Social Media (Done Right): You can set up a free business account on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, but it's not a set-it-and-forget-it solution.  You have to post regularly and consistently, engage with your followers, and share some behind the scenes content.  The best way to connect with folks on a personal level is by being a person.
2. Asking for Reviews and Referrals:  Word of mouth is still considered the most effective marketing.  Don't be shy about asking for referrals, "Know anyone who we could help?" can go a long way.  Encourage your happy customers to leave reviews on Google or Facebook right after service, and make it easy for them by printing QR codes on invoices or emailing a link after the sale/service
3. Start a monthly Newsletter:  Email newsletters keep you top of mind with your customers.  The only cost?  A little bit of your time.
4. Write a Blog: Blogs help build trust, allows you to show off your expertise, and improve SEO. 
5. Partner with other Local Small Businesses: Cross-promote with other, complimentary businesses.  For example, a bookstore and a cafe could run a joint promotion.  Both companies promoting would reach twice the audience without any additional spend for either.

Bottom Line:

You don't need to max out your spend to max out your impact.  By being creative, you can get the results you're looking for without overspending.