Marketing Your Business On A Shoestring

Today’s internet and social media age, offer more low-cost marketing options than ever before. Not only is it possible, it is absolutely doable to substantially grow your small business on a shoestring budget. For the next few posts I will be identifying some of the options you have and some resources you can take advantage of. Some are low cost, some are free but all will require your personal input.

If your marketing is going to eventually take hold, then you need to make a strong commitment to see it through until it sticks. Use the “SMART” method to move yourself along to success. That is you need to establish Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Targeted objectives.

Don’t give up in the early stages and always take small steps. Define five things to do each week, or each day and develop a habit. Understand that the fruits of your marketing labors don’t happen overnight. You need to plant the seeds and give them time to grow. Nurture then regularly and your efforts will see success, so be patient with the process.

A brand is a name, term, design, symbol, or some feature that identifies your goods or services distinct from those of other sellers. Your brand can take many forms, including a symbol or slogan. If you don't have one give it some thought as it will help others remember you by differentiation. For example, when you need a facial tissue, you usually have a name in mind, perhaps the registered name of kleenix. Branding can result in higher sales of not only the core product, but other associated products as well.

Marketing is like a fire. You must continually add fuel or the fire will eventually have no energy left and provide no heat. You must be consistence in marketing. It’s the life of your small business and should be a regular part of your daily business activities. It is up to you to determine the best methods suited for you but be very specific with what your objective is and make it measurable. If you can measure it, you can change the results through modification.

Your first objective is to define your target market. Who is your best client? Who do you like to business with the most? It is all about relationships and you need to feel good about what you do for your customer just as your customer needs to feel good about what you are doing for them. Take some time with this one as it is the foundation of business growth.

For many businesses one free marketing process is a Facebook Page.  Some business models do not fit this profile but most do, even super box stores like Walmart  are using Facebook pages to reach out to their customers. It is easy to start a page but it requires some commitment to keep up with it. Next time I will cover some more ideas and how you can inter-link some of these to reduce your time and effort. Happy marketing to you!