Starting out in business takes effective planning and good structure. Many small business owners do not follow-up-on or set a business plan / targets, regularly planning their advertisement methods, which leads to the downfall of a potentially good business. Here are 14 advertising ideas for your small business that won’t cost the earth to do.
You have the products or services, however it does not reach your target audience due to poorly structured advertisement and marketing methods! Below is a list of 14 highly effective business advertisement ideas for small businesses on a budget.
The 14 methods we will cover, are;
- Email newsletter
- Social media
- Press releases
- Word of mouth
- Sponsor a local event
- Business networking
- Promotional freebies
- Write guest articles
- Advertise on your vehicle
- Exchange promotions
- Web advertising
- Track your results
- Business blogging
- Visiting businesses
Let’s now take a read and insight into each of these, in more detail. Let’s go!
Email newsletter
Setting up a mailing list is a good form of business email marketing. Be careful to not spam your subscribers with numerous emails, however write effective, simple and up-to-date email newsletters.
Social media
Update your social media with updates relating to your business and business field. Also, sharing your latest work online via social media helps spread your business and help it to go viral. Social media can be a tedious job, if you find this the case then there are many tools online which can help you to update all your social accounts from only one place. Another idea is to hire someone to regularly keep-track of and update your social media.
Press releases
Submitting press releases and newspaper articles online about your business can help spread the word of your business through the web. For example, if your business is hosting any fundraising events, or contests, then this news can be written up as a press release and submitted to targeted online magazines and online press releases targeted to your business. New upcoming products, and your service deals can also be written up as press releases.
Word of mouth
Tell everybody you know about your business; friends, family, and associates. Ask them to spread your business details to those who they know. Why not also give them some of your business cards, and / or marketing material so that they can pass them on to those they know? This is a good start to advertise and spread the word of your business.
Sponsor a local event
Include all of your business contact details in your business card and stationary such as your business name, logo, phone number, email address, website url, social media urls, and business address. Business cards and leaflets are the basic business stationary marketing materials. It is budget effective for any small business and very effective in passing your business details on.
Business networking
Attending networking events targeted to your business, or general business events is a good way to network with others. Don’t forget to hand out your business cards and marketing materials also.
Promotional freebies
As well as giving out business stationary marketing material, you can also give out other freebies as a promotional method, from pens to calendars, to contest prizes. Try to remember to print your business details on your promotional items, and if that is too costly invest in some low cost however high quality stickers with your brand and business details to stick on your freebies.
Write guest articles
Interested in being considered an expert in your industry? One of my favourite advertising ideas for your small business is to write guest posts or articles on respectable websites and small media outlets.
Writing and publishing guest articles does two very beneficial things; it positions you as an authority at what you know, and also links to your business website, improving your SEO naturally.
Advertise on your vehicle
From vans to cars, if you or your employees drive a vehicle then getting vehicle stickers or magnets for your van or car is a good marketing method. They can even be magnetic, so you can take them off when you aren’t working (or when you are on holidays, and don’t want random enquiries at your campsite!).
Exchange promotions
Another one of the great advertising ideas for your small business, is for you to exchange promotions with other likeminded businesses. If you can g et involved with other businesses you network with, and together you can help each other and host joint promotions, competitions, and events.
By doing this cross promotional work with other businesses from time to time, helps you promote to a wider audience and keeps your costs low.
Web advertising
Listing your business on other websites is a good form of advertisement. This can be in the form of a website banner or text links. Usually websites charge for other businesses to list their services on their site. This could be added to your future marketing plan target . Try to search and find websites offering web advertisements in your budget.
Finding free and low cost directories online also helps with your link building and is an effective web advertising method.
Track your results
You should always take the time to write an annual marketing plan. This simple marketing plan can be then broken down month-by- month for the upcoming year.
You should write down what marketing methods you plan to use, and what you plan to achieve in each month, how you will measure their success, and slo when you plan to achieve them by.
Business blogging
Starting a small business blog for your business is also a fantastic advertising ideas for your small business. By blogging regularly, you display knowledge and expert vision on your topics. Update with your business news, as well as your business industry news, tips, and advice. Popular online blogging include WordPress and Blogger.
Visiting businesses
Visiting businesses, companies, restaurants, and shops, and asking if you could speak to or book an appointment with the manager in the field you are in. For example, an interior design business would ask to speak to or book an appointment with the manager or the one in charge of their businesses interior design department.
In Summary
There we go, an excellent list of low cost advertising ideas for your small business. To recap, they are;
The 14 methods we will cover, are;
- Email newsletter
- Social media
- Press releases
- Word of mouth
- Sponsor a local event
- Business networking
- Promotional freebies
- Write guest articles
- Advertise on your vehicle
- Exchange promotions
- Web advertising
- Track your results
- Business blogging
- Visiting businesses
Let’s now take a read and insight into each of these, in more detail. Let’s go!
