By Lina Martinez
If you’re starting out with a business, then the chances are that you going to be looking at keeping costs down. And why wouldn’t you? Whatever you spend will be marked against your business and affect your bottom line. But there are certain things that you do need to spend on. Advertising and marketing is one of the ways that you will get your business name out there, so you need to think about using some methods that are fairly low-cost, but will have the most impact. So what are the methods that can work best? Here are some ideas that will help you to get the most bang for your buck.
Make a Plan
First of all, deciding what kind of business you want to have and who your customers are is going to help you to decide where you should focus your energy. If you have a business aimed at Millennials, then social media, especially channels like Instagram and Snapchat are going to be the best things that would work well for you. If your market is mostly older people, then traditional advertising through billboards, TV, and magazines might work better than online ads. So decide your plan of attack to make sure that you’re spending your money wisely.
A Website
Having a website is really key to helping your business to grow, as it allows people to find you online, by them searching for things. If you are relevant, and can work towards getting on the front page of a Google search, then they will find you. But they have no way of doing that without a website. You can get some low cost domain names and websites designed, so it doesn’t have to cost a lot to look good.
Search Engine Directories
Both Google and Bing offer search engine business listings, in many cases, for free. So look into setting up a listing for your service in a local directory. Then when someone does search for a plumber in Utah, for example, then you’ll pop up on that directory. It can be an easy win for your business.
Get Noticed
If you have a local business then getting noticed in your local area is a must. From billboards to posters, these can all be good to get your name out there. You could even look into fleet and transit graphics to hire out ad space on buses and trucks, for instance, as well as put on your own fleet, if your business requires them. When local people see things like this suddenly popping up, they will pay attention and take note of what it is all about. Then when they see your store or website, it will click where they have heard your business name before.
Social Media
Social media channels are a must for businesses in many ways. But not to mention as another way to advertise and market your business. And the best part about it? It doesn’t cost anything to start these channels. Of course, you can pay to advertise on the channels and to pick out your audience, but if you want to just do your own thing to promote your site and products, then there is no cost. Share relevant content as well as build an audience. Choose the channels that are best suited to your audience, though, as you don’t have to be on all of them. If someone doesn’t have Facebook, then they’re likely to have Twitter. So choose a few that are relevant to your target audience and then go from there. It is also a really good tool for customer service. Potential customers are out on those channels, so make sure that you are too.
Attend Events and Conferences
By getting to know other local businesses or other people in the industry, you are doing a form of advertising. And in reality, it costs very little to do this kind of thing. So check out what is going on in your area. You could also look for events that you could speak at as an expert in your field. It is all about getting your name out there and what your company is about.
Run a Contest
To generate some buzz around your launch, then it can be a good way to get some advertising and a customer base by doing a contest or giveaway for your new product. It gets the brand name out there, as well as the details of customers. Just keep it all legal in your terms and conditions.
