Modest Marketing Strategies Every Startup With A Tight Budget Should Utilize
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The truth of the matter is this: most startups have a modest budget to work with. There’s no doubt about it, running a business on a small budget builds creativity, as you have to think outside of the box to make a success of things. Being on a small budget when running a business encourages you to be innovative because you have no choice but to be. This puts you in good stead for the future of running your business.
The fact that starting a business on a small budget encourages you to flex your creative muscle aside, if there’s one area that most entrepreneurs struggle with when on a budget it’s marketing. As anyone with even the smallest knowledge of the business industry knows, marketing is the key to success. You could have the most incredible product or service, but if no one knows about it, your chances of success are low, which is why marketing is so crucial. The good news is that there are plenty of modest marketing strategies, so even if money is tight, it doesn’t have to impact your success.
The use of SEO
One of the most important marketing strategies for online success is the use of SEO – aka search engine optimization. This is the use of keywords and phrases that allow your website and any content on it, to rank higher in search engines like Google, increasing the amount of traffic your site gets. SEO is something that needs to be taken into account when creating your business website and choosing a domain name for it. Take domain names as an example; your website needs a domain name that says what your company does so that when someone searches for the service or product that you sell, your site will be one of the highest ranking ones. The domain name SEO.com recently sold for millions because it’s so well SEO optimized. If your business sells beauty products, you want the term ‘beauty’ in the domain. If you offer PR services, you want ‘PR’ in the domain. To learn more about SEO, there are plenty of online resources that you can use.
Advertising via social media
Now, the reason that social media is such a popular advertising platform is because it offers free marketing, as well as affordable advertising. You can utilize sites like Facebook, Instagram, Google Plus, and Twitter, among others, to market your brand and products or services for free or for a low price, making social media advertising a great modest marketing option, if you know how to utilize these sites, that is. A lot of startups outsource the task to a social media specialist, but if money is tight, this may not be an option. The good news is that social media marketing is easier than ever before, because there is so much help online, including free courses and ebooks. If you’re willing to take the time to learn how to utilize social media, you can use it to successfully market your brand for free or for a low price, depending which methods you opt to use.
Team up with other local businesses
Can’t afford to pay for advertising space? Another option is to team up with other local businesses. What you want to do is find local businesses that are linked to your business in some way but aren’t direct competitors. Say, for example, you run a business that offers energy saving advice, you could look for other businesses in the area that sell eco-friendly products, such as distributors of LED lights. Then you could advertise them on your website, and they could do the same for you, increasing your reach and hopefully your customer base.
See, money isn’t the be all and end all of marketing, creative thinking is. These are just a few examples of modest marketing strategies; there are plenty of other options to take advantage of, these are just to get you started.
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