As small businesses adjust their plans to the changes brought on by this year, many entrepreneurs are looking to reduce their spending on non-essential items. In looking at what areas to cut, often marketing is one of the first to be considered.
However, with less in-person public events and networking opportunities, online seems to be the primary method of communication for the time being. Ensuring an online presence for your business is more crucial than ever, and you’ll want to ensure your investment of time online is used optimally, especially given constrained resources. If you’ve already been tasked with working with a less-than-ideal marketing budget, we’ve thought of some ways that you can still connect with your customer base and attract new clients during this time.
Email marketing
A great way to stay connected with your customers is through email marketing. Sending out a scheduled message (bi-weekly, monthly) can help build brand awareness, promote your services, and reach your clients. If you don’t already have something set up, there are many low-cost or no-cost email marketing programs. These software programs are usually easy to use and allow you to better manage your subscriber list while creating branded emails.
Google My Business
Google My Business is a free and easy-to-use tool for businesses and organizations to manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. With your free account, you are able to promote your business, respond to customer reviews, questions and more. To get started, we recommend checking out this helpful guide that breaks down all you need to know on setting your business up for success on the platform.
Social Media
One of the key ways to market your business is through social media platforms. Social media is important for helping you reach new audiences and potential customers. You don't need to be active on every single platform; instead, focus on where your customers actually are — you can find a breakdown of social media platforms and their uses here. This quick read provides insights on the most popular platforms for different demographics and how often to post for optimal engagement.
The best way to see success from your social media involves posting regular content that is informative and engaging; connecting with your community by responding to comments, reviews and messages; and driving traffic to your website through social media posts (eg. promoting blogs, events, or offers).
Design Your Own Content
Once you’ve become familiar with the social media platforms to use, it’s time to get content out. You can do it yourself with tools such as Canva, a free site used for designing templates and graphics to include in your social media. You don’t have to be a design expert to use Canva; their simple design options let you create infographics in no time. Their website offers a step-by-step guide to get started.
Another way to get the word out is to write a blog for your website. Why do you need a blog? A blog ensures your website has fresh, new content for people to discover. This content also helps generate traffic to your website. If you’ve set up your email marketing account, you can let your subscribers know about your latest blog post and help to drive traffic to your site that way.
Get Started
The options for what you can create on your own on a budget are endless — what isn’t limitless is your time. You’re likely just as constrained for time as other resources, but it’s worth setting aside some time each day to commit to digital marketing for your business. Maintaining an online presence will help you stay connected to your clientele and reach out to new audiences.
AWE is hosting webinars on marketing to help get you started, click here to learn more.
