If your company could use more customers, but you don’t have any marketing budget to speak of, it doesn’t mean you have to throw your hands up in despair. Yes, it sucks trying to compete against the bigger companies in your industry when they have internal marketing teams and budgets for days, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get in the game. You can still grab the attention of your target market by being a bit more creative than they are. So let’s go:
Social Media
Whatever size you are, social media is a cheap way to reach a big audience and needs to be part of your marketing strategy. There are a few simple ways to make sure your business gets found, without investing all of your time:
1. Go where your audience is
If you sell B2B professional services only, your buyers are on LinkedIn, don’t get carried away making TikTok videos. If your time and budget are limited, then only focus on the places where your audience is likely to be.
2. Be there, and get involved
The thing about the big companies, they post and run; often their posts will even be scheduled in advance. But both your customers and the algorithm will reward you if you hang about online after you post, and get involved with their comments.
3. Be authentic
If you are a small company, don’t be afraid to be open and authentic. It will separate you from the faceless companies if you make it personal – stand out for the right reasons by showing some personality.
4. Get your current customers involved
Social media is a great opportunity to create engagement. Invite current customers to post photos of themselves with your product; have a hashtag and offer a reward. You could even run competitions.
Video
Millions of videos are viewed daily on the internet, and this can be a great avenue to expose your products and business. Just like social media, video is a great solution for small companies that can be authentic, and engaged with their audience.
You don’t need to make something Oscar-worthy! Just grab your phone and start shooting. Take a video of your product from all angles, or demonstrate how it’s used, or give us a virtual tour of your restaurant, holiday let, office, workshop…take us behind the scenes.
You can also help increase trust by being part of the video yourself. Let your customer see the face of the business for a more personal touch, and create a lasting impression.
Just because you don’t have a big budget, doesn’t mean you can’t be creative with what you have. Work out what matters most to your customers and support them in that, and never underestimate the power of the personal touch.
