10 Cheap or Free Small Business Marketing Ideas For 2024

Small businesses are built with a lot of love and care by their founders, who wish to see them pr

...

osper. However, most fail because of bad financial...

10 Cheap or Free Small Business Marketing Ideas For 2024
Lucas Nguyen
 Image
Lucas Nguyen
Updated: Thursday 15th of February 2024
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Small businesses are built with a lot of love and care by their founders, who wish to see them prosper. However, most fail because of bad financial decisions or a lack of market understanding. The latter makes entrepreneurs make mistakes with marketing campaigns and spend aimlessly on promotions that do not bear results. The entire advertising budget goes to waste because of the eagerness to showcase the brand on the most expensive platforms.

However, brand awareness is no longer limited to running TV commercials and print ads. It can be effectively achieved through digital marketing, a much more affordable promotional platform. Small businesses can take advantage of the techniques used in this medium to reach a wider audience and make a lasting impression. Here is a list of ten cheap or free small business marketing ideas for 2024 that should not be missed. These will help you engage with your target audience and measure your results for maximum return on investment.

1. Start Email Marketing

Email marketing is one of the best ways of affordable promotion because it reaches the customer's inbox and can be customised. Entrepreneurs can send useful information, promotional content and offers to the target buyers based on their position in the sales funnel. It helps connect with potential buyers, retain existing customers and retarget those who have purchased and forgotten.

Entrepreneurs who purchase a business for sale Brisbane get access to the contact list without any effort. However, start-ups must build an emailing list to create brand awareness, increase web traffic, follow up with clients and gather feedback.

2. Host A Webinar

A webinar is the perfect platform to interact with customers using the online medium. It helps to generate leads and enhance the interest of potential buyers in the business. Webinars can be used for creating engaging product demonstrations and nurturing leads for conversions.

This low-cost technique is instrumental in reaching a wider audience and offering valuable content to the target buyers. It can be used to become a thought leader in the industry and improve the brand's credibility. It can boost conversions and profits.

3. Create Engaging Content

Businesses can make an impact on their buyers by creating unique and high-quality content. It must be distributed through the website content, blogs, social media posts, infographics, videos, podcasts, case studies, etc. It must be shared widely on digital platforms and evoke interest and awareness.

Content marketing is quite affordable and can help build a strong brand identity. It allows entrepreneurs to educate, inform, entertain and engage customers. In the digital medium, content is the king and must be used effectively to win over the hearts and minds of the audience.

4. Hire Social Media Influencers

Social media influencers are the new celebrities hired by several brands for promotions. Small businesses with limited funds may not be able to hire the most popular YouTubers, but they can find reputed influencers in their niche to carry forward their marketing message.

The cost can be further reduced by offering a free product subscription for a few months to the influencer instead of paying money. Many entrepreneurs who purchase businesses for sale Brisbane can use this marketing idea to maintain buyers' trust in the brand after the change in ownership.

5. Ask for Customer Referrals

Customer referrals help acquire new buyers without spending a dollar on marketing. It involves maintaining a long-term relationship with current buyers by offering the desired support and excellent after-sales service. Satisfied and content customers become loyal buyers and are keen to bring the brand up.

Entrepreneurs who purchase a Brisbane business for sale can also use this marketing technique to expand their customer base. Loyal buyers can be offered an incentive to bring referrals, which will help retain and acquire customers.

6. Attend Industry Events

Entrepreneurs must build a network of industry people, which can be expanded by attending events, seminars and workshops. It is also the right place to promote the brand among industry veterans and potential clients. Entrepreneurs can introduce their products at these events to people who can become customers.

An event also provides a private space for one-to-one interactions that increase the probability of persuasion and conversion. The buyers can be educated about the product and its utilisation at these events.

7. Organise A Client Meet-Up

While industry events have other businesses promoting their products, a client meet-up is an exclusive space for interaction and engagement. It is an ideal way to thank existing customers and attract new buyers with a paid lunch or coffee meeting. It can be organised in an informal set-up to increase the foot traffic.

A client meet-up can help gather feedback to provide insights into customer satisfaction levels. It can help in making improvements to the offerings that help exceed customer expectations and address their pain points. A meet-up makes clients feel special and heard, which increases loyalty and helps them adopt a customer-centric approach.

8. Invest in Local SEO

Online visibility is of utmost significance because most customers use their Smartphones to look for products and services. Thus, businesses need to have a significant presence online which can be achieved with the help of local SEO. It involves creating a Google My Business Page to help customers find the store or office easily.

In addition, entrepreneurs must identify local keywords and add them to the website content and blogs to generate more traffic. They must also create content specific to the local buyers and their needs to grab their attention.

9. Partner With Other Brands

Partnering with another brand helps to increase brand awareness without spending any money. Both businesses gain from this mutual cooperation. For example, a burger shop can partner with a milkshake business and offer a discount code to their customers to be redeemed at the partner's shop.

It helps entrepreneurs tap into another entity's target market without spending on marketing. However, the products offered by the two businesses must complement each other to get the desired response from the customers. This marketing technique can help entrepreneurs who purchase a business for sale Brisbane because they have a limited advertising budget.

10. Encourage Brand Advocacy

Entrepreneurs looking for business opportunities in Brisbane must realise the importance of word-of-mouth publicity in marketing. It is the most powerful tool but can be used only through long-term client relationships. Customers loyal to the brand can play an influential role in promoting the brand by creating user-generated content.

It is a free marketing technique and includes creating testimonials and social media posts that promote the business and its products. Since users create the content, it becomes more trustworthy and aids in promoting the brand. Thus, businesses must develop brand advocates for increasing acquisition.

Wrapping Up

In the commercial world, there is hardly anything that comes for free. However, some marketing ideas can be used by small businesses to promote their brands with minimal investment. These techniques can help increase sales quickly without incurring a huge expense.

Author Info
Lucas Nguyen

Lucas Nguyen is an immigration expert with loads of experience of working in public sector and as an in-house lawyer. Lucas graduated with a Bachelor of Law and Master of Law in Global Business Law from La Trobe University. His sole aim is to provide best legal services, to his clients, on complex Australian Immigration Laws and commercial transactions. His association with Business2Sell is not new, and we welcome him as our guest author.

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