Small Business Marketing Tips That Won’t Cost You A Thing

Keri Jaehnig
May 9, 2018
Are you an entrepreneur or startup founder on a tight budget? Here are four easy small business marketing tips to…...
Small Business Marketing Tips That Won’t Cost You A Thing featured image

Are you an entrepreneur or startup founder on a tight budget? Here are four easy small business marketing tips to grow your business quickly...

Guest post by Alexandra Bohigian

4 Easy Small Business Marketing Tips To Grow Your Business Quickly

As a small business owner, marketing often takes a backseat in importance when you are solely focused on keeping your business afloat and best serving your customers. You probably know that marketing is important to your business -- but marketing can get expensive and extremely time consuming.

However, having a small budget or no budget at all doesn’t mean it is impossible for you to market your business effectively.  This article will cover: 

  • How to market your business for free
  • How to promote your business locally
  • Inexpensive marketing ideas for small business

Here are some my best small business marketing tips that won’t cost you a thing!

Optimize Your Website Content

Optimize Your Website Content Is Among Small Business Marketing Tips outlined by Alexandra Bohigian at Idea Girl Media

While optimizing your website’s content is easier said than done, there are some key areas you can look to in order to at least improve the content performance of your website.

Start by thinking about the top five things people are probably searching for that are also what you would like to appear in the search engine results. These will be your keywords. For example, I work for a software development company in Austin, TX, so my keywords might look something like this:

  • “Software development company in Austin”
  • “Austin software developers”
  • “Custom software development”

Notice that I included a location in order to target people in our area who might be more inclined to work with a local development company, and are most likely using location in their search.

After you decide on some keyword phrases, parse them naturally within your website content. Make sure your landing pages are clear and concise, and have titles that include your keywords while still reading naturally.

If you have some extra time or know a writer, write blog articles for your website using your keywords that will be genuinely useful to potential customers. Share the blog articles on your company's social media channels.

Gather Reviews From Past Clients And Customers

Alexandra Bohigian outlines Small Business Marketing Tips at Idea Girl Media including Gather Reviews From Past Clients And Customers

Online reviews are awesome for gaining exposure. Ask past clients and customers if they can review your business on Google Reviews and Yelp (or any other review sites that are relevant to your business or industry).

When asking for reviews, make the process as easy as possible for customers by providing them a direct link to your profile on the review site. You might also offer a small discount, deal, or gift to customers that provide a review as an incentive.

Be mindful that you cannot guarantee positive reviews, so it is important to have someone monitor reviews and respond to negative feedback so that they are appropriately addressed.

Give A Little To Get A Return

Give A Little To Get A Return - Small Business Marketing Tips outlined at Idea Girl Media by Alexandra Bohigian

Sometimes when marketing your business you have to give a little to see a return. This may mean:

  • Offering a small discount to first time customers
  • A discount for signing up for your email list

Or, some other sort of incentive that makes sense to your small business.

At our company, we offer a free, 30-minute consultation with a senior member of our technical team to qualified leads. While this does technically cost us time, the ROI is absolutely worthwhile.

Think about the key offering of your business and what your team can realistically offer to potential customers or leads. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and consider creative ways to market your business.  Develop an offering that will best suit the desires of your target market.  

Know Your Niche And Cater To Them 

Idea Girl Media and Alexandra Bohigian outline Small Business Marketing Tips - Of them: Know Your Niche And Cater To Them

Of the small business marketing tips listed here, this is perhaps the most important: Know your niche and cater to your demographics.

Who are the people utilizing your business or service the most?

Do some research on this, not just the target market you want but the actual people who frequent your business or are contacting you online.  Make a strategy to cater to them to bolster this niche.

For example, you may notice a lot of your customers are younger, perhaps students of a nearby college. It may help to market your business as student-friendly, with a small discount for students or specials during your slower business hours.

For our company, we know most of the people contacting us are C-level leaders or senior tech employees within large enterprises. Therefore, we make sure we market ourselves on sites such as LinkedIn where we know these professionals are online. We also develop and deliver content that is focused on technology, such as a monthly technology-focused newsletter and blog. This content is not directly a sales pitch, but it allows us to cater to our audience and keep them engaged with our brand.

Small Business Marketing Tips For Marketing Your Business

Marketing is vital to any business, but it can make a huge difference for small businesses that aim to increase revenue and word of mouth awareness. With the dedication of just an hour or two each week to your business’ marketing strategy, you will be well on your way to achieving your business goals going forward.

 

Alexandra Bohigian - Guest Author at Idea Girl Media on Small Business Marketing TipsAbout The Author

Alexandra Bohigian is a marketing professional based in Austin, TX. She manages marketing for Enola Labs, a local software development company, and is also a marketing consultant for small businesses across the United States. Connect with Alexandra on LinkedIn

52 Replies

  1. Pingback: Four Video Marketing Benefits For Small Business – Idea Girl Media – Mr. Coleman’s Class

    • Keri Jaehnig Gravatar

      By Keri Jaehnig on

      Hi there, Thank you for visiting my blog and reading this article about frugal small business marketing tips. We update the blog frequently so I hope we will see you here again. 🙂 ~Keri

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    • Keri Jaehnig Gravatar

      By Keri Jaehnig on

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      By Keri Jaehnig on

      Kawar, Glad you like this article about small business marketing tips and being frugal with marketing campaigns. Happy you find it helpful. We update the blog often with similar insights, so I hope we will see you here again. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, ~Keri

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  4. Ahmad Gravatar

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      By Keri Jaehnig on

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  6. Emma John Gravatar

    By Emma John on

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    • Keri Jaehnig Gravatar

      By Keri Jaehnig on

      Emma, Indeed they do! 🙂 But the right promotional products for the right target audience in our marketing efforts makes the difference. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, ~Keri

      Reply to Keri

  7. john Gravatar

    By john on

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    Reply to john

    • Keri Jaehnig Gravatar

      By Keri Jaehnig on

      John, Glad you like this article — So much you read it more than once! 🙂 I appreciate you sharing your thoughts, ~Keri

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  8. faruk Gravatar

    By faruk on

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    • Keri Jaehnig Gravatar

      By Keri Jaehnig on

      Faruk, It is true that most businesses have at least some presence online and look to digital marketing. Especially small businesses. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, ~Keri

      Reply to Keri

  9. Johnson Gravatar

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    • Keri Jaehnig Gravatar

      By Keri Jaehnig on

      Johnson, Glad you felt that this post is informative and helpful. We update the blog often with similar insights often, and I hope you will visit again. Thank you for your kind words, ~Keri

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  10. Mila Gravatar

    By Mila on

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    • Keri Jaehnig Gravatar

      By Keri Jaehnig on

      Mila, Glad you enjoyed reading this article. I’m sure our guest author appreciates your kind words. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Best wishes to you too, ~Keri

      Reply to Keri

  11. francisca Gravatar

    By francisca on

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    • Keri Jaehnig Gravatar

      By Keri Jaehnig on

      Francisca, Glad you liked this article and feel you found tips you were looking for here. Please feel free to visit again – We update the blog frequently with insights for business owners, marketing managers, mobile entrepreneurs and social media enthusiasts. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, ~Keri

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  12. Fozle Rabbi Gravatar

    By Fozle Rabbi on

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    Reply to Fozle

    • Keri Jaehnig Gravatar

      By Keri Jaehnig on

      Fozle, Hello! Glad you found this article helpful and that you liked the tips offered by our wonderful guest author. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, ~Keri

      Reply to Keri

  13. Luxmi Gravatar

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    • Keri Jaehnig Gravatar

      By Keri Jaehnig on

      Hi there, Glad you liked this article and found it resourceful. I’m sure our guest author also appreciates your kind words. We do update the blog often with similar topics – Business development, marketing, technologies, etc. So, please check back. 🙂 Thanks for your comment, ~Keri

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      Hello Cornell, Thank you for your kind words – Glad you liked this article so much! I’d be honored if you bookmarked my website. We update the blog frequently with similar topics, so feel free to check back. Happy to know you found this article helpful for new bloggers. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, ~Keri

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    • Keri Jaehnig Gravatar

      By Keri Jaehnig on

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  17. Neville Thomas Gravatar

    By Neville Thomas on

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    Reply to Neville

    • Keri Jaehnig Gravatar

      By Keri Jaehnig on

      Thomas, Thanks for visiting the blog and sharing your thoughts. I’m sure our guest author appreciates your insight. Promotional products offer value to a marketing strategy when the intention and goal align with the entire marketing strategy. 🙂 ~Keri

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    • Keri Jaehnig Gravatar

      By Keri Jaehnig on

      Rishab, Thank you for your kind words. Glad you liked this article. The one thing small businesses should not minimize is marketing, for many reasons! Thanks for your comment, ~Keri

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  19. Ranch Office Gravatar

    By Ranch Office on

    These are great tips! Thanks a lot! Really helpful. Are you going to post more about small business development?

    Reply to Ranch

    • Keri Jaehnig Gravatar

      By Keri Jaehnig on

      Hi there, Glad this article was helpful for you. We will surely have more on small business development in the future. Please feel free to check back, as we publish frequently. 🙂 Thanks for your comment, ~Keri

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    • Keri Jaehnig Gravatar

      By Keri Jaehnig on

      Er, Happy to know you liked this article. Thanks for your comment, ~Keri

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    • Keri Jaehnig Gravatar

      By Keri Jaehnig on

      Hi there, Glad you liked this article and found it useful. Thanks for your comment, ~Keri

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    By google ad grants program on

    Websites now are not just for entertainment purposes. It also serves as an extension for your business and a way to communicate with your potential market. A good tip is doing organic SEO. It is really tedious but worth it.

    Reply to google

    • Keri Jaehnig Gravatar

      By Keri Jaehnig on

      Grants, As you’ve said, a website should be a strategic resource to help a business meet their goals. Organic SEO is an important part of any strategy. For instance, we recommend blogging to most of our clients. 🙂 Thank you for sharing your thoughts, ~Keri

      Reply to Keri

  22. Maha Mohsen Gravatar

    By Maha Mohsen on

    this article add to me new knowledge for business marketing , i used some of them and i got great result .

    Reply to Maha

    • Keri Jaehnig Gravatar

      By Keri Jaehnig on

      Maha, Glad you found this article helpful, and that you were able to use some of the tips. Thank you for reading here, and for your comment. ~Keri

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    • Keri Jaehnig Gravatar

      By Keri Jaehnig on

      Tom, Thank you for your kind words – Glad you find our website resourceful! We are always happy to be helpful. Feel free to stop back – We frequently publish new articles on marketing topics. Thanks for your comment, ~Keri

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    • Keri Jaehnig Gravatar

      By Keri Jaehnig on

      Indeed. There are some things that are to your benefit to hire out. This keeps business operations moving efficiently. Thank you for your comment, ~Keri

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  24. Erika Ann Gravatar

    By Erika Ann on

    These are great ideas Keri! What we do usually is ask for a little shout out to website of companies who have been our clients. Doesn’t give a lot of leads but they are leads nonetheless. Promotions through discounts are great too! Affiliate marketing is good for small business startups as well for either products or services.

    Reply to Erika

    • Keri Jaehnig Gravatar

      By Keri Jaehnig on

      Erika, I’ll let our guest author know you like her ideas! 🙂 You’ve offered some good ideas as well. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, ~Keri

      Reply to Keri

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