Small businesses, in general, all have a few things in common: Limited resources, a small customer base, and a strict budget. So how do you make a big splash in your community and gain not only customers, but profits? Use marketing strategies that are geared towards small business! Here are a few of our favorite methods:

 

Use free tools for your primary marketing efforts.
Two words: Social media. Print campaigns, direct mail, TV, and radio are all wildly expensive forms of marketing. Even Google Adwords can get expensive. If you’re working with a limited budget, put your efforts toward optimizing the free tools that social media platforms make available (assuming you aren’t running targeted ads).

 

Find new ways to take advantage of word-of-mouth advertising.
A great way to make your existing customers even more compelled to tell their friends, families, and coworkers about you is to set up a referral program. Remember, word-of-mouth is powerful stuff, so friends telling friends about your business is incredibly valuable.

 

Team up with other small businesses in your community.

When you partner with another business it means you both get twice as much exposure, and ideally you’re introduced to new customers! Try holding an in-store event, or sponsoring a local festival or concert. Some companies will even host online classes, webinars, or giveaways. You’re given a chance to teach new people about your products and business.

 

Get creative with guerrilla marketing.

Guerrilla marketing is a method that emphasizes creativity over budget. (If you’re unfamiliar with the term, here’s a refresher.) Strategies are usually simple to implement, especially when you’re focusing on your local community. It can be as simple as writing your Twitter handle on the sidewalk with chalk, or plastering custom branded stickers around town. (You can even go all out and choreograph a flash mob to perform in the middle of the city!)  Basically, nothing is off limits with guerrilla marketing. There’s a ton of room for invention, and you don’t need a big budget to be successful.

 

Are you a small business owner who has found success with these strategies? Have you used methods other than the ones listed above? Let us know!

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