Ways To Market Your Business On Your Own
Well done!
You’ve done a really great job. Getting a grip of things; creating a business is not an easy task, especially as someone living with a tight schedule!
How so?market your business
Say, you’re a single mother, you have a lot on your plate to worry about. Yet you took the courage to take the bold step into the entrepreneurial and SME world.
But
No sooner, you realised that creating a business is not all there is to having a successful business. You need to make sales and earn real money! Isn’t that one of the reasons why we all want a business of our own?
So you go on telling your friends and family about your new business. Persuading them to patronise you.
Spoiler Alert!!
There’s more to sales beyond selling to just friends and family. A successful business is that which reaches far beyond your circle. And to accomplish this, you need to shamelessly push your business out there. Marketing!
Now, there are some words spreading around about carrying out a successful marketing campaign that would convert sales for you. And that is you need lots of money.
While that may be true, there are numerous other ways to market your business without spending hundreds or thousands of Dollars.
In this article, we have combined seven best creative ways to market your business on your own on a low – zero budget!
Utilise Social Media:
Make yourself visible online by consistently posting contents that tell people about your business and slowly guide your audience through the customers’ journey.
Flaunt your social media handles anywhere you are! Use trendy hashtags that build up that much desired following.
Post on Instagram and Facebook’s reels and stories. These short session fun videos go a long way in pushing your business across the massive population of netizens.
Create and also participate in contests. Video contests, picture contests, and much more.
While you market your business through social media, monetarizing your audience, it will narrow your niche to a specific pinpoint target.
Read More: 6 Basic Key Elements of Social Media Marketing
Offer bonus points and discounted sales:
Most people put their money on a product that makes them feel like they are ripping off you. An average customer won’t buy a product of as low as $10 without some hesitation. But list the same product with a discount of two percent and they’ll jump at it.
Are you giving your profits away?! No.
There are strategies you can utilise to make your discount worth it. For example, you may decide not to give out discounts and bonus points for free. You can offer a discounted rate or a free delivery for the exchange of their email contact. That way you can build a rewarding relationship with your customers through a newsletter.Who doesn’t want a free giveaway?
You could even implement a referral program where your existing customers are incentivized to refer new customers. Rewards could be discounts, freebies, or exclusive content.
Intentional Networking:
This always works. Most of the large customer and fan base you see online developed through a strategic move of intentional networking carried out by the business owners.
How can you do this?
Networking can be done both online and offline.
Offline networking can be initially hard for you if you are an introvert. You would be better at meeting people online than offline, face to face! But with the right nudge and gradual learning of how to talk so that people will listen, you will begin to make progress with the size of your network.
With online networking.
Let’s start with Facebook. You simply need to join communities where your potential customers are highly saturated. Engage in their activities, start and join discussions. Constantly show up, but don’t get carried away with the vibes!
Let your contributions be of value such that it prompts curiosity and interest in your potential audience. This is what will lead them from the group to your profile.
Ps: Note that joining communities can be done with your personal account or your page account. But we recommend using the one where you post most about your business and products.
Offline marketing could involve attending industry events, trade shows, workshops, and local meetups to connect with potential customers, partners, and influencers. Building these relationships can lead to word-of-mouth marketing. It can be fun mingling and getting to know your audience a long the way. Sounds fun and exciting to market your business without even noticing it; due to it being fun!
Learn simple design tricks:
Graphic design is one of the most important basic skills you should have as a business owner. Gone are the days when nice business or sales promo flyers can only be done by certain people. You too can make your own designs! Let’s be honest, professional graphic designers are not affordable when starting off!
In the current age, there are numerous tools that can assist you make your own amazing designs with just a few clicks. And of course there are free ones too.
Yes, there are times when you need to outsource by giving the job to professional designers. But hey, we’re talking about low – zero budget marketing right?
When armed with the skill of graphic design, you can spice up your brand or product with an attractive design that’ll spark up interest in your audience. You could even decide to do something outside the box! By making random designs around your brand and sharing it on your social media handles. This creates enough awareness for your brand which generates a nice percentage of leads to market your business.
Give out a piece of you:
Wait, before you call this ridiculous. Read on.
Leaving a piece of you with your buyers may sound strange to you, right? Let’s break it down.
It could be a little card that bears your brand name or logo, a small paper bag that has a printed slogan you love or made up. It could be anything.
See where this is going?
Any time a customer makes a purchase, let any of these be part of their package. This way they are becoming your promoters anywhere they take the package to. It could prompt some curiosity in anyone that sees it. Maybe a friend of theirs, or a family, or even a total stranger. This leading towards the fact that you can market your business anywhere !
“What if it ends up in a trash can?”
Don’t worry, your efforts aren’t wasted.
The trash disposal system is also operated by people, who knew you could get a chance to advertise to them in such a way?!
“They see lots of branded stuffs everyday”
Well then this would add to the list. If such a customer is a loyal customer who buys from you frequently and drops your branded package in the trash can frequently, one day the consistent appearance of your piece would get the attention of the trash disposal buddies!
Even if it might not go on that way, remember you are not just selling to one customer right?
Collaborations and Partnerships:
Partner with other businesses or influencers in your niche for cross-promotions. This can help you tap into their audience and gain more exposure.
Finally, add some uniqueness!
It is always good to follow current trends, but starting your own is a bigger flex. Imitation can become a limitation to you if you’re not bringing anything special to the table.
Find something that makes your brand different even if there are many other competitors. Do something that makes your product different even when there are hundreds of similar products. Your uniqueness makes you stand out and connects you with your own customers.
Marketing on a low to zero budget requires creativity, resourcefulness, and a strategic approach. Here I’ve mentioned some ideas to help you effectively market your business without spending much money (that’s if you get to spend some). And to summarise these ideas, they are; networking, utilising social media, DIY graphics, bonus points and discounts, originality, and effective branding.
Remember that while these strategies don’t require a substantial financial investment, they do require an investment of time and effort. Consistency is key. Monitor your efforts, analyse what’s working, and adjust your approach accordingly. Over time, as your business grows, you can allocate more resources to your marketing efforts, where you can consider hiring a professional team to automate the process for you. This comes in hand when becoming an entrepreneur to market your business on your own.
Also Read: Secrets about branding
Note: Do you need some way to earn income while you build your brand? Try this!
Really good article about getting your own business going. Something that a lot of us are doing or have done. It’s always great to hear others ideas of how they got going are continue to grow their businesses. I really enjoyed the fact that you pointed out that it is not always about money but consentaneity and effort are just as important then money if not more. Not enough people focus on that part of building a business!! Thanks for the great read!!