One of the concerns that many smaller businesses have when they start marketing for the first time is the cost. There seems to be a perspective that marketing is an incredibly expensive exercise. There is no doubt that it can be, certainly in the corporate world the marketing budget can be mind blowing.
But you don’t have to spend very much on your marketing to start reaping the rewards. It’s more a case of understanding how to develop a cost effective marketing strategy that has the best possible chance of delivering results. Furthermore, there are some great ways of starting to get your message out there and develop your brand that are free or cost very little. So here are a few of them:
1. Revisit all of your existing contacts, who do you know who might need your product/services or has connections that might be interest to you? Think about who can build possible alliances with. Are there companies you know of who offer complementary services to yours that you can join forces with for a joint marketing effort? A joint approach can enable you to keep costs down whilst increasing the potential to reach a wider audience and deliver stronger messages.
2. Attend some networking events. Whether you prefer regular weekly meetings or more ad-hoc networking it doesn’t matter. The most important thing to remember is that people buy from people. Networking costs vary depending on the group that you join. Many, such as WIBA (Women in Business Association, see www.wiba.co.uk) enable you attend as a visitor from as little as £15 for each event.
3. Look at the image of your company and its brand. Does it accurately reflect the market that you are trying to target? If you’re home based and targeting professional companies you could quickly improve your image by using a business address. Companies like City Spirit St Pauls who are based in St Paul’s Square Birmingham, offer a variety of virtual office packages at fantastic rates. You can opt for just a business address or take advantage of professional call answering, access to meeting rooms and hot desking from as little as £1.50 per day (+VAT). It’s a great, cost effective way to improve the image of your company.
4. Get yourself online. Start working on increasing your company’s presence on the web by driving more traffic to it. There are a number of simple techniques that will bring your Google ranking right up. Try some of the social networking sites such as Twitter, ecadamey, Linkedin and Facebook. They are growing rapidly and becoming a great way for businesses to connect with each other. Best of all they’re free!
5. Take advantage of free marketing workshops. There are plenty of marketers out there offering you the benefit of our experience, so why not take it! I’m running a free half day marketing workshop on 2nd July in Birmingham for example. It will cover lots of useful hints and tips to help kick start your marketing. To attend simply contact me at clare@initatemarketing.co.uk or call me on 0121 232 4656.
So there you go, 5 marketing tips that will cost you less a night out!