Running an SMB or a startup is not an easy thing and sometimes it can be incredibly hard to set your priorities straight. During the first few months of your business, you will have so much work surrounding the logistics of running your company, that you won’t be able to find time for anything else. Hiring and managing your sales and production team, finding the right supplier, managing the issues surrounding the storage of your goods – all of these are just some of the tasks that will be in front of you.

Marketing tends to take different formats. For a retail store, the upfront business ambiance is relatively more important than an online start-up that serves its customers through a website. When you run a bar or restaurant you need to provide great food and drinks; provide a thrilling and engaging atmosphere through TV with different channels (you can check https://www.atmosphere.tv/channels/redbull-tv/ to get an idea), and ensure a good dine-in restaurant experience. However, for online businesses, the strategy might change. In this article, let us read about the top four frugal marketing ideas for your small business that can help save your business.

1. Invest in mobile-friendly format

Even though it is arguably more difficult to make a video, graph or infographic than to simply write an article the truth is that these formats bring a much greater ROI. The reason behind this is quite simple, 8 out of 10 people don’t read past the headlines. Furthermore, a text isn’t precisely considered to be a mobile-friendly format, at least not like video, graph or a cartoon. In an age where Android has surpassed Windows as the most internet-friendly platform, becoming friendly for mobile-users is a simple trick.

2. Reddit, Quora and social networks

Another thing you might want to pay some attention to is the digital footprint that your business leaves online. You see, word of mouth recommendation is still one of the most reliable marketing tricks, nonetheless, in today’s world, even this has become digital. So, people who want to uncover something about your business (or even entire industry) might go ahead and read some comments left by you or about you on these platforms. In order to appear genuine, you need to find a way to write interesting and entertaining content that brings value to your customers. Another thing to keep in mind here is the fact that you need to avoid marketing-talk.

3. Email marketing

Post-sale marketing is extremely important, seeing how 8 percent of your regular customers are likely to bring about 40 percent of your entire profit. This being said, email marketing is vital for your post-sale follow-up. One of the most popular choices for marketers out there are so-called thank you emails. Here, you are merely expressing gratitude to your clients inviting them to come again. You can also go with special offers or suggestions based on the items or categories they previously visited on your website.

4. Turn to promotional products

While everyone may agree that your business needs a solid online base, your business also needs a strong offline presence. TV commercials and billboards are effective but are no longer as cost-effective as they were in previous decades. Options that might fit your budget, and your strategy, much better are promotional products such as T-shirts and hats with your corporate logo on them. Some companies like Umbrella Planet even offer a print of promotional umbrellas. Another idea would be to print your company’s logo on the side of your vehicle, perhaps even paint it in your corporate colors. In this way, all you need to drive around the city in order to promote your business.

Conclusion

Aside from the above-listed four, there are numerous other great marketing ideas you may want to explore. You can try recycling your old content (providing there is any), start online contests or even start a customer referral program. What sets the above-listed four apart from these, however, is just how easy they are to set up and finance even on a strained budget.

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