For many business owners, the last thing on their mind is budgeting for marketing. Between trying to break even and be profitable, paying bills and restocking, setting money aside for marketing can be challenging. However, marketing is still incredibly important for businesses of all sizes and industries. Even if you don’t have a budget for marketing each month, quarter, or year, you should still engage in marketing practices. So, in this blog post, we share some tips on how to do marketing with no budget!

How to Do Marketing With No Budget

Many people completely write off marketing because they assume it’s terribly expensive or you must be an expert to do it for free. The truth is, there are many avenues that enable you to practice marketing with no budget. And since marketing is the one and only way to ensure your business continues to thrive and get more customers, you need to at least practice the tactics below. After all, if it costs nothing and can be done with as much or as little time as you can invest, there’s no excuse not to market your business!

Social media marketing with no budget

Be Active On Social Media

One of the best ways to practice marketing for absolutely free is by using social media. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and LinkedIn are highly effective for increasing brand awareness. Social media gives you an excellent opportunity to share information with your followers and connect with them on a deeper level. You can share information about your products and services, as well as answer your followers’ questions. Also, when you use relevant hashtags, people will find your business and will hopefully invest in it.

Another platform is TikTok, which has been responsible for growing businesses at an accelerated rate. When you properly target your audience using relevant hashtags, you can expect people to be interested in your business. Share your business’ story, what you hope to accomplish, or how you make your products. This has been very effective in growing other small businesses. If you need some inspiration, see what similar businesses are posting, and put your own twist on your content. TikTok, just like the other platforms mentioned above, is completely free. So, take a few minutes each day to post on it!

It’s worth pointing out that not every social media platform is effective for every industry. For example, a restaurant might find Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to be great for marketing. However, Twitter and LinkedIn might not be as beneficial. Put serious consideration into the platforms that make the most sense for you and your business. While it may not cost any money to use social media for marketing, it will cost your time. And you want to make sure your time is well invested.

Send Promotional Emails

Have you collected your customers’ email addresses? If so, consider sending them regular updates, letting them know what going’s on at your business. You can send out coupons or notifications for sales in your newsletter, which is a big incentive for people to join your list. This will then generate more sales for you, as you are at the top of your customers’ minds (and inboxes). Some email platforms like Mailchimp have a free plan in which you can store your email addresses, send them all the same email at once, and even provide metrics.

 

Are you enjoying this post? If so, be sure to subscribe for occasional email updates from our team!

 

If you haven’t started collecting your customers’ email addresses yet, start doing so today! When they complete an order on your website, ask if you can add their email to your newsletter. On the other hand, if you run a brick and mortar store, ask for their emails at checkout, or leave a clipboard out for your customers to fill out. When you let them know they will get exclusive deals and coupons, some of them will be more than happy to join your list!

Related Resources:

SEO for marketing with no budget

Practice SEO For Your Website

If you have a website for your business (which you should!), consider practicing. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of making your website rank higher in search engine rankings. There are many tactics to follow when implementing SEO in your marketing strategy. For example, using relevant keywords on your webpages, adding alt text on your images, and getting more links to your website. SEO is a great marketing strategy that is very sustainable, as it doesn’t require a constant flow of money like paid advertising. So, it’s a great solution for people practicing marketing with no budget.

To start practicing SEO on your website, you will want to use a free SEO tool such as Google’s Keyword Planner or WordStream’s Free Keyword Tool. Find keywords that are commonly searched and relate to your business with low competition. Then, implement the keywords on strategic pages of your website. For example, if we wanted to rank well for “online marketing in Pensacola,” we would use that keyword on our Online Marketing in Pensacola page. Other than keywords, try to get backlinks to your website, which are other websites linking to you. This will be a great starting point for practicing SEO for free.

Referral Programs

Referral programs are another great way to practice marketing with no budget. There are different ways to set up a referral program for your business. For one, you can give people coupon codes or links to send to others on your website. Or, you can implement a friends and family program in which people get a discount if they refer people to you. No matter if you give people a coupon code to use, or a punch card for when they bring a new friend to your store, referrals are an effective marketing tactic. Not to mention, they are completely free and are a sure way to drive more sales.

What If You Have a Small Marketing Budget?

Say you had a great month and have some money left over you would like to put back into your business. But, it’s only a few hundred dollars, or even less than that. Thankfully, there are some ways to invest that money into furthering your marketing success. We call this “marketing on a shoestring budget,” and it’s a topic we have covered extensively in another blog post. Consider giving that blog post a read if you would like information on how to do low-cost paid social media advertisements and inexpensive email campaigns.

Started Practicing Marketing With No Budget!

With the tactics listed above, you are ready to start practicing marketing with no budget. Although SEO and social media can take up some of your valuable time, it will be worth it when you get more business than ever before. As always, feel free to contact us if you have any questions about practicing marketing, no matter your budget.

About

Joshua Lyons Marketing, LLC was established in 2015. Since that time we have provided digital marketing services to business and professionals. We help our clients increase their online exposure as a means to increase sales and revenue. Our core services include search engine optimization (SEO), website development and content creation. We also provide other online marketing services, such as email marketing, marketing consultations and various types of advertising. Our team is based in the Milton, Pace and Pensacola, Florida area. However, we work with clients throughout the United States. Read More

Share

Contact

Get a quote today! Just fill out the form below and someone will be in touch!

    [recaptcha]