Affordable Digital Marketing Tips for Small Businesses
For small businesses, coming up with an affordable digital marketing strategy can be a challenge. The good news is that digital marketing on a budget isn’t impossible. There are more and more free tools, clever strategies, and educational articles popping up every day that can point you in the right direction. To spare you the search, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite tips, tricks, and tactics that you can use to boost your business’s digital marketing without breaking the bank.
Tips and Tricks for Digital Marketing on a Budget
First, if you haven’t done so already, you should create a clean, secure, and easy-to-navigate website for your small business. While designing your site, keep in mind that it will serve as an advertisement, a business card, and a storefront all at the same time. Take care to write quality, SEO-optimized content and ensure that your site is mobile-friendly. There are a variety of tools you can use to make sure your website is optimized, such as the Yoast plug-in for WordPress sites.
Blog!
Once your website is set up, create a blog page and start posting long-form content on a regular basis. By targeting relevant and fruitful keywords, writing to your audience, and staying focused on a specific topic (the more niche, the better), you’ll start to see more and more traffic and conversions. Blogging is completely free if you’re writing the posts yourself, and it doubles as a free marketing opportunity.
Collaborate with Key Influencers
Another affordable digital marketing tip: reach out to and collaborate with big names in your industry. This can include industry-dominating bloggers, content writers, journalists, micro-bloggers, and even celebrities. Collaborating with influencers can bring big rewards, as you’ll be tapping into their audience base and boosting your brand by association. Plus, it won’t cost you anything besides time.
Because your brand will be associated with the influencer, it’s important to evaluate potential partners carefully. Not sure where to start looking? BuzzSumo can help you see who the influencers are in your industry.
Promote Your Brand
Email lists and social media let you communicate information and raise awareness of your brand without spending a dime. Email lists are a powerful and popular way to directly reach your target audience, customers, and client base on a regular schedule.
With social media, you can spread the word about your brand while interacting with your audience at the same time. On Facebook, going Live is an excellent way to draw in and engage with people. According to Facebook, Live videos result in 10x more comments than regular videos. Why? Live videos enable viewers to respond in real time, which makes people feel like they’re part of the action. Establishing a presence on Twitter, Instagram, and other platforms is also advantageous.
You can also make your brand or business known by listing it on Google My Business. This allows searchers to view important details, such as where to find you, how to contact you, and when you’re open, in the search results. You can also list your business on Bing Places for Business, Yahoo! Small Business, and Yelp.
Take Advantage of Free and Low-Cost Tools
There are several free and low-cost tools that you can incorporate into your affordable digital marketing strategy. These include:
- Social networking ads. These ads can be relatively inexpensive and start at as little as $5 per day.
- Pay Per Click (PPC). Like social networking ads, PPC can be inexpensive if done right. Before diving into PPC, consider researching the process and coming up with a strategy to keep from spending too much money too quickly.
- Google Analytics. This powerful tool allows you to analyze traffic on your website and is an important part of any digital marketing strategy.
When it comes to digital marketing, it’s easy to spend a lot of money in a short amount of time and still not know how to navigate the ocean of competitors around you. It’s important to take the time to understand digital marketing and its basics, including SEO, influencers, and promotion. With a solid foundation, you’ll find it cheaper (and easier) to get the word out and successfully maneuver your small business through the competition. Whether you’re working on a digital marketing strategy for your plexiglass sign holder company or a local restaurant, you’re sure to find these tips helpful.
