It is a proven fact that marketing idea plays a vital role in the success of any business. The recent example of Reliance JIO is known to everyone, where the freebies marketing strategy helped a lot to capture the existing market from the competitor. However, if you are a small business owner or have started a business with a low investment you may not have a big advertisement or marketing budget.
No worries – Here are 20 Low cost marketing ideas for small businesses. All these marketing ideas are low cost and proven and will surely help you in getting business success.
Also Read – 250 Small Business Ideas with low investment
20 Low-cost Marketing Ideas for Business
Customer Referral Program
The first low-cost marketing idea is to make your own customer referral program. This customer referral program can be used to attract new customers. You can give commission or discount for customer reference. You need to make a system in order to track customer references.
Host Free Event
The second marketing idea is to host a free event. This event may or may not be related to your business. Examples of such events are conferences, seminars, sports events, trade shows, etc. Companies like www.classicexhibits.com/ offer various rentals to help bring your event to life. This strategy is also known as event marketing.
Advertisements at Specific Public Places
The next marketing idea is giving advertisements at a specific public place. The place should be at an open location where many people are visiting daily. An example could be a cafeteria, cinema hall, etc.
Host business award competition
Another marketing idea is to host a business award competition. In this idea, you need to host a competition related to your business. You need to invite subject matter experts, your competitors, and customers.
Also Read – 10 Best Social Enterprise Business Ideas
Customer Loyalty Program
The next is to start a customer loyalty program. A customer loyalty program can help you to retain old customers. You can decide the time period for customer loyalty starting from one year to five years. You can give away freebies to loyal customers.
SMS Marketing & E-mail Marketing
In order to capture the local market, you can avail services for SMS-based marketing. These type of services are very effective. Another marketing idea is to send an e-mail to the customer. However, e-mail marketing is a cumbersome process and less effective.
Whatsapp Marketing
Whatsapp marketing is the latest concept in India. On WhatsApp, you can create a group of customers and share product photos and discount offers on WhatsApp. This marketing idea works for well for reaching a teenage customer.
Social Network Marketing
If you are good at using social networking sites, you can create your own Facebook and twitter pages. On this page, you can share your product details, photos, videos, and discount offers. This marketing idea works well in order to increase your reach globally.
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Freebies
The next marketing idea is to offer freebies to the customer. You can offer free gifts like printed t-shirts with a business logo, or caps to the customer. In India, it is one of the most effective methods to increase your business.
Advertisements on Local Radio
To increase brand awareness advertising on local radio is an excellent marketing idea. You need to make a good advertisement to attract the customer. The cost of local radio advertisement is low.
Rent a booth at a trade show
To increase your business, you can plan to rent a booth at a trade show. The cost of renting a booth is high but it is a very good marketing idea. You can surely increase your business as the majority of customers interested in products are likely to visit the trade show.
Use stickers or magnets to advertise on the car
Another unique marketing idea is to prepare stickers or magnets. This sticker can be pasted at a public place like a shopping mall etc. The magnet can be pasted on your business vehicle and car as marketing material.
Advertise on Local Cable TV
You can also grow your business by giving advertisements about your product or business on local cable TV. This will help you to gain popularity in the local area.
Frequent buyer reward program
The next marketing idea is to formulate a frequent buyer reward program. Identify your frequent buyer customer and give him/her a reward. This will surely help you to improve customer relations.
Customer of the Month program
You can also think of starting a customer of the month program. In this program every month you can select one customer as a customer of the month and issue him/her a certificate or gift as a customer of the month.
Also Read – 15 Best Home Based Business Ideas
Business Mascot for Brand Promotion
Brand or business promotion can also be done by using a business mascot. You can deploy your business mascot in a public place. The business mascot can be a person, object or animal.
Start your own website/blog
The next marketing idea is to start your own website or blog. This idea needs technical expertise or an investment of money to design a website or blog. However, it will take a lot of time to gain popularity by using a website or blog.
Buy Ad space on the relevant website
If you are doing online business it is a good idea to buy advertisement space on the relevant website. This idea will surely help you in growing your website traffic and customers.
List your business in the local business directory
The next marketing idea is to list your business in the local business directory. It is a simple but sure-shot way to increase your business.
Support a cause
You can also think of supporting a cause or event, it could be an educational event, seminar, conference, marathon or any other sports event. This is another popular way to gain publicity.
Which marketing ideas you have tried for small businesses?
If you have any great marketing ideas for business, please share them with us.