If this sounds like you and you own or operate a small, local business, here are three tips for marketing your organization to those in your area.
Develop Marketing Materials
In order to market at all, you first have to develop marketing materials.
Some of the best ways to spend your money on marketing materials, according to Alyssa Gregory, a contributor to The Balance Small Business, are to build a website, create personalized business cards or postcards for your business, and design posters or signs that you can use as advertisements. With these marketing materials, you can usually get the finished product put together for very little money but will be able to use all of this collateral a lot. Especially if you’re committed to getting out in your community as much as possible to get in the minds of your fellow citizens, having all three of these categories of items will prove invaluable.
Work With Other Local Businesses
When you’re just starting out with your small, local business, it can be very beneficial to you to reach out to other businesses or entrepreneurs that you know in your area to see how you can help each other out.
According to Mark Krassner, a contributor to the Young Entrepreneur Council and Small Business Trends, most local businesses love working with other local businesses. So by meeting with and getting to know other business owners in your area, especially those who have complementary products or services to yours, you could see a huge uptick in your bottom line with very little marketing effort on your part. Just make sure you’re willing to promote their businesses when it’s relevant as well.
Institute A Customer Referral Program
With many local businesses, word-of-mouth can be a huge asset to your growth. So to help push this along, QuickSprout.com shares that you may want to consider starting up a referral program with your customers.
For most successful referral programs, you’ll be offering something to your current customers if they refer another customer to you. So by choosing the right incentive and offering a quality product or service to begin with, you could bring in a lot more customers thanks to the help of the people you’ve already won over to your business.
If you’re struggling with knowing how to market your small, local business that have a tiny marketing budget, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you come up with some solutions.