You have a small start-up business that just opened. How do you get customers for little to no money? You do not have money to market your small business with billboards, TV ads, or mass mailings. So what are some of the most effective low-cost marketing techniques that will drive customers to your business? Below are 10 effective and inexpensive marketing ideas for small business.

Marketing Idea 1: Create a Website for your Business

Today you must have a website for your business. People interested in your products and services will look you up on Google and Facebook. If they do not see you, they will probably ignore you. There are a number of effective techniques to design a website and market yourself effectively. If you do not understand how search engines like Google rank websites, it is recommended that you find a professional website designer. If you do not know a great website designer and marketer, 1040TaxBiz can recommend one for you.

Marketing Idea 2: Make Your Own Custom Business Cards

In combination with an effective website, a well-designed business card is one of the best marketing tools you have available. A stock business card design may not be as effective as a custom design. It depends on the industry that you are in. When potential customers look at your business card, they should be able to quickly find your business name, your contact information, your location, and at least a general idea of your products and services offered. Your business card should also stand out from the crowd, fit in a wallet, and state that you are an experienced professional. Yes, a business card, if properly designed, can do all that and more.

Marketing Idea 3: Publish Great Content on a Blog

Publishing great information that people want to read can be a great tool if used properly. TV shows, newspapers, magazines, and radio programs all understand this concept. It is about attracting eyes and ears. If people find and read your content, they are also looking at the advertisements, products, and services being mentioned on the page. The more content you offer that people want to read, the more people will want to visit your site to read more of it. Great content should be relevant to both the reader and to your small business. For example, if you are writing content for a tax preparation business, you may want to write about things like the IRS, tax laws, fun things to do on April 15, tax fraud, and even Hollywood stars that did not pay their tax bills. You can be creative with the content, just make sure it relates back to your small business in some way.

Marketing Idea 4: Email Campaigns that Convert

Now that you have made it relatively easy for potential clients to find you, the next step is to start generating contact lists. These next two marketing ideas demonstrate the importance of these contact lists, and how to grow them. The first is an email list. Almost everyone checks their emails regularly. It is a quick and easy way to communicate with others. Email campaigns have two parts. The first part is to develop a system that encourages people to give you their emails. This can be done through email capture forms on a website, gathering business cards, or offering giveaways in exchange for email addresses. Second, you need to send emails that get people to do something or to buy something. Do you want them to attend an event? Do you want them to buy something? Your end goal has to be clear when you send an email. The more effective your email campaign is, the more emails you will capture and the more money you will generate.

Marketing Idea 5: Social Media Marketing (SMM)

The second list is social media accounts. You can send news, notifications, event invitations, and other information through social media. It is not enough to have a list of names and faces attached to your account. Social media marketing is about building relationships with people and using that relationship to gather support for products, services, donations, events, etc.

Marketing Idea 6: Vehicle Branding

Marketing is a process to get people interested in your products and services. It contains an effective array of tools that all small business owners should leverage effectively. Branding is about building your reputation and customer loyalty. Branding is about setting yourself apart from your competition. There are numerous tax preparers in the US, but how many truck drivers specialize in preparing and filing tax returns for other truck drivers? What is your niche? What do most of your customers have in common? if I owned a tax preparation company that serviced truck drivers, I would place a vehicle magnet and display information on my rig in some way that other truck drivers would want to contact me about doing their taxes.

Marketing Idea 7: Find Business Networking Groups

Business to business networking is a great way to build your business, your client base, and your reputation. You often sign up under a specific service provided. What are your primary products or services that make you the most money in the least amount of time? Leverage those to build your business. Leverage the contacts you make within the network to build your reputation or your brand. Gather testimonials and post them. Find those who provide complementary services. If I owned a company that printed magazines, I might want to team up with a shipping and distribution company. Business networking is a great way to build a reputation, get clients, and develop business partners.

Marketing Idea 8: Create Instructional Videos

Instructional how to videos are a useful tool. They can generate traffic to your social media and to your website. More importantly, they can visually display the kind of person you are. Instructional videos should demonstrate both your abilities and your personality. People will more often choose you over your competition because they like and trust you. TV and cable is infiltrated with shows about cooking, taking over a business, or selling a specialized product or service. They do this because it works. Develop video material that teaches and entertains your clients.

Marketing Idea 9: Host an Event or Class

Leverage your emails, social media, and videos to promote an event or class. It could be a live webinar online, or it could be a seminar in a rented hall. Leverage your contact lists to fill seats. Use your time with them to demonstrate that you can help them with the products and services that you have to offer.

Marketing Idea 10: Find Free Publicity

Free public relations opportunities may take time to develop, but they are part of a long term marketing and branding strategy. Write a column for a newspaper, blog, or magazine. Be a radio guest. This develops name recognition and increases your marketing range. Just like with all the other branding methods, this is used to establish your reputation. 1040TaxBiz helps you market and brand you own tax preparation business. We have the industry experience and resources to help you. Contact us now to find out more.