There are few things as nerve-wracking as starting your own business. From cash flow management to company growth, there are several problems that entrepreneurs need to solve to make their young venture succeed. One of these challenges is creating a marketing strategy.
Marketing poses a unique challenge to business owners. If you do not have a robust strategy in place and a budget assigned, you cannot generate new leads and revenue. However, finding enough money to spare in an already tight budget is also tricky.
Luckily, there are several marketing tools you can use that are both effective and affordable. In this article, you will learn how you can reach a broad audience without exhausting your budget.
SMS Messages
There are reasons why businesses choose SMS marketing over other communications channels: it is affordable and highly effective.
That does not mean that there are no costs involved. At the very least, you will need software SMS marketing. Additionally, you will have to craft highly optimized messages that encourage interaction and offer consumers something of value. However, your time and effort will likely be well rewarded. Statistically:
- Texts have a 99% open rate.
- They have a 209% higher response rate than most other marketing methods.
- Consumers are more likely to redeem a mobile coupon.
Investing in an MMS solution allows you to add images and video to your texts, increasing their efficacy. Compared to PPC social media campaigns and traditional advertising, text messages can deliver higher returns at a much more competitive price. Get started by signing up to a web to text platform.
Content
The most expensive component of content marketing is the time you need to invest for it to work. For example, it takes about four hours to write a high-quality blog post and even longer to create videos or infographics. Is it worth trading that much time for a single post, blog, or image?
Yes, it is. 72% of marketers say that content marketing increased overall consumer engagement. Additionally, statistics show that it can generate three times as many leads as traditional strategies for every dollar spent.
For a start-up, these factors can mean the difference between success and failure.
Types of content marketing can include:
- Blog posts
- Infographics
- Videos
- Podcasts
- Posters
- Social posts
Google My Business
Google My Business is one of the most robust and widely underestimated marketing tools available to new companies. The service is free, and it allows you to put your business on the (Google) map.
You can optimize your pin with essential information such as contact details, a website link, and business hours. You can also add updates in a short blog-post format or add photos of your office, products, and services.
For a location-based SEO and marketing strategy, an optimized and verified Google My Business profile is essential.
Affordable Can Also Be Effective
No rule says that you must spend a small fortune marketing your start-up to achieve success. You will likely have better results if you manage to pinch your pennies early on. By replacing expensive tools with a more targeted approach and affordable strategies, you can kickstart your business without busting the budget.
Unnati Vaidya
Unnati Vaidya is a freelancer Content Writer and SEO generalist. She is an enthusiastic reader of Novels and a big fan of watching Sci-fi movies and seasons!