No-nonsense, low budget marketing strategies for small businesses

Serious marketing strategy? You’ll get to it when…

  • You’ve gained 50 more clients.

  • You have an extra $50k in the bank.

  • You take on your 50th staff member.

There are countless reasons small business owners put off getting serious about their marketing. Often because you’re convinced that a solid marketing strategy is going to cost a fortune, is out of your reach or comfort zone, or is something that only big corporations can justify.

The thing is though, a concrete, ambitious, and effective marketing plan is the very thing that will help you achieve those big goals, like 50 new clients, 50 staff members, or an extra $50k in the bank.

And it’s something that’s well within the grasp of literally every single business owner out there, whether you’re expanding an existing consulting business or launching a start-up.

Yes, you included.

And it doesn’t take a ton of cash, complex resources, or all of your energy reserves either.

In fact, there’s really only ONE thing you do need:

Knowledge.

  • The knowledge to help you understand which strategies will deliver the most value for the least amount of money and time.

  • The knowledge that will empower you to apply clever marketing plans that make sense for where you are right now — and where you want to go.

  • And the knowledge to devise and implement a marketing plan that will attract the right kind of customers, and keep them coming back.

Of course, there’s rather a lot of knowledge required to do all of that lovely marketing magic, and every business is different. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution.

So let’s narrow it down to the key things you need to consider when creating a no-nonsense plan that’ll work for you and your organization.

Do your research.

There are endless options when it comes to marketing your business, and once you’ve decided to make it a priority it’s tempting to jump in with both feet by signing up to every social media platform, or taking advantage of every available resource.

But, it’s important to consider your strategy carefully. For example, is it worth spending a bunch of money on Facebook ads if your customers tend not to hang out on Facebook? Not so much.

Put your customers first.

Who are your customers? What makes them tick? What do they really want? What are their values?

Knowing this helps you in myriad ways — it helps you serve them better, it helps you understand how to create a lengthy relationship with them, and it puts you streets ahead of your competition.

It also underpins every single thing you do as part of your marketing strategy.

Know your target market. 

Similarly, when thinking about who your customers are, it doesn’t pay to cast too wide a net.

Your target market is not “Anyone who will buy your product or service”!

Targeting your marketing activities fairly and squarely at the people who need and want your service or product is the secret to creating quality inquiries and getting prospects to open their wallet.

Understand that marketing is not advertising.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that advertising and websites are the only two ways to attract more business. You can market your small business in literally hundreds of ways, so it pays to know what they are and then eliminate the ones that won’t work, or that you can’t afford, up-front.

Set sales goals and targets.

Marketing really is a numbers game and there’s zero point in spending time or money on marketing efforts that won’t directly or indirectly bring in new business.

Know what your goals are in terms of revenue, expenses, profit, number of inquiries and, of course, number of new sales, and monitor your numbers regularly so you can see what’s working and what isn’t.

A professional brand.

And I’m not just talking about logos here! Your brand is all-encompassing: it covers everything people see, hear, think, and feel about your business. Investing up-front in developing a brand that stands out from the crowd should be front and center in your marketing plan.

Getting it right will save you money and heartache in the long run.

Powerful marketing materials.

Your business card, sales brochures, sales letters, website, signage, uniforms, and car decal speak volumes about your business. Make sure they look professional and appealing at all times.

And remember that consistency across your marketing materials plays a large part in how professional — or otherwise — your brand appears.

An elevator pitch.

“What do you do?”

Whether you’ve been in business for 5 years or 5 minutes, you’ve already been asked this a thousand times. And you’ll undoubtedly be asked it at least a thousand more!

Don’t make the mistake of boring the poor person who asked the question. Make sure you have a fun, interesting and memorable pitch ready at all times — and be able to deliver it in the time it takes to travel a few floors in an elevator.

Get a handle on the four Ps of marketing. 

It may sound like a marketing cliché but getting your product, pricing, placement strategy (distribution) and promotional strategy humming along and working together is crucial to good marketing.

Of course, these strategies are really just the tip of the marketing iceberg — each one could probably merit its very own blog post. However, if a no-nonsense, powerful marketing strategy is high on your agenda (and it definitely should be!), this is the ideal place to start.

And remember, you don’t have to do any of this alone. Helping small businesses and startups create and apply effective, money-and-time-saving, growth-driving marketing plans is what I do. Get in touch for a free marketing proposal and let’s make those big, ambitious goals a reality.


Erika Etlen