Starting a business costs money. You know that. With all of the fees that have to be paid to this entity or that regulatory body your capital can dwindle quickly, and that is not even before you are paying for infrastructure, materials and payroll. Of course you want to get your name out there and in front of potential customers so that they know that you exist but with a shoestring budget how can you do it? Forbes Magazine has detailed 10 ways that you can market your business on the cheap so check it out.
At Nicely Done Sites we can help you with all of this. If you are just starting out or have been struggling to get going give us a call. We detailed 10-6 on Wednesday so today we pick up at #5.
Some social media platforms, Facebook in particular, allows for the purchasing of ads. While this has been somewhat controversial stemming from its use with political campaigns it is a great resource for small businesses to expand their reach. For a small investment, as little as $10, posts can be boosted and placed in front of hundreds or thousands of new potential customers. For a better effect an ad campaign can be created with far better customization which can greatly increase its effectiveness. Facebook Ads allow you to choose what demographics you want to target.
Like with everything social media related Nicely Done Sites can help you manage your social media profiles and Facebook in particular. Social media can be a very cost effective way to advertise your business. It seems like nearly everyone has a social media account on one platform or another so getting your ad in front of the right person can be done.
What advertisement is more effective at catching someone’s eye: A sheet with lots of text of different size with a blah photo or an advertisement with an eye catching photo? You know which one is the answer. Of course not just any photograph or graphic should be used. Use media that is related to what you are posting. This can then also be used on social media platforms like Instagram or LinkedIn and can also help increase your SEO while being easy on the budget.
Need help with photography? Nicely Done Sites has the equipment and expertise to help you create stunning images that you can use to separate yourself from the competition. SEO values unique content and using a unique images certainly enhances your ranking. Also just like with Facebook and Twitter we can help manage your other social media accounts to help you put your best foot forward and create your best impression. There are a lot of visual people out there and you know the old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words.
Despite all of the technology that exists there is very little that can be more powerful than you doing a great job and your customer telling their friends and family about it. Successful businesses are built on networking and the more time that you have to invest in building up that network of contacts can do wonders. At the same time you want to show off your work and happy clients are a great place to start. Encouraging them to refer or recommend you to their friends can go a long way and create a lot of new customers.
As far as encouraging referrals and getting recommendations social media is a great place to start. Followers on social media can be given incentives to refer people and social media groups can be used to make recommendations to potential customers who are looking for the products or services that you offer. Social media is free and membership in many groups is free as well. Like with other social media services Nicely Done Sites can help you in that regard. With us handling your social media you will have time to go out an network to build your client base.
What can separate your company from others? What is something that customers want to see? Behind the scenes content. Drawing the curtain back helps to not only let people see the nuts and bolts of your operation but they also help to show the human side of your company. It can show where you work and your customers can then imagine you working at that space on their product. This kind of content is great for social media to help to provide value added content to your followers or even to your website to help show visitors who you are. It can also be shared on other platforms as well, like YouTube which can help to grow your brand there.
The technology today is amazing and it allows nearly anyone to produce near-professional quality video on their phones. That being said there is no substitute for truly professional video and that is a service that Nicely Done Sites can help you with. We have the equipment and the expertise to make and produce professional quality video and we can also manage your social media accounts and website so it can be placed everywhere it needs to be.
Unique content can do a lot for you like establish yourself and your business as an authority in your industry and to boost your SEO rankings. Don’t forget to link to other pages or articles, not only to establish credibility but to boost your ranking. You can also create content to be shared other places as well, essentially providing free marketing for well written and thoughtful pieces. Submitting content to other online blogs or publications can help to reach new audiences for very little cost. Don’t forget to ask for links back to your website or to your social media profiles to help drive traffic to you.
Creating fresh content can be time consuming and frustrating. Nicely Done Sites can help with this. We can help you with content creation and SEO optimization so that your site will move up the rankings and when you have moved up to keep you there. Being at the top of the search engine results generates far more clicks than being at the bottom and everyone is trying to position their business at the top. It’s extremely competitive and Nicely Done Sites can be your ace in the hole.
We hope that this gave you some new ideas for how to help market your business. It does not need to be expensive and marketing on the cheap can be just as effective. If you need help with this or do not believe that you have the time or expertise to do this properly give Nicely Done Sites a call. Don’t get left behind and start growing your business today!