Running a small business is like swimming against the tide. You know where you want to go, but so many tasks get in the way of you making progress.
Doing marketing for a small business is like wearing a pair of flippers. You still have to swim, but you have extra power behind your efforts.
If you are just starting out in business, it can be tempting to think your business is too small to do marketing. But the sooner you start, the faster you will move into a being a bigger business.
Do you need to spend money on marketing? It depends.
If you are smart and willing to invest two hours a week consistently, you can start your small business marketing working within a few months.
If you can invest $100 a month into your small business marketing, that will make a big difference.
In this article, we will look at five ways to do marketing for your small business for under $100 a month.
1) Competitor and Keyword Research
Cost: $0
Time: 2 Hours
Tools: Google
Marketing demigod David Ogilvy said something profound over 50 years ago:
‘Don’t count the people you reach. Reach the people that count.’
In modern terms, this means understanding who your potential customers are and what they are looking for.
To do this, you can start with some simple Google searches that you think people might look for around your products or services.
Look at the results that come up, including the autocomplete function. Review the questions that ‘people also ask’ and look at the results at the bottom of the screen. Put all these questions and terms into a spreadsheet for future reference.
Congratulations, you just completed keyword research for your small business.
Knowing what people are searching for about your small business is crucial. You can start to add those keywords to your website (through the main site content, as well as in blog posts) and start to rank for those terms over time.
Next, take some time to Google, your closest competitors. These are the companies that have the same services as you, who serve the same area. Don’t obsess about the larger national businesses at this stage. Just look at those who are at or slightly above your level.
Pay close attention to how they are describing their services on their site. See if there is a gap in their services that you can offer. See if you can offer more information on your site about the services. Make your website SEO friendly by having clear headings for each page.
Doing keyword research early gives you a map of how to best market your small business. Knowing exactly who your competitors are and how you can differentiate from them helps you swim with the stream.
2) Google My Business
Cost: $0
Time: 1 Hour Setup, 1 Hour a Month
Tools: Google My Business
In 2020, over 97% of people learn about local businesses online. Word of mouth is great, but people will still Google your business to find out where you are, and whether other people rate you well.
Google My Business is the ultimate tool for attracting free, targeted traffic to your website. It’s a free tool that Google offers to help you get your business listed on Google Maps and on the main Google Search engine.
It’s incredible how many small businesses don’t take advantage of Google My Business. It does require a little leg work to get set up, including claiming your business listing with a postcard in the mail.
Once you have access to Google My Business, you can add all the essential information your customers need. This information should include:
- Opening hours
- Location
- Services
- Reviews from customers
- Images
- Videos
Make sure to add as much information as you can about your business. This detail will help Google better understand who to share your listing with.
For small businesses that are in a set location, Google My Business can be a way to grow attention. The Google Maps listing will significantly improve your chances of people finding you in your local area.
3) Content Creation
Cost: $0
Time: 2 Hours a week
Tools: Google Docs, Website Blog, Youtube, Social Media
Of course, the owner of a content marketing agency is going to tell you to add new content to your site. But hear me out.
Content marketing is the best-kept secret of most successful businesses. It costs half as much as running Facebook ads or Google ads, and you can even do it yourself in the early days of your business. You need two hours a week to do content marketing well and make it work for you.
What is content marketing for a small business? It’s the act of giving away information (usually in blogs, videos, and social media posts) that can be helpful to those who might consider buying your products or services.
The biggest hurdle small business owners have with content creation is not knowing what to write or speak about. But the answer is simple. Answer every single question that your potential customers have in written or video form.
Think about every question your clients have asked you. Make a big list of ‘what,’ ‘why,’ and ‘how’ questions. Then take two hours a week and create a blog answering each one. Remember to use the keywords that you researched earlier. Add these words into your blogs and watch them start to rank in the search engines.
Most small businesses won’t bother to do content marketing. And that’s exactly why you should. You get to capture the local market’s attention and start to rank in the search engines for relevant terms. And the sooner you start, the harder it is for other small businesses to catch up to you. Content marketing is a secret weapon for small businesses. And all it takes is two hours a week.
Weekly Emails
Cost: $0 per month
Time: 2 Hours a Month
Tools: Mailchimp, Constant Contact
Yes, you get a lot of emails every day. So do your customers. But guess what? We all still keep opening our email inboxes.
Email is now a part of daily life for most people around the world. And if you can take the time to share something small with your potential customers once a week, that is a great way to keep yourself top of mind.
In fact, a study by Oberlo showed that for every dollar you spend on email marketing, you can expect to earn $42 in return.
Starting an email list is as simple as adding an opt-in box to your website. It’s easy to do, and you can then use a program like Mailchimp or Constant Contact to send out weekly emails.
If you are doing a weekly blog or vlog post on your website, you can send that article out to your audience. If you don’t have time to write a blog post every week, then share a few interesting facts or other articles you find around the web.
Check out the way Gary Vaynerchuck does this with this Gary Veekly emails. It’s a fairly low tech email that talks about things he is doing, new ideas he’s thinking about, and industry news.
Emails once a week (or even once a month) are a great way to stay on the periphery of your prospect’s attention. When it comes time for them to buy, you will be the person they go to.
Social Media Stories
Cost: $0
Time: 20 Minutes a day
Tools: Facebook, Instagram
The rise of stories on social media has been incredible over the past four years. Ever since Instagram stories launched in 2016, the world has fallen in love with ephemeral content.
Why do people love Instagram stories? Because they are low commitment, they are voyeuristic, and you get a sneak peek into what people are doing each day.
As a small business, you can do a lot with your social media stories. You can share a thought of the day. You can do small product showcases. You can share interesting news and information. If you have customers who you interact with, many will be happy to ‘star’ in your Instagram and Facebook stories with you.
As the world becomes more overloaded with information, ephemeral content will become the norm. We don’t need to know everything about each other, but a little snippet every day is highly entertaining.
Use the popularity of Instagram Stories and Facebook Stories to your advantage. You will be surprised how much more connected your customers become to you when you do.
Your Effort is Your Currency
In the early days of your small business, you will need to make a lot of effort to get off the ground. Your small business marketing doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, but it will take time.
Most of all, you must be consistent. Doing marketing for a small business once or twice won’t do anything. Doing it once a day or once a week for two years will make a massive impact.