Being the little guy can be tough, particularly in the marketing game. Without a giant startup budget, it can feel almost impossible to get your name out there, especially when you’re comparing yourself to the big players in the industry. Little cash can still have a big marketing impact; you’ll just have to think a little differently. Here are our 7 tips for marketing on a small budget:

1. Analyze your audience demographics. You have to start with the audience in mind. Always. Before moving on to any concepting or placement, you need to know your consumers inside and out. What do they like? What are their biggest media consumption outlets? Why attracts them to your brand? Answering these questions gives a lot of insight into how your company should be moving forward with advertising. Without this foundation, any attempt at marketing risks missing its mark.
2. Creatively find space to reach this audience. You don’t need to have a 60-second spot on prime time TV in order to get your message out to your audience. When you know your audience well, you know how to find them in ways that are unexpected. This is where alternate means like billboards, off-time radio, and guerrilla marketing can come into effect. Reaching your audience doesn’t mean you need to reach them through an expensive platform. Once you’ve found where your audience is and when they’ll be there, start thinking outside the box. These uncommon mediums and timeslots are generally quite a bit cheaper than thinking more mainstream.
3. Go for quality over quantity. It’s going to be more effective for your brand to have fewer spots with more impact than to spam your consumers with dull, uninformative content. If your advertisements don’t intrigue your customers or entice them to act, all the marketing in the world won’t get you the results you want. It’s far more important to have advertising that actively engages your consumers and makes them want to get involved. Sure, you could send out a ton of two-color direct mail flyers, but what are the chances your consumers will read them, much less act on them? Go into your campaign looking for quality spots that clearly state a message and have a purpose. The rest will do the work for you.
4. Utilize the power of PR. They say all press is good press. We don’t necessarily agree, but we do think free press is great press. The fantastic thing about PR is that the cost is extremely low, if there’s any at all. It’s so simple to send out a handful of press releases and see who bites. You can also get your brand involved in community activities or cheaply sponsor local events to get your name out there. People love when companies give back to their communities. PR is a cost-effective way to build trust and equity among your consumers without breaking the bank.
5. Use your networks. Your employees are one of the best marketing tools you have at your disposal. No matter the industry, there are always events and dealings going on for those who are willing to get involved. You should make it a key point to make an appearance for any conference or event that even slightly impacts your business. Here, you can make connections to those who may be able to help spread your name or help you down the line. When you’re new to the game, say yes to any meeting you’re offered with those who know more than you. Even if nothing comes of it, you’ll still walk out with more experience and a tip or two on how to move yourself along.
6. Utilize all social media has to offer. With the social media revolution, traditional marketing is no longer the primary way to interact and connect with your consumers. Social media can be completely free, and it becomes much easier to customize a message to specific consumers. Social media also makes it so that consumers can speak with you one-on-one, making them feel more connected to you. Stay active on social media platforms to stay at the forefront of your consumers’ minds. You can pay these platforms a fee to specifically place your advertising, but you may find if you use social media correctly, you won’t need to.
7. Go above and beyond for your customers. No matter what other marketing you throw out into the world, word of mouth will still remain the most effective and consistent way to draw in new consumers. People inherently trust people more than they trust businesses. Most of us would rather get a restaurant recommendation from our friend than online. Treat your current customers right. If you do everything you can to keep them happy, they’ll reward you by telling their friends. It’s effective marketing with little effort on your end. Let your consumer do your work for you. All you have to do is give them the experience they’ll love.

Would you like to learn more about small budget marketing, or about any other video topic? Reach out to IDR Productions for additional information and answers to all your questions. You’ll discover why we’re Orange County’s premier producer of TV commercials, infomercials, and online videos for a wide range of businesses, organizations, and brands.