CREATIVE MARKETING ON A TIGHT BUDGET

This post is the result of a survey to my email subscribers asking what marketing issues they struggle with the most. Many of the answers involved the problems of finding new clients and the cost of marketing their business. I’ve compiled some creative ways to market that are inexpensive and effective methods I’ve used in my business – I encourage you to give them a try. 

*DISCLOSURE: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you chose to click through and make a purchase I will earn a commission but there is no additional cost to you. It helps compensates the business for the time spent creating these posts. THANK YOU!

How do you tell people about your new business?

When I started my business in the early 90’s, the expected way to advertise a business was in the Yellow Pages of the phone book (a phone book was distributed for free to each household every year and businesses paid to have an ad in the back “yellow pages”), place an ad and people would call. The $200+ monthly cost for a business card size ad was not an option for me.

I had to find a less expensive method quickly.

As a daughter of a salesman, I knew what cold calling was. This “pounding the sidewalk,” method offered me the opportunity to introduce my business to the local business community by literally walking the sidewalk and knocking on doors.

Be Visible

As a designer my advantage was I had visuals! I made up a cute little brochure that I handed to the business owner explaining what I did.

I remember pulling up to the storefront with those huge glass pane windows, knowing everyone inside could see me. I had to give myself a pep talk just to step out of the car. It was brutal to my shy personality, but I did it and with every successful sale my confidence grew.

Thank goodness for the internet and social media!

Today you can make the cold calls without leaving your desk. It still takes courage to knock on a virtual door, but at least they’re not staring at you!

In my 25 years + of business I’ve learned a few things about gaining clients and keeping old ones. As I share my favorite methods, I’ll also tell you some of the unusual ways that I landed some of my best clients. I’m sure you’ll have some similar ones to share in the comments below!

*SPOILER ALERT: I said these ideas would little or no money, but I didn’t say they would be without WORK on your part! So get ready!

1. START TALKING ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS

When you make the decision to start a business you have to train yourself to talk about it. Not in an annoying way, but when someone asks you what you do – can you quickly explain your business model in an engaging way?

For instance –

“Becky’s Graphic Design work with businesses who need help marketing themselves to their target audience in a professional way. My team and I CREATE the visual assets they need, teach them HOW to use them and direct them WHERE to use them. We give them the tools and training to manage it themselves or we walk alongside and take care of it for them.”

You never know how people will react to you sharing your entrepreneurial story. Some find it fascinating because they someday want to own their own business, others have no interest and others begin to share how they need your services. THOSE are the ones to pay close attention to. Always have your business card available to hand them and offer to have coffee and chat about their business.

I’ve landed some of my best clients by engaging with them while they served my needs. The conversation usually begins with a simple “what do you do?” question and I lead the conversation from there.

2. DO SOME CREATIVE PR

After a few years in business I had some great examples of my design skills stock piled. I began to wonder how I could use them to promote my work – (this was still pre-internet) I wanted to use them to promote my business in a unique and creative way.

I chose ten of my best client logos and made an outline of each one. I printed them on a heavy, watercolor paper and had them spiral bound at FedEx Kinkos. I found a cute box and filled it with some watercolor paints and brushes and included my business card. Then I packed it all together and sent it to all the local media contacts with an introduction letter and invitation for them to try their hand at “coloring” my logos.

I received an immediate response to this creative PR and was featured in our local business section a few weeks later with a front cover photo and multiple page story. That little bit of promotion generated years of inquiries and positive results.

I think every business can conceive a unique way to promote their product or service with a little brainstorming. Remember to think outside the box and direct your result to the most influential target audience member or media you want to reach.

3. FIND YOUR TRIBE AND NETWORK

So many people dread this activity! After “pounding the sidewalk” for a few months I knew I had to find another method to connect with potential clients. I saw an ad in our local town newspaper for a women’s networking organization. I cut that ad out and it sat on my desk for another few months – I was the queen of procrastination!

Finally I ventured out and found my tribe. (Seth Goodin didn’t write the book for another 12 years but that’s what it was like for me!)

Networking and serving as a board member for these networking communities fueled my business with new and repeat clientele year after year.

Lessons on Business Networking

• It isn’t about socializing (although you’ll likely build great friendships)
• IT IS about building relationships with new people which eventually leads to finding great clients
• It is about creating connections for future collaborations
• Make sure the time spent is worth it – groups usually meet once a month, to benefit you need to be there, so make sure you pick an organization which has your target audience or connections to your target to accomplish the goal of gaining new clients.
• Collect those business cards and connect one – on – one to build mutual relationships and expand your connections! Remember these new business friends will be your best referral partners and sales team!
• I know it’s scary, but go in and find the other person who is standing alone, looking lost, and you’ll have an instant friend!

4. VOLUNTEER

Another great way to build your client base is to volunteer. You never know who you’ll be working with that might need your services or know someone who needs your help!

When the kids were in high school marching band my husband and I got involved with the parent group. It was a great opportunity to connect with others and as we worked together we got to know each other.

“Don’t ever forget that selling involves building relationships, not just constantly pushing your product or service.” – Becky Bayne

I was asked to design the “show logo” each year and I was thrilled to donate my design work. One day one of the parents asked if I could meet with her boss – they had a need for a designer. The work that came from that connection doubled my business and gave me steady work for more than 10 years.

5. COMMENT and ENGAGE

A great way to build your community and eventually find new clients is to comment on the blog posts and social media feeds you follow.

• Be Nice!
• Give Value
• Give Support
• Offer Encouragement
• DON’T SELL or promote yourself!

It’s amazing how much that will help you make new friends, that eventually become clients or collaborative partners.

I recently hired a new online bookkeeper based on her engagement with me and the great content she posted on Instagram. Her posts were full of helpful information and she obviously knew her business. Once I reached out and chatted with her online I recognized she had built my trust by sharing such valuable content on a regular basis – all for free!

6. WRITE A BUSINESS BLOG

Your website is your storefront – and just like if you had a brick and mortar building you have to attract customers. A blog is a great way to bring them in your virtual front door! A blog gives you the opportunity to open the door to the new clients by creating content that is of value to them.

Business blogging doesn’t cost anything but time and strategic planning. It’s an opportunity to build content which can be related and re-purposed through your social channels – ultimately driving traffic back to your website.

Your blog content is owned by you, so you choose where to share it and how often.

And don’t forget – Google LOVES all that fresh content!

“Business blogging is a marketing tactic that uses blogging to get your business more online visibility. A business blog is a marketing channel (just like social media, direct mail, email marketing, etc.) that helps support business growth.” – HUBSPOT.com (free blogging resources)

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RECOMMENDED READING

I know the struggle of wondering what to write and when to write it. Recently I’ve been absorbing all I can from Pamela Wilson of BIG Brand System. She has two books which I highly recommend.

Master Content Marketing, A Simple Strategy to Cure the Blank Page Blues and Attract a Profitable Audience

by Pamela Wilson

This book gives you the basic understanding of what you need to do to effectively build an online business. Those words “online business” used to scare me because I thought it meant NOT doing my regular creative design work. Rather this idea of content marketing online can be an extension of my business. It gives me a place to share my business and design experience with my audience which builds trust before we ever work together.

Pamela does a great job in this book removing the fear of how to get it all done with her “Lazy Approach to Content Creation” She breaks it all down into manageable steps and sets you up for content creation success!

Master Content Strategy, How to Maximize Your Reach and Boost Your Bottom Line Every Time You Hit Publish

by Pamela Wilson

Pamela’s newest book (October 2018) is your road map to strategically publish the right content to grow your business! She does a fabulous job of giving the BIG picture of building content for your site which will grow your business. Then she gets down to the details! I really like how she gives instructions for every level of content building – from the newbie site to one like mine that is established. Her detailed maintenance plan helped me clean up my old blog posts with a fresh look and updated content. I feel much more confident in my understanding of what I need to write, how often to publish and finding the time to do it. If you’re tired of trying to figure out content strategy yourself – this is the book you need!

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Here are some great articles with more reasons to blog as a business.

• 15 reasons I think you should blog
• 9 Reasons you should blog
• The Benefits of Business Blogging

7. CREATE A “Google My Business” ACCOUNT

Google is heavily favored as the search engine favorite with 74.54% share of the market on desktop and 90% of the mobile market according to Net Market Share.

Yet many businesses who need to be discovered, haven’t bothered to set up a Google My Business (GMB) page. Besides Google being the favored search engine here’s why you need to do this.

• It’s free and it’s GOOGLE – improve being found in your local area search immediately.
• All your contact information is listed and will show in Google search and map results
• You can use your GMB it to promote events, spotlight services and highlight special offers
• They’ve improved the dashboard and upgraded the options so it’s much easier to manage than it used to be

Set up your FREE Google My Business Account here.

Google describes this service this way.

“Google My Business complements your existing website by giving your business a public identity and local visibility with a listing on Google. The business information you provide can appear on Google Search, Maps, and Google+. Whether you’re a home-based business or a service-area business, you can list your business information to appear on Google with or without an address.”

Just remember to verify your account by requesting, receiving and responding to the verification postcard they send.

To be effective, marketing must be done on a consistent basis…

But don’t assume marketing means money. Marketing is any method you use to promote yourself and your business to your target audience. All the methods here are exactly what I’ve used to develop my business and gain clients. If you’re struggling to grow your business I encourage you to try some of these ideas, they work!

Be adventurous, try looking for unique opportunities to market and don’t be afraid to try something new.

I’d love to hear some of your unique ways you’ve marketed your business. When you share your story it inspires others, so feel free to leave your comments below!