Marketing On A Budget
For small or new ecommerce companies, budgets can be tight. Even established companies often look at new ways they can save money while still promoting and selling products, bringing in new customers, and making more money than they are spending. Marketing is a crucial part of any company’s success, and it is easy to get caught up in spending money on targeted ads and different programs to help your brand succeed. While these steps can be very important and helpful, there are some ways you can market your brand at little or no cost!
Encourage User-Generated Content:
User-generated content is one of the most effective ways to get content, and it can come to you totally free. Depending on what kind of service or product you sell, there are many ways you can ask for user-generated content. Ask users to tag you in their photos using your products in fun or creative ways and re-post your favorites. This is an easy and fun way to get free content, and most customers will be thrilled to be featured! Re-posting pictures is also a great way to build a community among your customers, and encourage others to post and tag you in pictures with the hopes of getting featured. Another way to get customers involved is to run a campaign asking them for help creating ideas for a new product. Have customers send in their best idea, choose your favorites and let everyone vote on the winner! Not only is this fairly easy and free, but it is also exciting for customers to have the power to make a big decision. Additionally, letting them choose the final product creates excitement around the product launch and you are guaranteed to have a product that your customers enjoy!
Utilize Social Media:
Social media has proven to be a fantastic way to advertise your product. Most social media platforms are totally free to use (unless you choose to run ads). Content shows up organically on your user’s feeds, so they are more likely to pay attention to it. When choosing your social media channels, think about the ages of your target audience and research which ones they tend to use the most. If you have the time, consider using most (or all) platforms to put out different types of content. Studies have found that some demographics (such as Gen Z) learn about the majority of their products from social media. With the popularity of Instagram and TikTok especially, it is no surprise that users are sharing their favorite (and least favorite) products and finding new ones daily. Social media is also an easy way to connect with your customers on a more personal level and show off your creativity.
Work On Content Marketing:
Much like social media, content marketing is an easy and free way to connect with your customers. By offering them consistent content, they are likely to check back often to see what is new and spend some time on your website. One of the easiest ways to get started is by creating a blog. Choose how often to want to post, what you want to talk about (industry, lifestyle, tips and tricks) and stick with it. If you already have a blog and are looking to expand farther, try a podcast or YouTube channel. While these might take a little bit more work than a blog, they are both rapidly rising in popularity and are a fantastic way to build traffic.
While having a budget for your marketing is certainly helpful, it isn’t always necessary. Using the tools that you have along with some creativity is all you need to drive traffic and bring in new customers. What are your favorite free resources? Let us know in the comments!
