No matter what business you’re in, digital marketing can be incredibly valuable to help you reach your target audience, educate them about your product or service and then convert them into paying customers. While digital marketing can certainly be an expensive endeavor, there are many cost-effective ways to do it that don’t require a lot of upfront investment and can prove to be very beneficial in the long run. In this blog post, we are going to share with you 7 cost-effective digital marketing strategies that work like a charm every time.
A solid digital marketing strategy can make all the difference between success and failure in your business but creating one that works can be expensive and time-consuming. Fortunately, there are several cost-effective digital marketing strategies that you can use to get started on the right track with little effort or money involved. These strategies will help you reach new audiences, build brand recognition, and generate more sales at little or no cost to your bottom line. Let’s get started!
1. Run an Email Newsletter
Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective forms of online marketing. With email, you can reach your entire customer base at once and efficiently communicate with them regularly. Email marketing campaigns are also easily measurable, so you’ll know when to tweak things to produce better results. Keep your emails short and sweet – no more than 3 sentences. As always, make sure they have a strong call-to-action (CTA) that will encourage recipients to take action. When it comes to making an impact online, content is king. Make sure you’re creating original pieces of content and distributing them where they’ll get seen by as many people as possible.
You could share these articles or blog posts through social media channels like Facebook and Twitter, or publish them on relevant websites. It’s important to build up credibility online through high-quality content distribution; eventually, people will start coming back for more because they know you have valuable information worth sharing. In addition to using social media channels, use Google search engines optimization techniques such as keyword optimization, meta tags, and link building to rank higher on search engines like Google.
Newsletter signup boxes are a great way to capture new leads without paying anything out of pocket. If someone has signed up for your newsletter, then you know that they’re interested in what you have to say and might be open to being marketed down the line. Just don’t spam your subscribers – send them quality updates regularly that include links to relevant blog posts and announcements about special offers.
2. Create Appealing Graphics
If you’re trying to create an online marketing campaign, you will need some high-quality graphics. The good news is that there are plenty of free or low-cost programs out there that can help you create high-quality graphics without breaking the bank. A few popular options are – Canva for online image design; Adobe Spark for online video and photo editing; Unsplash for royalty-free photos and videos; Visme for infographics and presentations. Many websites offer stock photography at affordable prices such as 123rf, Pond5, Shutterstock, and Dreamstime.
Remember, when it comes to creating graphics for your online marketing campaign, you don’t have to be the most skilled graphic designer in the world. All it takes is one great idea and the ability to choose from dozens of free software packages that make it easy to turn your idea into reality. And when it comes to being able to affordably generate graphics for your digital marketing campaign, there’s no shortage of resources available!
For instance, many sites offer stock photography at very reasonable prices like 123RF, Pond5, Shutterstock, and Dreamstime. Alternatively, if you’re looking for even cheaper solutions for creating promotional graphics, consider using Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Docs with your favorite Photoshop plug-ins to add all of those fantastic finishing touches. With these tools readily available and costing less than $10 per month combined, the sky is the limit when it comes to developing your professional-quality visuals.
Once again, not having any drawing skills whatsoever doesn’t mean you can’t come up with a stunningly creative design- it just means you’ll have to get creative and think outside of the box!
3. Personalize Your Posts
Here are some of the most cost-effective digital marketing strategies that work like a charm: *Utilizing social media for marketing. Social media is one of the best ways to reach potential customers because it’s free and people are constantly on their phones. Create an account on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, or other social media platforms and use them to post updates about your company.
You can also advertise on these sites if you want to spend money. Creating an email list. Email lists are suitable for keeping in touch with previous clients and building relationships with new ones. Not only will they receive emails from your business, but you will get access to customer information such as interests and contact info so that you can better market to them in the future.
Getting reviews on websites such as Yelp, Google Reviews, TripAdvisor, etc. It costs nothing but time to write reviews so this is another great way to build relationships with new customers by leaving feedback. Adding videos onto your website or blog posts. There are many video hosting sites where anyone can upload videos for free such as YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, etc.
Videos tend to be more engaging than text and encourage readership which could lead to increased traffic to your site. Connecting with influencers. Influencers have the power to sway potential customers into buying something just by sharing a product on social media or blogging about it (with permission). Get those influencers excited about what you have going on and introduce yourself!
Sharing fun contests. People love entering contests, especially when there’s a chance of winning a prize. Share your contest on all of your social media channels and put it up on your blog so that it goes out to all of your followers who might not see it otherwise. Hosting webinars or live chat sessions. Webinars or live chat sessions allow you to connect with people all around the world without having to travel anywhere.
4. Take Advantage of Social Media
It’s important to take advantage of social media, as it is one of the best ways to reach potential customers. Posting content on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn can help you connect with your target audience. And don’t forget YouTube! You can use this free platform to upload videos that provide helpful information about your company.
Host a Live Q&A Session: Hosting live Q&A sessions via platforms like Facebook Live or Instagram Live is an excellent way to interact directly with your customer base. If you’ve never hosted one before, ask someone from the company who has experience hosting live events for tips and tricks. You can also watch other businesses’ broadcasts to see what they’re doing right (or wrong).
Set Up Promotions: Many digital marketing strategies work well without any upfront costs. One such strategy is setting up promotions, which incentivize people to buy by providing them with discounts or other rewards. For example, Groupon offers deals in categories including food & drink, beauty & fitness, travel & leisure, automotive services, and home improvement among others. Other popular options include Living Social, Amazon Local, Home Chef, and many more.
Invest in Website Updates: No matter how hard you try to keep your website fresh and engaging, over time it will become outdated and less attractive to visitors. To combat this problem, invest in periodic website updates- either by hiring a professional web designer or learning how to update your site yourself using WordPress software. With frequent website updates, you’ll be able to maintain higher traffic levels than if you didn’t make any changes at all. Keep reading to know more in detail.
5. Create an Engaging Website
Your website is the first impression people have of your business. It’s the gateway to everything you have to offer them, and it will be one of the first places they go when they’re ready to buy. That’s why you need to make sure that it’s professional, easy to navigate, and tells them all about what you do right off the bat. The average person spends less than 10 seconds on any given page on the internet. Make sure that you give them a reason to stick around for more!
Develop an Outstanding Online Presence: Developing a cohesive presence across multiple platforms ensures that potential customers can find you no matter where they are. It also increases brand awareness and improves customer retention by generating more engagement opportunities.
Engage in One-on-One Interaction: Posting content regularly gives your followers something new to look at each time they log on, but engaging with individual customers as well sends an even stronger message that you care about their opinions. If someone takes the time to reach out and ask a question, answering it thoroughly (and honestly!) shows them that they’re not just another number. Whether you answer questions over social media or email, delivering this level of personalization will get customers coming back again and again.
Create Relevant Content: People visit websites expecting information. Even if someone lands on your site because they saw your ad on Facebook or Instagram, if you don’t have anything worth reading then there’s not much incentive for them to stay. But providing fresh, relevant content regularly will keep visitors coming back for more. Just like most other things in life, quality always beats quantity.
6. Hire Out Task-Oriented Freelance Workers
While you may think that you need to have a full marketing team to run your company’s social media, our research suggests that hiring out task-oriented freelance workers is an affordable and effective way to grow your following. For example, using freelance agencies can be 10 times more cost-effective than hiring in-house staff.
In addition, with the advent of online freelancing sites like Upwork and Fiverr, finding the perfect person for the job has never been easier. And if you’re not sure where to start? Post your project on these sites and watch the bids roll in!
To get started, simply type digital marketing into any one of these sites and browse through the list of freelancers who are ready to work for as little as $5/hour. If you need help getting started, we recommend checking out the blog post by Dharmesh Shah (founder of HubSpot) entitled The Essentials Of Hiring Your First Virtual Assistant.
From there, all you have to do is post your requirements and wait for proposals from potential employees. It doesn’t get any simpler than this when it comes to running a business!
For those of us looking for part-time or even full-time employment, this offers endless opportunities. Need someone to take care of your email marketing? There are dozens of people who would love to help you out. Need someone to create a blog for your company? You’ll find hundreds of willing applicants.
All you have to do is post your requirements and wait for proposals from potential employees – then make the right decision based on their experience, skill level, and availability. Not only will this save you time (and money), but it will give your organization a fresh perspective that can often yield unexpected results.
7. Do it Yourself
If you’re on a tight budget, it’s tempting to just give up on marketing altogether and hope for the best. Here are some ways to save money without sacrificing the quality of your digital presence:
1) Use social media to promote
2) Create video content for YouTube
3) Optimize your website for search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo
4) Build relationships with influencers in your niche
5) Join forums that are relevant to your industry
6) Write guest blog posts
7) Promote other people’s stuff!
Some examples include paying someone to make an infographic or buying email lists of customers who might be interested in your products or services. You can also promote their stuff by blogging about them, tweeting their articles, adding them as a link on your website homepage, or referring their business to clients. It’s all about building mutually beneficial relationships. There are tons more cost-effective strategies available if you take the time to explore different avenues – don’t get stuck thinking do it yourself is the only way!
Remember, many small businesses do rely on inexpensive tactics to grow their brands, so there’s no need to feel guilty when your company can’t afford everything. With a little creativity, diligence, and research you’ll be able to find many effective marketing methods that work at any price point.
Conclusion:
It’s easier than ever to market your business online, but there are so many options out there that it can feel like you’re throwing darts blindfolded at times. Finding cost-effective digital marketing strategies that don’t sacrifice quality or ROI can be tricky, but these seven choices might just be your best bet. So, read this guide carefully!