Best Advertising Methods For Small Businesses

By | March 12, 2025

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Best Advertising Methods For Small Businesses

Best Advertising Methods For Small Businesses

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Benefits Of Social Media Marketing Every Business Should Know

So you’ve learned how to start a business, now it’s time to promote it. Marketing your small business is spreading the word about the incredible products you have to sell. No promotion means an opportunity to make money online in a short time.

But your customer’s attention is drawn from pillar to post. Big brands with multi-thousand dollar marketing budgets push advertising costs sky-high. Let’s not start with social media channels changing their algorithms to make it harder for small businesses to reach the audiences they’ve built.

It’s not all doom and gloom. You can stand out in the busiest of spaces. It just needs a little more creativity.

To get you started, this guide shares 17 creative marketing ideas we’ve seen from independent brands that are completely free (or very low cost) to copy.

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To say that social media platforms are oversaturated would be an understatement. Around 92% of companies will use platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to reach their target audience by 2022.

Combine that with the fact that Facebook only shows posts to 5.2% of its followers, and you can see why social networking is such a challenging way to market a small business.

Diversify your social media marketing strategy by holding a contest. Science proves that people like free things. So give something away for free — like a product package or a trip to your headquarters — in exchange for social media engagement. Ask your followers to like, comment, share and tag a friend on a post to increase your reach.

Best Advertising Methods For Small Businesses

For example, Loca Foods ran an Instagram contest to give away dips and desserts. Participants must like the post, follow his Instagram profile and tag a friend. Bonus items are ready to grab if followers share a post to their own story:

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It is true that there are attractive contests on social networks to give away expensive products. But the amount of marketing you spend on gifts doesn’t have to be that high. You can make it as cheap or expensive as you want.

Another smart way to use social media to market your small business is to use user-generated content (UGC) – something 79% of shoppers test has a strong influence on. their purchasing decisions, possibly because it is less biased than branded content. They will see someone like them, love the product.

Encourage existing customers to share photos, videos, and testimonials of their use of your product. Regularly check your brand name or hashtags to see social media posts people have shared without prompting.

The goal is to build a high-quality UGC library that will convince social media followers to be ready to buy, like this example from Andie Swim. His previous client created a TikTok video that Andie Swim reposted on Instagram.

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Continuing on the topic of social media, video marketing reigns supreme on multiple platforms. Take a look at the success of TikTok. Its one-minute videos have become so popular that Instagram, traditionally a photo-sharing app, has launched its own version – Reels – on the back end.

Dope Dogi is a small business using this free marketing idea. Its founder, Erin Mastopietro, said: “We held live sessions on Instagram with experts in our field in which the audience could ask questions as well as conduct a talk. no big deal.

“As a result, we connected with an expert audience and provided value to our followers.”

Best Advertising Methods For Small Businesses

Social media is driven by trends. Think about it: TikTok is credited with making songs go viral; Artists watch record streams as a dance trend emerges. They all posted videos of them dancing to the same song.

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How do you spot trending topics before your small business social media content gets mixed up with other trendsetters? Reveal them to the crowd:

For example, Parttake Foods posted this tweet that copied Spotify Unwrapped — an annual recap of the music platform’s music that users listened to throughout the year. Just in this case, Parttake Foods has moved the most listened music to premium products:

Here’s a great marketing idea if you’re working on a zero budget: partner with other small businesses whose target market overlaps with yours (assuming the product you’re selling doesn’t compete). with their products).

Let’s say you have an online store that sells handmade tableware. Connect with another small business owner who has sold craft and build pitchers to their audience and run a joint marketing campaign such as:

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The beauty of affiliate marketing is not only that you’re supporting small business owners, but you can also connect with your existing audience for free, unlike influencer marketing—many of whom count for free. sponsored posts publication fee.

Shoppers have different thoughts in mind when they visit a new e-commerce store. Up front are questions like: How do I know that this is the right product for me?

Worry about comparing new products with unpredictable recommendations. These do not require product development time. Just pass the “you’ve seen this so you might be interested” categories to get people’s attention.

Best Advertising Methods For Small Businesses

Kayleigh adds that with smart upsell content, new businesses can “upsell and cross-sell in a more interesting way”.

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Existing customers are your best friends. These are the people who took a look at your existing digital marketing strategy and bought it. Use them as a starting point when developing new marketing ideas.

Using apps like Post-Purchase NPS Surveys, you can send a customer feedback survey to anyone who makes a purchase through your online store. Ask them what they like about your product, how they discovered you, and what made them buy.

For example, the free plan has the customer review role highlighted on its product pages. Anyone considering whether or not to trust a seller will feel immediately at ease, which will definitely improve an ecommerce site’s conversion rate:

Being voted the “best” product in your industry is a surefire way to build credibility and gain attention. Stephen Light, CMO and co-owner of Nolah Mattress, explains that “awards give businesses a solid authority, which is one of the keys to successful marketing; you want your audience to know that you offer the best of the best.

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“No matter where you are, there are countless awards and recognitions that you can find with just a little digging.”

Whichever award you enter and win, Stephen says: “It’s a cost-effective boost to credibility and publicity that can make a big difference with very little investment. . By displaying them proudly on your site, you can drive conversions.”

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that all your marketing tactics have to be online. It is true that building an online presence is essential. But get away from your computer and meet potential customers on the spot by attending local offline events, such as:

Best Advertising Methods For Small Businesses

Check with your local council, many of which have a list of events to support small businesses in the area. Sites like MeetupandEventbrite also aggregate business events in your local city.

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Can’t find any? Organize your own. Find a free event space (such as a public library), bring your inventory, and hand out flyers to build brand awareness. Just remember to use the free business card maker to design your business card and take it with you. Anyone interested in your product but not ready to buy can have the information to visit your website later.

Do you have a lot of slow moving products? Sell ​​them as part of a mystery box—something Kaleigh Moore did for her jewelry store: “Fill the store with slow-selling items and advertise them as a surprise at a low price. reasonable.”

Zac’s Sweet Shop is another e-commerce retailer that offers mystery boxes. Shoppers not only have the opportunity to try out a wide range of products at low prices, but the brand also has a way of shipping food products that are about to expire or are about to expire in each mysterious box.

Sometimes the most effective online marketing ideas are the simplest. They just took longer to materialize. But lay the groundwork early and you’ll be prepared for success later on.

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This is especially true for search engine optimization (SEO), the process of optimizing your online store. You’ll appear in search results when people are actively looking for information or entertainment, or when they’re solving a problem.

Combine SEO with a content marketing strategy to help your small business grow. Write a blog post targeting low-traffic keywords with a direct link to your product. Go for those with minimal competition to achieve success.

“The secret is to come up with great content. And publishing great content means a lot of different things, but to me it means publishing content that resonates with your audience that people actually want to read and understand how to monetize it. .” Trevor Crotts, Founder of BuddyRest 12. Themed Gift Card Sale

Best Advertising Methods For Small Businesses

Gift cards improve cash flow. You get money up front with no immediate manufacturing or shipping costs for the product to the customer.

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For example, Starbucks sells gift cards year-round. However, the retailer still has a base and creates custom gift card designs based on trends. Taylor Swift’s new lyrics are out