How Small Businesses Can Improve Marketing and Advertising Outreach on a Shoestring Budget
With the inflation rate accelerating to a 40-year high, businesses are finding less wiggle room to expend on marketing and advertising strategies. Fortunately, even with widespread rising costs, there are resourceful methods for businesses to grow and improve their digital footprint. Read on for ways to increase your online presence on a shoestring budget.
Hire Freelancers
Hiring freelance workers or independent contractors rather than employees will save money. You can hire on a per-project basis, with a set fee or hourly payment arrangement. For example, if you need a copywriter or web designer for a specific project but don’t foresee enough ongoing work for a permanent position, hiring on a short-term basis may be the way to go. Hiring contractors also allows you to save on fixed costs like benefits and office space. Additionally, depending on your circumstances and what the tasks entail, you may not even need your contractor to be local. This opens up a potentially global pool of talent.
Forgo PPC Ads in Favor of SEO
When deciding on how best to invest your time and online marketing budget, consider making improvements to SEO (search engine optimization) rather than relying on PPC (pay-per-click) ads. PPC ads like Google Ads are paid online advertisements, in which you’re charged for each click-through to your website. On the other hand, SEO can help your website organically rank higher on search engines by making it more applicable to users at no cost to you. If your website turns up on page one for a targeted key word, you’ll gain click-through traffic for as long as it maintains that spot. In order to get to one of the top positions on a search engine, you need extensive SEO knowledge. If this is outside your wheelhouse, consider the above tip and hire a freelancer.
Network Online
The rise of online networking coupled with a significant shift to more people working from home over the past two years has led to less in-person connecting with other industry professionals. Embracing online networking can help you connect with possible customers and suppliers, identify talent and labor, and discover cost-effective marketing and advertising opportunities. The best part? Online networking is completely free.
Write Engaging Articles for Websites
If you want to expand your company’s digital footprint and spread awareness of your company without spending a penny, think about writing for well-known websites and blogs in your industry. Create articles with engaging, rich, and industry-specific information that readers can start applying right away. This approach provides an opportunity to establish your business as a leader in the industry and direct more traffic to your website, effectively garnering more customers.