Hello wonderful entrepreneurs!
I'm sure by now, you know that if you don't have a marketing plan in place, your business will suffer. If you haven't figured this out yet, you need to take notes!
Consistent revenue coming in to your business is what keeps you afloat! It's what breathes life into your business and keeps you profitable. Now, you can't make consistent revenue if you don't have any customers! So this is where marketing comes into play.
Surely you've seen all kinds of paid ways to get marketing done for your business. You can hire a marketing firm, get "done for you" marketing, hire a social media manager and even pay for ads. But if you're not at the point where you're bringing in consistent revenue yet, I'm going to give you my top 5 ways to market your business, on a BUDGET.
You can use these simple strategies NOW to start building your client base and brand awareness. Then, later on when you're making BANK you can obviously spend some money and take your marketing to another level.
You can thank me later. *wink* Let's dive in:
1. START BUILDING YOUR LIST!
Listen, NOT list building is the biggest mistake I made with my first 2 businesses. List building is one of the BEST ways you can start building your customer base and building brand awareness. And guess what? You can get started for FREE! Grab a subscription over at Mailchimp for free (up to 2K subscribers). Now, you can't just have people sign up and not give them anything in return. You'll need to give them a GREAT reason to sign up (which we'll talk about in #2) and you'll also need to nurture your list. Send emails once or twice a week with VALUE. Always lead with value. Make it worth it for them to stay and interact with you!
Email has an ability many channels don't; creating valuable, personal touches - at scale.
2. CREATE A KILLER LEAD MAGNET
Now, obviously the aim isn't to actually kill anyone. Just to be clear... But you really want to have an amazing lead magnet. Now, if you're not familiar with the term "lead magnet", let me explain. A lead magnet is a FREE piece of VALUABLE content that you give away in exchange for email addresses. Think of it as an incentive for people to sign up for your email list. That's why creating an amazing lead magnet is SO important. No one is going to want to sign up for a lead magnet that sucks. Sorry, but it's true. So be sure to create a lead magnet that solves a problem your ideal client has. This way, they can't help but sign up for your list!
(If you need additional insight on creating a killer lead magnet, click here to grab my free audio training all about creating savvy lead magnets. Did I mention it's FREE?! So GO!)
3. USE THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Want to get known and get clients? Then you need to put yourself out there! Social Media Marketing is a service that you can pay for BUT it's also something you can easily do yourself! Start a Facebook business page, a Twitter Account and Pinterest Account, they're all FREE. Now, I primarily use Facebook (because that's one of the places my Ideal Client hangs out most) but you have to go where YOUR ideal client is.
Talking about Facebook, while there are some arguments about business pages, due to Facebook's new algorithms and such, at the end of the day you NEED a page if you ever plan to run Facebook Ads. Plus, your clients will be checking you out online! So go ahead and get those pages set up! Post 2-3 times a day (or more) and start gaining followers. Interact with them. Intrigue them! Make sure you have links to your website, lead magnet and an easy way for clients to contact you easily accessible on your page.
4. GAIN EXPERT STATUS
Another great way to get your name out there and market your business? By positioning yourself as an expert in your field! Join Facebook or LinkedIn groups where your ideal client hangs out and provide MAJOR value. Answer questions, get super active and make connections. Do this consistently and soon you'll have clients knocking your doors down! Plus, you can also share that kickin' lead magnet you created in groups as well!
5. GUEST POST ON A BLOG
Have you ever wondered why so many people submit articles to Huff Po, knowing they won't get paid?! Free marketing and visibility! Writing a guest post for a blog or online magazine are great ways to get free marketing. Make sure you submit a stellar piece of work and have links back to your site (if allowed). This will enable you to drive traffic back to your business and increase your following and brand awareness. It's also another way to add to your "expert status"! People get to see that you know what you're talking about AND another business trusted you enough to publish your work! Win-win. (Thanks HuffPo!)
Well, ladies and gents, there you have it. My 5 absolutely fabulous ways to market your business, on a BUDGET! Try one, try them. It's up to you but just START. Don't let a lack of funds stop you from getting your service or product out there. You were destined for greatness, you just have to get there. One step at a time, right?
"A river cuts through rock, not because of its power, but because of its persistence."
Jim Watkins
Which method of marketing will you be using this week? Write a comment below and let me know.
Stay Savvy!
Chanel, The Savvy Business Belle, is a Business Success Strategist and Clarity Coach. She coaches FIERCE, freedom driven entrepreneurs who crave success in business AND in life.
Through masterful coaching and strategy sessions, she helps entrepreneurs whip their businesses into money making powerhouses, in TOTAL alignment with their unique passions. Chanel's mission is to empower, ignite and influence entrepreneurs to achieve their OWN version of success and TRUE freedom!
And when she's not off creating marketing plans and diving into businesses, you can find her chasing after her toddler, or indulging in really good gelato and the occasional Netflix binge.
Meet Chanel and get ready to change your business AND your mindset forever at www.savvybusinessbelle.com