7 strategies to market your business with ZERO budget

When it comes to marketing your brand, it requires extraordinary resources and a huge budget. As you know, big businesses have the resources and they surely spend it but ‘carefully’ to run marketing campaigns across conventional and digital platforms.

Unlike them, you know you’ve got to be wise with spending on marketing lest your core operations may feel the heat of cashlessness. Yet, you cannot divorce your brand from marketing and promotion!

In this case, it becomes imperative to look for unconventional creative Cheats to get the attention and sales you need and still bypass the humongous costs required should you adopt the conventional approach to your small business marketing.

Here in this article, I will show you 7 strategies you can use for zero budget marketing which can translate into wider brand awareness and more sales.

1. Create Google My Business Profile 

Report shows that 76% of people who search for a nearby business on their smartphones visit them within a day’s time… While 28% of those searches result in sales.

Here is the gist, if you want people in your local community to find you easily and patronize your product or services, you need to set up a GMB profile. It’s a free, profitable and effective SEO strategy that can help your local search result for your product, brand or service on Google search.

It’s a free and easy-to-use tool for businesses and organizations in managing their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. While it is advisable to have a website to direct your traffic, you can still set it up while working on your website.

GMB allows businesses to update their relevant profile details and contacts which allows your ideal customers and prospects to easily find and contact you.

From the example below, at the top are search results of schools in Ikeja Lagos that have a well established GMB profile with optimized profile with the right keywords, higher customer reviews and ratings.

2. Join Relevant Forum 

If your business has not found its reason to join relevant forums like Nairaland, Quora, Reddit and more, then you’re missing a free marketing strategy to understand your targeted audience pain point, engage with them and meet their challenges.

People like to share their challenges in an environment where they can get support, advice and solutions, one place that comes to their mind is a popular forum like this. Therefore, it’s necessary to be actively available to serve them a good solution and they will surely appreciate you for doing that.

Here is a tip on taking advantage of zero marketing strategy via forum – Look for a forum your target customers can be found as well as that which fits into your  brand offer, create relevant contents that meets their needs and challenges, and engage with them to earn authority and brand loyalty

3. Content Marketing 

content is king, you must have heard this cliché a thousand times. But strategic content marketing is superb. The value of content cannot be underestimated in the marketing space. Your customers need content to keep them active online. This can either find it via social media, search engine, direct marketing or any other form.

Developing contents such as blog posts, videos, Infographics and more as well as distributing it to meet your target audience needs will surely boost your brand value and reach. The more valuable content you create, the more relevant you are and the higher your SEO ranking.

4. Social Community & Group 

Just a few months ago, I had a 6-figure email copywriting deal from clients in a Facebook Group. Yes, deals are carried out in the right social communities and groups without you spending a dime in marketing.

Findings show that online communities can help organizations improve engagement by up to 21%, while 88% of branded communities said that the community has helped improve customer experience.

Needless to emphasize that Social groups or communities are powerful ways your brand can utilize in creating awareness and engaging with prospects, generating leads and selling your products or services. In fact, this community helps you connect with your prospective customers, nurturing them to become customers.

Get involved in social groups and communities on platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp groups and others.

5. Video Marketing 

Content is moving away from images to video. Instagram CEO, Adam Mosseri, stated that Instagram is no longer a photo sharing app a few days back, an indication that video is gaining momentum. Unarguably, video is a critical tool you can use to opt your marketing strategy because its power to gain attention and concentration in no time.

In fact, the  pandemic has impacted the way many audiences consume video as well as the creators creating video contents for consumption during and after lockdown.  While video is generally seen as a more necessary tool by both marketers and consumers, it’s budget has reduced dramatically due to some tools and resources that help to fashion shorts videos with easier to use editing tools.

Seeing that most platforms give special algorithm preference to video makes it a more productive and resourceful means of marketing for small business owners with less budget which can boost your brand online, including your ranking for SEO when optimized well.

Making shorts videos, going Live and organizing webinars for audience should be part of your zero marketing strategy on various platforms including Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Zoom among others.

6. Collaboration and Partnership 

Striking a collaboration with other businesses can also help you to save costs in marketing your brand. Collaboration comes in different forms such as guest posting, featured articles, content collaboration, influencer marketing or even organizing webinars together for the benefits of both target audiences.

The power of collaboration lies to the fact that the parties involved are working for mutual benefits, which in most cases, help both of you to reach a larger audience.

As well, strategic partnership can also be one way to for zero budget marketing which may come probably as commission based for others to promote your business and get their percentage. The advantage of this is that you get others increasing your brand awareness and probably make some sales on their network.

JDP Global Food utilizes the platform, freestuffsng.com to develop content on Akara Chips as the keyword phrase. Within a few months, the content got JDP brand to the top ranking on Google SERP with the search phrase “Akara Chips” as well, helping freestuffs NG to rank higher for the same keyword phrase.

7. Volunteering 

You can’t underestimate the power of volunteering and community service, it goes a long way in advancing your business marketing to the heart of your prospects and customers.

When your brand strengthens its product or service with a philanthropic reason or social venture that directly benefits the society or community, you have brought your business closer to your target market and probably to influencers.

Develop a volunteering network and service around your business that helps others to key in for the benefit of the community. If you’re starting small, join volunteering services such as fund raising, community service, awareness campaigns and many more to share your impact, ideas and resources with those who are more in need of it.

Conclusion

While the strategies given can help you boost your marketing goals and objectives, it’s necessary to have a mix of zero budget marketing with the budgeted one to optimize your marketing performance. This will create a triple effect on your brand credibility, reach and sales instead of just focusing on one.

Over to you, comment your opinion, question or other zero budget marketing cheats you think it’s necessary to use.