Marketing is the bread and butter for business growth. Or, if you like your toast a little bit fancier, the avocado! However, coming up with marketing ideas for your business can be a little challenging. Particularly if it’s not your area of specialty. To help get you started, we’ve pulled together 51 achievable and affordable marketing ideas you can use to help grow your business.
Let us know which ones you liked best and what worked for you, over on our Facebook page.
1 | Conduct a focus group of your target audience. Use their feedback to determine what strategies would attract them to your products and services.
2 | Review your brand. Is it the right look and feel for your ideal customers? If not, can you make changes to
your messaging or branding to better attract customers to your products and services?
3 | Create a logo that identifies your brand.
4 | Determine your USP (unique selling proposition). Make sure you say it loud and proud through your marketing messaging.
5 | Write your elevator pitch and practice it regularly to make selling your business natural. Focus on the benefits you bring, rather than what your business does.
6 | Include a clear call to action in all marketing efforts.
7 | Write a marketing plan, even if it just outlines your key actions over the next year.
8 | Make time for marketing every week or outsource your marketing if you keep pushing it to the bottom of your list.
9 | Check out the competition and come up with ways to do things better or differently.
10 | Create a giveaway by offering a discounted service or product. Or provide a free resource in return for your customer’s email address.
11 | Make the most of seasonal events to support your business’ messaging and campaigns.
12 | Build a website that is user-friendly, mobile optimised and delivers your key messages quickly. Click here to find out why a website is important for your business.
13 | Add a blog to your website and post an article regularly. Click here to learn more about writing a blog.
14 | Think about SEO on your new website by adding titles and descriptions to your pages. Click here to learn more about SEO.
15 | Add a lead capture to your site. This involves providing something for free or at a low cost in return for your customer’s email address.
16 | Have a strong call to action on your website and put your contact details front and centre.
17 | Add shop and payment features to your website if you can sell your products or services online.
18 | Update your shopfront signage. Make sure it reflects your new brand and provides important details about your business and/or core products.
19 | Print creative and branded business cards for your business and/or team.
20 | Get some business stationary with your branding on it, such as letterheads, presentation folders, etc.
21 | Update your packaging. Presenting your services and products in a professional and ‘sexy’ way will help you attract your ideal customers.
23 | Add a call to action to your team’s email signature.
24 | Design a brochure that you can give to potential customers at events, meetings or in your office or shop.
25 | Create a digital version of your brochure so people can also access it from your website.
26 | Get social by setting up accounts on the social media sites your ideal customer would use daily.
27 | Check your contact details are correct online. This could include your website, Google Business and any other physical or digital channel that lists your business.
28 | Create videos that provide solutions to your customer’s FAQs. Upload them to your website and YouTube. Click here to learn how to create your first video.
29 | Capture video and imagery at events and during business activities to feature on your social media. Click here to learn how to use stories on social media.
30 | Pay to advertise on social media to make the most of engaging content or reach your audience in a targeted way. Click here to avoid five costly mistakes many businesses make on Facebook ads.
31 | Add your services or products to your Facebook and/or Instagram profile.
32 | Hold a competition through social media to build up your community. Better yet, run your competition in partnership with another business/influencer with a strong social following.
33 | Ask for reviews on Google Business.
34 | Sponsor a local community or charity event.
35 | Donate a prize to a local fundraiser.
36 | Partner with another business on a product, service offering or to deliver an event.
37 | Attend networking events relevant to your industry and target audience.
38 | Offer to speak at a local event.
39 | Host your own networking event or business workshop.
40 | Join a BNI or other regular business networking group.
41 | Run a webinar.
42 | Build your email database and conduct an audit on your current database.
43 | Choose the right database system for your business (click here to find out more).
44 | Implement an effective inbound marketing campaign to bring your customers to you. Click here to read more about bringing your customers to you, rather than chasing them through inbound marketing.
45 | Send an email with your latest offering or business news. Is it email marketing worth it? Click here to find out.
46 | Create a monthly newsletter.
47 | Advertise in local media if those channels are relevant to your audience.
48 | Reach out to local media with newsworthy stories about your business. Click here to learn how to pitch a press release.
49 | Offer to be a spokesperson on relevant issues for reporters.
50 | Consider vehicle branding.
51 | Use affiliates to promote your products or services if their community is right for your business.
Marketing your business might take a bit of time, but it is one of the best investments you can make to help your business grow. In fact, it’s the number one way to increase your business’ revenue.
If managing your marketing plus completing your day-to-day work is getting too much, consider outsourcing to a marketing team that can do it for you!
