It’s recommended that small businesses spend 7 to 8% of gross income on marketing.
If you’re a blogger, that’s your business. If you don’t have a marketing budget in place, you should.
No matter what dollar amount that ends up being for you, you have to spend it wisely. If not, you won’t end up recovering those costs in leads or sales.
We’ve gathered a list of budget advertising ideas that will help you make the most of every penny you have set aside for marketing. Keep reading to find out some of our favorite small business marketing ideas.
1. Social Media
We can’t say enough about the importance of social media marketing for bloggers and other small business owners.
Social media platforms are free to join which makes them extremely budget-friendly, plus there are large audiences there. For most bloggers, this is the best marketing strategy.
2. Reuse Content
There’s no reason a piece of content has to be laid to rest once you’ve hit “publish.” Here are a few ways you can breathe new life into an old piece of content to reach a wider audience:
- Republish with updated information
- Make it into an infographic
- Use it to make a video
- Pull quotes from it to use on social media
You’ll want to start with your most popular pieces of content to keep promoting them.
3. Have a Contest
A contest is one of the more expensive options on here, but it’s also one of the most effective. By giving something away, you can grow your email list or social media following.
The most important parts of having a contest are setting it up so you gain leads to follow up with and choosing to give something away that reflects your brand.
4. Sponsor a Post
Guest posting is one of the best ways for bloggers to reach more people in their target audience, but you can also sponsor posts.
Sponsored posts usually involve larger companies or blogs so you’re guaranteed a larger audience. This is more expensive than guest blogging on similar-sized blogs, but it can help you quickly grow your own following.
5. Host a Webinar
In every niche, there’s an opportunity to teach people something. Hosting a free webinar is a great way to show off your expertise in yours and get more subscribers.
You may want to team up with another blogger to do this so you can both work together. If you’re using the webinar to promote a specific product or service, offer a commission to the other person so they’re motivated to get their fans to join.
6. Order Custom Buttons
There are a few ways you can use custom buttons to build your online brand. One way is by wearing them to start conversations with people you meet on the street, but that can take a while to work.
Another option is to use these buttons as promotional items. If you go to events, hand them out to potential clients. Or, give them away to readers and let them become brand ambassadors for you.
You can get more info here about how custom buttons can grow your business.
7. Interview Industry Experts
If you feel like you’re running out of things to say, find an expert in your field and interview them. You can use this to create a new piece of content which your audience will appreciate.
Even better, get quotes from a number of industry experts to use in a blog post. Link to each of their websites and don’t forget to let them know when you’ve published the post.
Connecting with industry experts can help your business get some recognition and allow you to take it to the next level.
8. Make Videos
You don’t need expensive equipment to create videos. In fact, most smartphones have cameras that shoot high-quality video with excellent sound. So, you probably already have everything you need to start video marketing.
There are so many great things you can do with video that you simply can’t do with written or purely visual content. This is what makes it a great platform for teaching and sharing information.
It can also help you connect better with your audience as they’ll see your face and hear your voice as you talk right to them.
9. Get Featured on a Podcast
There are so many podcasts today that it should be easy to find one within your niche. Do a quick search and you’re sure to find at least a few. Once you’ve found them, do some research and figure out how you can get yourself featured on one.
At the bare minimum, you may be able to buy some advertising space on one of their shows or sponsor an episode. Your goal, however, should be to land a full interview so you can truly showcase yourself and your expertise.
Starting your own podcast is another way to build your audience. There are many people who prefer listening to reading, so podcasting can help you reach more people than content marketing alone.
Once you’ve built up your own podcasting audience, it’ll be even easier to get featured on other podcasts.
10. Use Promo Credits
At the end of the day, one of the best ways to grow your business is through paid marketing. You can do it on nearly every social media platform now, and most bloggers get great results from it.
But if you’re just getting started, it’s hard to shell out the cash for ads. Fortunately, there are a TON of promotional ad credits available. Look into getting some for the platform you want to advertise on and you can do so for free!
Want More Advertising Ideas?
Now you have 10 advertising ideas that will work with any budget. Before jumping into any of them, make sure it’s something that will also work with your brand and business goals.
Marketing is difficult for many start-ups, so don’t worry if you feel overwhelmed by this. Instead, check out our article on the common marketing challenges to learn how to overcome them!