If you are running a small business with a limited budget, you might think that conveying the message about what you are selling is an uphill task. Nothing could be further from the truth. Here are some proven tips for marketing your small business that will help you to get the word out and ensure that you grow your customer base in a cost-effective manner.

Create a good elevator pitch

Marketing your business should be continuous, regardless of where you are. You therefore need to create a persuasive elevator speech. This is a concise marketing message that aims at grabbing the attention of a potential client in less than 30 seconds. This is enough time to sell your service or product or get a follow-up request. Your elevator pitch needs to be short since the human mind has a very short attention span. Crafting a great elevator pitch will reap huge dividends when it comes to generating new business opportunities.

Optimize your site for SEO (Search engine optimization)

SEO helps to increase the ranking of your website or webpage for unpaid (organic) search engines. It allows your business to rank better for search terms that online users are searching for without paying for ads. When you ensure that the content on your website is optimized for search engines, this drives traffic to your site and enhances awareness about your product. This gives you a head start as you fight for new clients with your competitors.

Get into social media marketing

This is the age of social media marketing, and your business cannot afford to miss out. Using social platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest is a cost-effective method of marketing your business online. For example, Facebook has in excess of 1.4 billion users globally. The platform allows you to make customized ads targeting a particular audience using demographics like user interests, age and location. You can control the cost of your Facebook marketing campaign by setting a maximum marketing budget for the ads. When the limit is reached, Facebook stops the campaign.

Social media marketing proffers many benefits to your small business. If used effectively, it can enable you to access customers that are not in your geographic area. It will also help to enhance the credibility of your business. In addition,using social media platforms for marketing helps your business to rank higher when it comes to organic search engine results.

Use giveaways

Product giveaways are effective ways of generating interest in your product and getting new customers. For example you can set up a stand at a local show in your area where you freely give out a few of your products.

Network continuously

Getting out there and shaking some hands is one of the best ways of marketing your small business. For networking to be effective, you need to invest some time on it, and it may not provide instant results. But it is one of the most important assets for a business owner in the long-term.

Register for business awards

Another way to get valuable exposure for your business affordably is applying for business awards. This is an excellent way of validating your brand and enhancing the credibility of your small business. You can apply for awards in your local area or even national awards. Applying for awards puts you on the business map and creates awareness about your brand among people who you would otherwise not have reached through conventional marketing methods.

Start a blog

Creating a blog is another cost-effective way of engaging with existing and potential clients. It creates the impression of being an authority in your industry, which enhances the credibility of your brand. However, it is important to keep your blog constantly refreshed with relevant content so as to sustain the interest of the readers. You can boost the number of followers of your blog by commenting on other blogs and leaving a link to your blog on the comment.

Enclose mail-outs

Design a professional-looking flyer or brochure and make sure that you enclose it together with all of your outgoing mail. This means you will not spend extra money on postage and potential clients will also be able to refer to it in future when the need arises.

Do not shy away from asking for customer referrals

It can be extremely beneficial for your business when you ask for business referrals from your customers. Referrals help you to approach new customers more easily. Therefore when you do not ask for them, you miss valuable opportunities to market for new clients.