Social media marketing is one of the ways businesses can expand their current customer bases.
Marketing is essential to achieve your sales goals in business. For small businesses, in particular, it can be a tough balancing act – marketing is not cheap and cash is at a premium when you are not a big corporation.
With the pandemic driving down the economy, things have only gotten even more precarious for small local enterprises. And since California is one of the states hit hardest by the virus in 2020-21, businesses in places like Santa Valley need all the help they can get.
Fortunately, there are many ways to solve the marketing conundrum and not all of them involve spending a pile of cash. Here are some nifty low-cost marketing ideas that are perfectly suited for Santa Valley businesses:
1. Customer Referrals
Do you have a highly satisfied and loyal customer base? If not, you need to work on that, stat! But in all seriousness, your customers are a potent marketing force. Consumers are always looking for feedback from other buyers before making a purchase decision.
So if your customer makes a referral to someone they know, like family or friends, they will be much more inclined to buy your product. Some folks will do this service voluntarily, especially if they love your product or service.
But in most instances, it is better to encourage this type of behavior among your clients. You can use incentive packages that don’t cost you a bomb – a small discount for a successful referral by a customer, or even a small cash bonus will do.
2. Free Samples
We have all seen it at malls – free perfumes, cheese, ice cream flavors, there is no limit to the possibilities. As long as there is a tangible product or service that can be given out in small portions, you can run a free samples campaign to attract new customers.
This type of marketing is incredibly popular among small local businesses because it does not cost too much to set up. And it is not just something you find in offline locations – even websites have adopted this model of marketing.
Take online casinos for instance – they provide free samples to visitors in the form of no deposit bonuses. These are free betting chips or spins on slots you get without paying a dime – all you need to do is pick a casino and register for free.
Visit NoDepositWorld to see how the online casino industry does it with great success. Raging Bull and Grande Vegas are two casinos popular among US players. One offers a free sample of $50 cash chip, while the other gives out 50 free spins on slots. And they reap the reward in the form of new users who become loyal and paying customers.
3. Email Marketing
Which online marketing strategy costs next to nothing and has one of the highest rates of success? The answer, as you may have gathered from the headline, is email marketing. Compared to other forms of digital marketing, it does not require any significant cash investment.
What you need to invest in, however, is the time and effort to create an organic list of curated emails. And by that, we mean emails of existing customers and future customers, gathered using ethical means (not purchased from third parties).
When you buy email addresses of potential customers in bulk from third parties, you run the risk of getting your emails labeled as spam. But when your targets know your brand – which is what happens when you get their email ids directly from them – there is a much higher chance of success.
There are many ways in which a local business can ask for email IDs of customers – online registration if you sell online, questionnaires and feedback forms, at the counter when checking out (you can use a loyalty program) – the possibilities are endless.
Use these organically harvested lists to send out periodic promo emails. Send information about discounts, offers, and other bonuses from time to time. You should start seeing an ROI in next to no time.
4. Social Media Marketing
These days, pretty much everyone is on some social media platform, be it Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. With minimal cash outlay, you can market your business effectively on these platforms. Just remember to have someone stay on top of your social media accounts daily.
This is important, as the internet is like a storefront that is open 24×7. If you maintain a presence on social media, you will get feedback, queries, and comments from your Santa Valley customers. Have an employee online to respond to them promptly and you will generate excellent reputation and customer engagement.
5. Charitable Causes
In these harsh times of the pandemic, it is more important than ever for local businesses to show their commitment to the community. Participating in charity drives, running donation campaigns for your local food bank – there are many ways in which you can give back to your community.
Before the virus, small businesses had even more options like sponsoring little league teams, or events at local fairs and whatnot. Now, with lockdowns and social distancing they may not be practical or safe, at least not until the virus is under control.
While donations are not strictly a marketing strategy, they can have a massive impact on your business reputation. The act of giving back will generate a lot of goodwill, especially if your business is in a small community.
