If you have a  full-fledged business, you need marketing at all costs. It doesn’t matter whether you are a start-up, a small-time business person, or an entrepreneur with a huge firm, business demands promotion, and that too at a large extent. Each business person has to apply some strategies in this field. But the amount you invest in the same is totally subjective!

Not all entrepreneurs can afford a lavish sum into advertisements and superior promotions. Some even have to struggle with the charges for a basic article on a print medium or online portal. Or some of the brands are yet to understand the importance of marketing and just don’t spend much on it because they don’t think it’s anything worthy at all. But, most of us know marketing makes business run and that too in leaps and bounds!

Some Affordable Marketing Strategies That Can Be Really Effective!

If you think you can’t or don’t want to invest much in promoting your business, here are some affordable ways which are best to influence your customers and are also very light on your pocket.

• Promotional Products— It is one of the cost effective marketing schemes that makes both of you (the consumer and the businessman) happy. It requires ordering some good products in bulk (mostly the ones that can be used everyday), get it personalised and distributed amongst the people. This leads to the consumers being glad of the gift. As they use the product commonly, it also leads to creating more brand awareness and remembrance for a longer period of time; and as you order it in bulk, it doesn’t cost much to you as well. For example, you can create custom travel mugs by Levella Promotions. They will offer you the best quality variants from their collections and also customise it beautifully that is sure to attract your consumers. This mug then leads to striking a chord each time the user sees your logo somewhere and know which brand it belongs to in an instant.
• Social Media Marketing — This is one marketing that doesn’t cost you anything at all. It’s a no investment yet large returns promotional strategy (unless you employ Social Media strategists). You just need to create your pages and accounts with your business’ details (everything you offer, your location, contact details etc.) across various Social Media platforms. Then comes the main task— you need to stay active and keep posting captivating pictures of your products or services there. This marketing works largely on the basis of interaction and engagement, and leads to maximum brand reach as the whole world is addicted to social media today. Regular posting on your social media channels can bring about a huge brand awareness and hence more recommendations for your business.
• Referral Program — It is a wise kind of promotion that has a slow (yet steady) reach, but needs nothing as an investment from your side. You can have your followers or your customers create an account on your site, or shop from your place and get a personal referral code. This code, when gets shared, and the other person shops from the site too, the person referring the brand gets some brownie points or value in their accounts. These points hardly cost you anything, and the discount that’s offered here is extremely nominal. But it does the trick! Some customers grab the opportunity to get a discount on their shopping and use this system; and they get some rewards for just spreading a good word of mouth about your brand. Both of these, ultimately benefit you and your business.
• Barter Marketing — A barter marketing doesn’t need you to invest in cash or payments, but requires you to send off some of your own products that you need to promote to certain influencers or bloggers in exchange of the promotions they’ll do for you. These influencers mostly have an excellent reach on their channels, and their followers are then inspired by their reviews and follow your business, and thus increase your brand’s goodwill, fame and sales.
• Supportive Marketing — This is a type of marketing wherein you take support of some other business person’s marketing event of party, and portray your brand there. It’s mostly in the form of pamphlets or by building a small stall in that event which lets you advertise your brand in that particular place. You can even distribute your promotional products here. This type of strategy doesn’t require you to shed a lot of money, as it’s already been sponsored by someone’ else. You are just paying for your stall there (which is really minimal) or just for the pamphlets and freebies. Marathons, fun and fair, exhibitions are some of the places where supportive marketing gives lots of start-ups and small-time business-people a good chance to publicise their products largely.

These strategies don’t tax you much time, effort and money; but have got an amazing power to portray your brand widely and increase your brand awareness!