Marketing is a jungle, everyone will happily take your well-earned money for services that might not even work for your brand or industry.
So as a small business owner or a marketing manager, how are you meant to know where to invest your time and money?
Don’t worry! We’re here to help!
In this post, we’ll explore creative marketing ideas to help you make the most out of your brand (and won’t break the bank).
Email newsletters are a great way to build trust and loyalty with your readers. They’re also a fantastic way to get in touch with your audience regularly, promoting new content, products and services.
Email newsletters are often personalized based on the reader’s interests (called segmentation). For example, you can send one email newsletter to a group of people who read your blog about writing fiction and another for those interested in health care technology.
Ten years ago sending out hundreds of emails to customers and prospects was a resource-intensive process, especially if you’re doing it on a daily or even monthly basis.
Today email marketing has become much more accessible and with a few hours of self-learning you can quickly set up some email marketing software, contact lists, email templates and everything else you’ll need to start marketing your brand directly in people’s inboxes.
We’ve tried out a whole range of email marketing services and our personal favourites are Send In Blue and Mailchimp. Both of which offer free options to get you started initially.
Learn about SEO and improve your website
Search engine-optimised websites are the most important element of any marketing strategy. If you aren’t getting found on search engines, then no one can find your website on results pages across Google, Bing etc
For this reason, it’s essential that you have at least a basic understanding of SEO and how to improve your website so that it can be found in search results.
With a well-optimised website, you can get more traffic to your site, increase sales and start growing your brand as an authoritative resource online.
Thankfully it’s relatively inexpensive to carry out SEO yourself, particularly with CMS like WordPress, Shopify, Wix etc
Offer some free value to your customers
Everyone loves free!!
You can’t afford to give away the world but offering some form of value to potential and existing customers is a great way to keep people engaged and keep your brand at the forefront of people’s minds.
What you can give away is very case-specific but we’ve got some free value marketing ideas that should be a fit for your business:
- Give away a free ebook, or a guide
- Give away a webinar
- Offer a free course
- Provide a free trial
- Invite people to a free 30-minute consultation
- Create and share checklists that are relevant to your industry or market. Checklists are easy to create, and they provide lots of value for people who use them in their everyday lives
- Invite potential customers to demo your product
Better yet your free value offering can work alongside your other marketing efforts. For example, you can promote your free trial to your email list or use your SEO efforts to start appearing for search terms like ‘free (insert offering)’.
Use some plantable promotional material
Plantable promotional material is a great way to get people’s attention, especially when they see it in their yard. There are different types of plantable promotional material including seed bombs, seed papers and seed sticks.
Because the environment is such an important issue for consumers right now, you can use environmentally-friendly materials in your marketing campaigns too!
Plantable promotional products have been around for some time now but they seem to be gaining popularity all over again. They are being used more frequently by companies and brands because they have many advantages over other types of promotional items like pens or t-shirts:
- They’re eco-friendly, and the main reason why companies choose these materials over others is that they want their customers to remember their brand positively.
- They’re cost-effective because these items generally cost no more than £1- £2 but leave a lasting impression.
- They’re made from 100% post-consumer waste
- They help out bees, insects and pollinators
Create a PR buzz around your brand
It can be difficult to build word-of-mouth buzz around your brand. But it’s essential for creating long-term relationships with your customers and bringing new clients in the door.
So what do you do? PR, that’s what.
PR (Public Relations) is defined as managing communication between an organisation and its stakeholders, primarily your customers.
Let’s look at how you can easily get some great PR yourself:
First, make sure you have a really good story to tell. You need a story that’s relevant and engaging, one that people will feel connected to and is considered ‘newsworthy’.
Create a simple press release. Hubspot’s guide on how to write a press release is packed full of helpful tips on how to organise and curate your press release and even includes a free template you can download.
Now you’re all set to start distributing your Press Release, but how?
Using services like HARO you can match your PR to journalists looking for news that’s actually related to what you sell and do and it’s completely free.
Using a PR agency
If all of the above makes you feel like you wish you were somewhere else then a PR agency could be a great option.
They’ll complete all of the research writing and distribution for you and they’ll have a large network of media outlets they can reach out to with relative ease.
Create images, case studies, statistics and infographics about your niche and industry
People love content!
Well to be more specific, people like certain kinds of content. By creating digital assets you can quickly build up an audience that was completely unaware of your products and services.
Here’s what you can do to get some new eyeballs on your brand:
- Create images. Images are an important part of telling your story and can also be used to create case studies and infographics. If you’re not a designer, consider hiring one who’s got some experience creating images for your industry and niche.
- Use case studies to show how you solved a problem for a customer. A well-written case study will tell the story of how one of your customers used your product or service and achieved the results they were hoping for (or better).
- Create infographics by summarizing information in visually appealing ways so people can see it quickly without having to read through long text blocks. The best way to do this is by leveraging data sets created from within your organization or even just general facts about trends within the marketplace at large.
- Data studies are a great way to get other websites to link to you and send through that web traffic we want. Writers like to reference studies and statistics, position yourself as the target and you’ll quickly become an authority in your industry.
If you’re not sure what the best content is for your specific situation look at what the other big players in your industry produce to drive engagement or better yet try to identify a gap where you can create something truly original.
Leverage networking
Networking is a powerful tool if you’re looking to get your name out there. It’s not about selling or pushing your business on people, but rather being genuine and building relationships with other professionals.
Networking also involves giving more than you take, so think of ways you can help others in the industry and show them how much they mean to you.
For example, if someone mentions that they have been struggling with their SEO strategy lately, offer to give them some pointers for free, ask for their contact information and fire over an email or jump on a Zoom call in the following days.
This is much like our free value tip above but this time you’re doing it for business owners and decision-makers. These relationships can grow and bring opportunities you never even dreamt of with just a little nurturing.
Start a blog
Blogging is a great way to share your expertise with the world, build your brand, get more clients and find your voice as a business owner. It can also help you build a community around your business that will give you valuable referrals and repeat customers.
But wait…there’s more! Blogging can really help with your SEO efforts and put you on the map when it comes to search engine rankings.
Search engines work by matching searches to relevant pages on websites.
For example: If someone searches for ‘blogging tools’ then they’ll be met with a range of pages that all mention and discuss the best tools for blogging.
You can quickly see that by creating more blog posts you’re going to be able to appear for more search results, driving more traffic, engagement and most importantly sales.
TikTok, YouTube Shorts & Instagram Reels
The thought of getting in front of a camera and putting yourself out there can be a daunting one.
But social media has moved past the days of images and copy getting engagement as people scroll through their feeds.
Video has well and truly become king and short format video in the form of reels, shorts and TikToks has become the standard.
There is no reason to feel intimidated by these platforms. They are simple and easy to use, and you can create them from the comfort of your own home.
How to get started
We’re going to walk you through everything you need to know—from setting up your camera and lighting to editing and uploading.
First things first: make sure your camera is on a tripod or stable surface. You don’t want shaky footage!
Next, turn on your camera’s light source and make sure it shines at an angle that will highlight your face. And don’t forget about audio—turn on any music or sound effects that you want to be included in your video (but don’t forget about the copyright laws!).
Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get started with editing. The first thing you’ll want to do is cut out any parts of the video where nothing happens or where there’s not enough movement or audio.
After that, you can add filters and sound effects if necessary. Then export it into a format that is compatible with YouTube or any of the video-sharing platforms (mp4) and upload it! Done!
Start or participate in a podcast
Podcasts are a great way to build an audience, and they can be used as a platform for your brand. If you’re looking for an effective way of reaching new customers or those who are interested in buying from your particular niche, podcasts are the perfect avenue.
They’re also a great way to build authority within your field and generate trust with current customers.
Podcasts have never been easier than they are today. With so many tools available, anyone can start their own show, even if they don’t consider themselves an expert or have any experience on the radio!
Don’t feel like starting your own podcast?
Outreach to podcasters that talk about your industry and see if you can get on their podcasts. It’s as easy as sending an email and can open you up to the host’s audience who may never have even heard of you before.
Marketing is hard, but these ideas should help get you started!
Marketing is hard. It’s not just about creating a good product and then hoping it sells itself. You have to think about how you can get people’s attention, what kind of message you want to convey and how you will reach your audience in order for them to buy or use your product or service.
If you’re a small business owner who doesn’t have much budget for advertising and marketing, hopefully, we’ve given you some great inspiration for some cost-effective marketing ideas.
Conclusion
If you’re looking to grow your business, there are plenty of ways to do it. You can use social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, create an email newsletter or even start a podcast. Don’t forget about things like infographics—they can be great tools for getting your message across!
Do you own a catering business or a prosecco van? Don’t miss our detailed guide on creative marketing ideas for a prosecco van.
If you still feel like you’re in the dark when it comes to marketing ideas for your brand then get in touch with the team here at ISCA Brands for no-nonsense advice on the best strategies to skyrocket your visibility today.
