If you’re running a small business, then you may have a reduced amount of money to use for marketing. A limited marketing budget doesn’t mean limited marketing potential.

Here are some cost-effective, untapped marketing tactics that may help you build brand awareness and create more leads.

In marketing, standing out is good. So once you have your website, social media and emails nailed try these ideas to get the most out of your marketing efforts:

1. Create Short-Form Blog Posts

Short- form blog posts are like news snippets that can be pushed out regularly. They are quick and easy to write when compared with standard blog posts and you can also use them as social media posts. You want to keep these short and sweet, so you can stay in the mind of your audience.

2. Snag Some Press Mentions

Write press releases around company updates, events, and product/service launches. Then send them out to local media contacts for a possible mention.

There are ways to get free press for your small business, so put a process in place and offer an exchange. Opportunities will begin to roll in.

3. Share Guest Content

Reach out to brands and publications that are relevant to your audience for guest posting opportunities. Some accept submissions and have guidelines outlined on their site, while others will require some back-and-forth first. In either case, guest posting is an excellent way to tap into a new audience pool and share both your expertise, and get a link or two back to your site.

4. Apply for Awards

You’re doing great work, so why not be recognized for it? There are many small business awards, including several that are free or low-cost to enter. If you win, you’ll get industry recognition — and, depending on the organization, a potential prize as well.

Awards are a great way to show your audience that you have authority in the space and that industry peers recognize your accomplishments. Make sure you add any badges to your site so visitors can immediately see them.

5. Engage in Social Groups

If your social media presence revolves mostly around letting your audience come to you, then you’re missing out on an opportunity to engage with them on a more personal level. Join local and interest-related groups on Facebook and LinkedIn to connect with additional prospects, lend your voice to the conversation, and share your content. Learn more about using Facebook to generate leads, clients and sales here.

Make sure you search for groups related to your industry and focus. It needs to make sense for you to be joining these groups, and that’s the best way to reach an audience that could actually use your product or services.

6. Create a Google My Business Account

If you haven’t done this already, now is the time. Having a Google My Business profile — and updating it as needed — will help your business appear higher in local search results, including searches through Google Maps.

The more online real estate your business can take up, the better. It puts you in front of more people and adds another level of credibility to your brand.

7. Recycle Old Content

Creating new content all of the time can be costly and time-consuming. Scale back by investing some of that time into recycling and repurposing old content instead. Update and add to old blog posts. Then turn those posts into additional materials like images, infographics, and even video content that you can then share widely through other channels.

8. Host a Giveaway

People love free stuff, and it doesn’t have to be an all-expenses-paid trip to the Bahamas in order to get their attention. Consider running a giveaway around a free consulting session or a couple of free products — which won’t cost you much but could end up with a huge engagement and lead generation boost.

9. Engage with Other Businesses on Social

Social media isn’t only good for communicating with prospects. If a relevant (but non-competing) business has a big update or posts an interesting article, start a conversation about it and tag them. If they write back, you’ve got a mention and opened the door to a potential co-branding opportunity.

It’s also smart to reshare content from other brands or create content that mentions brands so you can easily tag them on social when sharing it out. Plus, it can lead to more re-shares, follows likes, and comments.

10. Start a Referral Program

Customers who are referred by a friend are four times more likely to make a purchase. To encourage those all-important referrals, start a program that incentivizes your customers to share their positive experiences.

Going above and beyond the competition with your marketing strategy doesn’t have to cost you a ton of money. The ideas above are all about acquiring more benefits from the tactics you’re already engaged in,  or, in many cases, simply trying out free marketing methods that you might not have thought of doing before. Start by choosing a few of these ideas and track performance to see what’s working.

For more information or assistance in marketing for your small business, contact us. We have years of experience and are here to help! Click here to book a complimentary 30 minute discovery call.