Marketing is an essential way to promote your brand and generate sales leads. But, in our experience, many generally smaller businesses struggle to commit precious funds to marketing activity. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to raise the profile of your business without breaking the bank. Here are our favourite cost-effective ideas:

1. Create a striking brand. Use design, colour and an engaging tone of voice to create a brand that’s modern, current and appealing.
2. Publish content on your website. Posting regular blogs and other content is a great way to keep your website up-to-date – and your target audience interested.
3. Post on social media. It’s free to create accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., but you must keep your profiles active by regularly sharing content and posting updates. Try to give people a sense of your brand identity and company personality through your posts.
4. Send regular, engaging emails. Email updates are a popular marketing tool. However, to stay on the right side of the law, make sure your mailing list is compliant with GDPR, which comes into force on 25th May 2018.
5. Mail attractive postcards. Branded postcards are surprisingly affordable to design and print, and will make a real impact on your contacts. (Want to see an example? Get in touch and we’ll send you an OCTOPUS postcard!)
6. Pick up the phone. Don’t hesitate to call your target prospects and ask about their business needs. And when it comes to existing clients, regularly touching base is a good way to deepen those relationships.
7. Network, network, network. Find free or low-cost local business groups where you can meet new people and expand your network.
8. Capitalise on your network. Ask your contacts to recommend your business to their own networks – and return the favour whenever you can.

These methods work, but they can take time to pay off. Sales experts Salesforce estimates it takes six to eight touches to generate a viable sales lead, so don’t give up [1]. Also be aware that, while all of these ideas are either free or cheap, they can be costly in terms of your time and effort. Outsourcing some or all of your marketing activity may prove more practical in the long run.

OCTOPUS delivers low-cost, effective marketing support, and we have lots of ideas on how to get the most out of your budget. Ask us to help you design and implement a budget-friendly marketing plan today.

[1] https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2015/04/takes-6-8-touches-generate-viable-sales-lead-heres-why-gp.html