Marketing – mention it to any small business and they’ll immediately think two things – effort and money. But at its core, marketing is really just about building relationships with your potential and existing clients. So, with that in mind, how can you effectively market on a tight budget?

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Focus on providing great content

It goes without saying really, all of your content should be great. But that doesn’t just mean looking good and being grammatically correct – it also means providing content that your clients need and want. Give them what they’re interested in and they’ll digest it and share it with a wider audience.

Make use of the social media platforms

With easy and free access to the social media platforms, you need to make full use of their unique capabilities. You have easy access to targeted groups of your ideal audience – whether that’s through joining groups they’re interested in or creating your own group or page, to provide them with that space.

Images and infographics

Look on social media and you can’t fail to notice – people love to share images, quotes and infographics. Why? Because they’re great-looking and it’s easy to share them! So take full advantage of this and create your own – just remember to add your website details on each of them!

Host a contest or hold an online event

Offer a free prize to be won or access to an exclusive free event and you’ve got a winner. Not only will you have people joining, you’ll also have a higher chance of them sharing the event – especially if you make it super-easy for them and include sharable links and pre-written tweets etc.

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Apply for business awards

No matter what type of industry you’re in, there’s bound to be a business award that you can apply for – and if there isn’t, create one! Business awards not only help boost your profile and status, they also give you a perfect PR opportunity too. There’s also the added advantage of award ceremonies (giving you networking opportunities and further free advertising) but also logos to put on your website (to help you stand out in your field).

Build relationships with businesses and clients

No matter what budget marketing you decide to opt for, the bottom line should always be to build relationships. That can be with your existing and potential clients, potential joint venture and affiliate partners or even the local media itself. But this all comes back to providing whoever you meet, with information that’s relevant – and needed – by them.

What budget marketing techniques do you use in your business? Do you have any tips and advice over what works well for you? Why not share the love and support, by sharing your advice in the comments box below.