When you have a low budget, you will probably be limited in the kinds of marketing tools and strategies you can use to advertise your website. Nevertheless, there are some really great routes you could go with this and manage it well. Here are perfect ways to advertise your website on a low budget.
Did You Know?
- Social Media Organic Reach: Organic reach on Facebook can be as low as 5.2%, emphasizing the need for strategic, engaging content.
- Email Marketing ROI: Email marketing offers an average return on investment (ROI) of $42 for every $1 spent.
- Cost-Per-Click (CPC) on Facebook: The average CPC on Facebook across all industries is about $1.72.
- Google Ads CPC: The average CPC in Google Ads across all industries is between $1 and $2 for the Search Network.
- Instagram Engagement Rates: Instagram boasts an average engagement rate of 1.22% across all industries, higher than other social platforms.
#1 Google My Business
Get your business listed on Google My Business (GMB) - It lets your business show up on Google Maps and in local search results. When someone searching for what you offer, your business will be popping up with its location, hours, and even reviews.
Setting up a GMB profile is pretty straightforward. You just need to provide your business details and verify your ownership. GMB is fantastic for local businesses because it directly connects you with customers searching for what you have to offer in your area. Plus, you can post updates, respond to reviews, and even add photos to make your business stand out.
#2 Press Releases
Think of press releases as your business's chance to hit the headlines. They're a great way to spread the word about big news from your company, like launching a new product, hosting an event, or anything else newsworthy.
The trick is to keep it interesting and to the point. You want to catch the eye of journalists and bloggers who can help share your story with a wider visitomers. Once your press release is ready, you can distribute it through online platforms, directly to local news outlets, or even through press release distribution services.
While some services charge a fee, there are also free options available. It's all about getting your business noticed and creating a buzz.
#3 Referral Program
Setting up a referral program can turn your existing customers into a mini-sales force. The idea is simple: give your customers a little something special for referring their friends to your business.
It could be a discount, a freebie, or whatever makes sense for your business. This approach works wonders because people trust recommendations from friends more than any ad. Plus, it's a win-win. Your customers get rewarded, and you get new business.
Make the referral process as easy as possible. Shareable links, simple codes, or even just a 'mention my name' system can do the trick.
Did You Know?
- LinkedIn Organic Reach: Posts on LinkedIn can reach about 20% of your followers, significantly higher than Facebook's organic reach.
- Content Marketing: Small businesses with blogs generate 126% more lead growth than those without.
- Video Marketing: Including a video on landing pages can increase conversion rates by more than 80%.
- Influencer Marketing: Micro-influencers (10,000 to 50,000 followers) can offer engagement rates of 2.5% to 5.7%, making them cost-effective for promotions.
- SEO: 70-80% of users ignore paid search results, focusing on organic listings.
#4 Quora and Reddit
Quora and Reddit are like goldmines for connecting with people who might be interested in what you're offering. Quora lets you answer questions related to your industry, establishing you as a go-to expert. Just find questions that fit your niche and provide helpful, detailed answers.
No sales pitch, just pure value. Reddit works a bit differently. It's all about joining conversations in relevant 'subreddits' (community forums). You can share insights, answer questions, and occasionally drop a link to your website when it adds value to the conversation.
Both platforms are about building credibility and gently guiding people to your website. Just remember, the community can tell if you're just there to promote, so focus on being helpful first.
#5 Webinars
You can use webinars to teach something valuable related to your business, showcase your products, or even bring in guest speakers to spice things up. People can ask questions, making it a two-way conversation.
Plus, once it's done, you can share the recording for anyone who missed it. It's a fantastic way to build your brand and connect with potential customers.
#6 Podcasts
Starting a podcast or getting featured on one can really get the word out about your business. It's like having a radio show where you talk about topics that matter to your listeners. You can share your expertise, interview interesting guests, and even answer questions from your audience.
The cool part is that people can listen whenever they want. Podcasts can help you reach a new audience who might not know about you yet. Plus, it gives your business a voice, quite literally, which can make your brand feel more personal and relatable.
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#7 Networking Events
Networking events are a chance to meet other people face-to-face or virtually who share your interests or work in your industry. You might meet potential customers, partners, or even friends who can offer valuable advice and support.
Be yourself and show genuine interest in the people you meet. Listen more than you talk, and think about how you can help others, not just what you can get out of it. Over time, these relationships can open up new opportunities for your business that you never expected.
Did You Know?
- Local SEO: 88% of consumers who do a local search on their smartphone visit or call a store within a day.
- Pinterest for eCommerce: Pinterest ads have a 2.3 times lower cost-per-conversion compared to other social media platforms.
- Twitter Ads: Promoted tweets have shown to lift sales by 29%.
- Google My Business: Listings on Google My Business can increase your chances of showing up in Google’s Local Pack, Maps, and organic rankings.
- Quora Ads: Quora’s ads platform can have lower CPCs compared to other platforms, with specific targeting options based on user questions and topics.
#8 Social Media Marketing
You probably know this already - social media is one of the cheapest and most effective types of digital marketing, and many brands are already using it in their online marketing campaigns.
Social media marketing has many subdivisions to it including influencer marketing social media ad campaigns. All of these can be used together for a greater effect. Here are some general concepts you need to understand before using social media marketing:
- Know Your Visitomers: You have to understand who your target visitomers is before starting to post your content on social media. First, you will need to determine the right platform for yourself. For example, if you rely on visuals a lot, Instagram or Pinterest will be more suitable for you than Facebook. Next, you will need to do some research on hashtags and the content found under these tags.
- Create Your Image: Social media is great for building a certain brand image and you need to use such an opportunity. The kind of content you create and the way you interact with your followers will determine the “personality” of your brand. For example, if you want to appear easy-going and friendly, you will need to create short funny videos.
#9 Make Your Content Multi-Lingual
You can expand to visitomers in other countries when you use content marketing as your primary way of advertising your business. Get your content translated into the languages spoken in the regions you want to target.
Try using an online translation service like The Word Point which has relatively low prices while giving you a high-quality result in the end. This way, you will be sure that the content of your website is absolutely accurate and doesn’t sound like gibberish (and gibberish is the issue of automatic translation that isn’t recommended at all).
#10 Host Giveaways
Another way to attract attention to your website and kickstart it is by hosting either a giveaway or a competition. You can do it either on your own or in a collaboration with another brand which will immediately benefit you as their popularity will give you some instant exposure.
You will need to make some simple rules for people to be able to participate and then announce the winners when the time comes. Some examples of giveaway requirements include following your brand on social media and commenting under a certain post.
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The best part about collaborative giveaways and contests is that both you and the other brand gets the opportunity to promote yourselves and your products or services. In addition to that, this will be the beginning of a great relationship with someone in your niche.
Social media and emails will help you quickly spread the word about it and make people share it with their friends giving you even more exposure. You also grow your social media follower base this way.
Castles in the Air, Not a Dime to Spare
Who doesn’t love the sound of launching a website? It echoes the unexplored, the hope of buzzing online chatter, maybe a little kerching of virtual cash registers. Yet soon after my website went live, I realized my virtual castle was like the proverbial tree in the forest with no one around. How to beckon the cyber crowds without burning holes in already moth-eaten pockets?
My Earnings
After the initial setup, my virtual castle was ghostly quiet, with earnings at a big, round zero. The period? A dismal first month post-launch.
The Social Media Bugle Call
I decided to turn to the grand old dames and dashing young bucks of social media. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram were not just for photo bombs and foodie posts, I discovered. With a dash of creativity, I turned my profiles into loudspeakers for my website.
On the down-low, the social media shindig is free. Creating posts that were as enticing as a mystery wrapped in an enigma, dipped in chocolate, I nudged curious clickers toward my website. A sprinkle of hashtags acted like the fairy dust, magically expanding my reach beyond my immediate circle of pals and well-wishers.
My Earnings
With my foray into the social media circus, the second and third months saw a small trickle. Humble brag, but I raked in about $200 over these two months. It was the kind of money that wouldn’t buy a castle but maybe a small tent near the moat.
Did You Know?
- SMS Marketing: SMS marketing campaigns have open rates as high as 98%, with a 45% response rate.
- Affiliate Marketing: Affiliate marketing spending is expected to grow by 10% in the next few years.
- Display Ads: The average click-through rate (CTR) for display ads across all formats and placements is 0.06%.
- Retargeting Campaigns: Retargeting ads are 70% more likely to convert visitors into customers.
- User-Generated Content: Ads based on user-generated content can see a 50% increase in engagement.
Community Capers
Next on my low-budget billboard list were online communities. Reddit, Quora, and niche forums became my playgrounds. But beware, these platforms are no-nonsense zones when it comes to self-promotion. The trick was to provide real value, answering questions and sharing insights like an over-enthusiastic librarian, with a subtle nudge toward my website when relevant. I was not selling, oh no. I was merely helping with a side of self-promotion.
My Earnings
Communities warmed up to my antics around the fourth to the sixth month. The regular mingling and jingling saw my earnings climb to about $350. It wasn’t a gold rush, but hey, enough to fancy some medieval feasts.
Blogging Bonanza
Now came the part where I wooed the search engines with the dance of the seven blogs. Regular blogging on relevant topics made my website a hot spot for information seekers. My posts weren’t mere text; they were gallant knights ushering in traffic, with SEO as their shining armor.
Guest blogging was the cherry on this budget-friendly cake. By sharing posts on other blogs, I got to wave hello to their readers, inviting them over to my humble online abode.
My Earnings
As my blog posts gallivanted across the cyberscape from the seventh to the tenth month, they herded in a decent traffic, translating to roughly $500. The blogging bonanza was like finding a small treasure chest in the castle garden.
Email Escapades
No, email is not dead. It’s just been resting, waiting for its moment of glory. With a friendly, cheeky newsletter, I courted potential visitors right in their inboxes. For the cost of nada, I kept my budding community in the loop about the latest posts, the odd cat video, and yes, encouraged them to share the love (and the link).
My Earnings
The email escapades during the eleventh and twelfth months brought in a sweet $400. It was like the universe sent a little “you’ve-got-mail” nod of approval, and the coffers jingled with joy.
Video Vignettes
Lights, smartphone, action! With just my phone, I delved into the world of video. A sprinkle of humor, a dash of information, and voila, I had videos that were ready to woo on YouTube and social media. The cost? Just my time and a few giggles. And hey, they say laughter is the best medicine, but I found it’s also a neat catalyst for website traffic.
My Earnings
Action took the center stage in the thirteenth to fifteenth months. My modest video vignettes ushered in a surprising $600. It seems the virtual villagers enjoyed a good jest and jive.
Poster Parades and Flyer Flutters
Old school, you say? Perhaps. But posters in community centers and flyers in local cafes got me some eyeballs from the non-virtual world too. My website got a little local love, and my budget barely fluttered.
Through missteps, chuckles, and a frugal spirit, I discovered that advertising on a shoestring is more about creativity and less about cash. And as my website started to hum with visitors, I knew this was the beginning of a beautiful, budget-friendly bromance.
My Earnings
Lastly, the old school poster parades and flyer flutters in the sixteenth to eighteenth months chalked up an additional $300. The local lore spread, and a few more doubloons dropped into my digital domain.
The modest earnings over the 18 months were a testament to the old adage, “little drops make a mighty ocean.” And each little victory was a royal celebration in my frugal fiefdom. Now, onto conquering more cyber territories with penny-pinching prowess!
Final Thoughts
All in all, these three main strategies can be great for advertising your website while being on a tight budget. Follow the advice in this article to create your own marketing campaign that will effectively promote your website while being relatively low-investment.