Marketing, as you might already know, is one of the most important tools that a small business can utilize. Good marketing leads to more customers, which means more business and more money!

But you don't have to spend thousands of dollars and have a gigantic marketing budget in order to be effective with your marketing strategy. You can market your business for free through a variety of different sources and tools.

If you're working with a tight budget, and need some new options for marketing your business, then you've come to the right blog post. Keep reading for more on marketing on a budget.

Social Media

Social media is your friend, and whether you like it or not, it's where all of your customers gather at all times during the day. Today's consumer is constantly connected to the world around them, but they are also bombarded with information overload from hundreds of companies and ads. What you have to do, as a business with a Facebook Page, is cut through the info overload and make your business standout.

Social media is a great way to freely post and promote your business. You can post pictures of your company and products, and link to your blog posts (or outside blog posts of interest to your customers). Just be sure to adhere to each social media's guidelines on posting, because in certain cases, they don't allow you to over promote yourself without paying for sponsored posts. But otherwise, this is a great, and free, way to promote your business, and connect with your customers.

SEO

These days, SEO, which stands for Search Engine Optimization, is key to getting people to find your company online. You want to be one of the first results to pop up on Google or any other search engine when a customer searches for your business name or a specific local industry. The best way to achieve a high rank in search engines is through SEO.

SEO can be done by yourself, but we wouldn't recommend it. It can be time consuming and complicated. That's why it's best to set aside a little of your budget to hire an SEO specialist, someone who truly knows how to analyze the data, and get you the results you need.

If you can't hire your own SEO specialist, there are plenty of companies out there who can help you with your SEO for a small to medium sized fee, depending on the company.

Emails

Sending out promotional and informational emails to your customers is always a fantastic way to reach them. Almost everyone has an email that they can be reached at, and through email marketing, you can give your customers exclusive deals and promotions before the rest of the crowd.

There are lots of way to get started with creating your own email marketing campaigns, but one of the best ways to do this is through a low cost (or free) email web service like Mail Chimp or Constant Contact. Both services provide robust email customization and sending options that should get your emails out in no time to your customers.

Local Businesses

You don't have to try to get your products in giant stores and wholesale clubs immediately out of the gate. It's best to start small, and market your products through the wonderful local stores that are in your area. Even if you are a company that deals in services instead of products, there is always a local business that would be willing to hand out your business cards at their checkout counter, or recommend you to their own customers who need help with their plumbing, lawn care, HVAC, etc.

Blogs

Lastly, your blog can be a vital tool in giving your customers reasons to come back to your website again and again. A blog isn't just a place where you can type your thoughts and feelings, like it used to be; these days, businesses are learning about the advantages of blogs, too.

Atwill Media has a built-in blogging system that's easy and simple to use, and makes it a breeze to publish a blog and share it with your customers. And it's at no additional charge to you! Everyone who signs up for one of our custom built website gets built-in blogging tools included for free.