My Secret Weapon For Successful Zero Budget Marketing

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Often, as an entrepreneur or a small business owner, your time and resources are spread so thin, that marketing your product comes almost as an afterthought. But, a successful marketing strategy can make or break a start-up. While in the past, a well-designed marketing campaign could cost thousands of dollars and require a good deal of manpower, today, it’s easier than ever to promote your business effectively. Even if you have zero marketing budget, you can utilize this secret weapon for attracting an audience and gaining exposure for your brand.

It comes down to this: Give your secrets away for free.

It might sound counterintuitive to share the intricacies behind your business but it is an effective way to bring in customers and attract attention.

So, how do you go about doing this?

Think about what you’re good at. How does your business operate? How is what you do different from your competitors? What sets you apart? Now, write about that. Create a thorough, well-written step-by-step guide that essentially teaches others how you do what you do. Not only will this work as a marketing strategy and bring in business, it can help you down the line. By creating a comprehensive teaching tool, you can use it to improve your business plan too.

Generally speaking, no one will care what you have to say until you demonstrate your expertise. This guide gives you the chance to show your skills.

Next, you can submit your trade secrets to relevant industry blogs and become known in your field. Take advantage of sites like Blogger LinkUp and HARO to reach out to bloggers and website administrators and offer to guest post for them. You gain exposure for your brand and again, establish yourself as an expert.

Finally, as you build buzz, tell your story. Online Trading Academy, a financial and day trader education company based outside Los Angeles found that gathering customer testimonials was a great way to spark interest in their services and gain exposure. For every satisfied customer testimonial video they made, they found social media engagement increased and there was a spike in potential clients. Customers liked talking about their experiences with the company, and sharing some of the financial knowledge they had gained helped illustrate the effectiveness of the Online Trading Academy business model. It is a win/win situation.

While you might be concerned about people using your ideas against you, you’ll find that most people are too lazy to implement your strategies themselves. Instead, they will turn to you for help and guidance and that’s where you gain a customer.

Ultimately, marketing does not have to be expensive if you’re savvy and willing to put in the time and effort it requires. Go the extra mile, create high quality, useful content, and people will start to take notice!

Did you find this article helpful? Do you have any zero budget marketing strategies to share? Please let me know by leaving me your valued comments.

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2013-02-17 00:56:58

Source: http://www.derekjones.co/2013/02/my-secret-weapon-for-successful-zero-budget-marketing.html