Ways to market your company on a budget
In a world where there is so much competition – it’s important that you do whatever you can to stand out from the crowd. A lot of people invest in digital marketing, TV campaigns, lead generation companies – all of which can of course be effective, but there are other cost-effective ways in which you can market your company that you may never have even thought of.
We have prepared a list of ways for you to be able to market your company brand out there on a budget. Sometimes you don’t need to spend a lot to achieve a lot. So, after your have got your company regristration number the next step should be to think about how to get your brand on the market.
Get a private plate
Whether you are pushing yourself as a solo entrepreneur and want to make your mark or you are looking to market your company brand – a private plate can be a good addition. When you think of Alan Sugar for example – his personal plate AMS1 is probably one of the first things you would associate with him. The great thing about private car registrations is that it doesn’t have to cost you a fortune either. They are a one-off fee, and there are no maintenance costs associated.
You can choose from literally millions of combinations to suit you or your business. Private registrations look fantastic when it comes to press releases, newspaper articles etc – and will do marketing on their own. Make sure that the personalised number plate fits in with your business if you are looking for it to help create your own corporate identity. British Car Registrations have a handy personalised plate search where you can find out straight away whether what you want is available. They will also help you come up with alternatives if not.
Personalised car registrations are increasing in popularity in both the private and commercial world – so could be a missed business opportunity for you. If you operate a company that requires a fleet of vehicles – it could be particularly effective. Private registration plates are also associated with luxury and quality – so would work incredibly well with a luxury brand.
Tangible promotional items
If a personal car registration isn’t for you – then there are other promotional items that you could purchase that will be a great reminder to the market of your company brand, and again they don’t need to cost a fortune. This has always been something that businesses have incorporated – but the industry has evolved to give you more options than ever. No longer are you stuck with just pens, or calendars – there are lots of innovative promotional items that you can make use of. This could be branded plants for an office, giving clients an instant desktop reminder of you, mobile phone cases so you are with them everywhere they go, pen drives so when they are saving important work – you are the first thing that springs to mind, or even fidget spinners.
Offer loyalty rewards
The reality of it is, on average it costs more money to acquire a new client than to keep one you already have on your books, and they also tend to spend more. This is why businesses should always place a massive focus on retaining your clients. Of course, good client services is integral to this, but there are other innovative things you could do such as create customer loyalty schemes. This could be anything from putting in place a points scheme, where they collect points for every purchase made to be redeemed at a later date for products or services (think how successful this has been for the likes of Tesco and Sainsbury’s). You could also adopt a tiered approach, where they are awarded a higher level of VIP status for additional perks due to their loyalty. The more they spend, the more they will be rewarded.
A refer a friend scheme
This could be implemented not only across your clients, but with your staff too. People are far more likely to bring in business on your behalf if there is an incentive for them. This could be financial, for example a percentage of the first sale, or else it could be a discount on the product or service. You could also bring in something more tangible. For example – for every referral brought in, a voucher could be given out, or a bottle of bubbly. Whatever suits your business and target market best.
Use social media for brand awareness
Social media is a free tool to use. It’s an ever-growing marketing tool, and any forward-thinking business should use this to their advantage. It gives you a great opportunity to showcase your company culture and promote your brand. If you do have something that’s unusual such as a private number plate or funky promotional items – this is your way to get this online. To make the most of these types of channels – running contests or prize giveaways are also a good bet. They are not only effective in generating a better organic reach on social media, but if you are clicking through to your website – words such as “free”, “exclusive” etc are far more likely to generate a better click through rate which should give you more conversions on your website.
Boost your reputation on 3rd party websites
Making sure that your brand has a good reputation online is invaluable. There are lots of 3rd party review websites where you can build this up. Trustpilot for example is a good one, and it is always good practice to do this on Google My Business. Not only does do a good job in terms of sealing your reputation when it comes to providing a good service – it also is beneficial for SEO which will in turn drive more traffic to your website. The more positive reviews you get on this platform, the more likely you are to climb up Google search rankings. 90% of consumers say that their buying decisions are heavily influenced by user reviews – so this is a good cost-effective tool to make use of.
You can also integrate these 3rd party sites onto your website – which means it will be the first thing they will see when landing on your page. There are a few things that you would need to take into consideration. It’s important that you monitor any reviews that are submitted. If there is a negative comment, you’d need to make sure that this was answered promptly – and of course that you are dealing with the customer feedback. It’s also good practice to make sure that you thank users who leave positive comments as this displays appreciation.
If you need to market your company on a budget, some of these suggestions could definitely be a way to go. Personalised registrations, branded merchandise with a twist and an online presence can go a long way to getting your brand out there.
