You have just started your business? Or maybe you are on a tight budget?
You need to get some clients going before you can afford to spend a lot on marketing?
Not all companies start with a huge investment. Sometimes you just want to open your business without having any saved up money or initial capital. That is absolutely great and a good spirit, but you are gonna be needing those clients to get things going.
So how do you let people know about your product or service?
Nowadays if you are a business you have to pay for everything. Your social media posts are barely showing into people’s feeds if you are not boosting them with cash.
At the same time advertising is kind of competitive and challenging especially if your business is in an already saturated field. Chances are, there are bigger companies than you spending way more for their marketing so how can you ever compete with them? And if you are on a very tight budget trying to do so might burn that money you’ve been keeping for a rainy day.
I have got new customers for my clients with 0 paid advertisements.
Yes, ads are good but if you really know how to use them. Sometimes you might just end up spending a fortune without really getting any sales in return if you are not using a smart strategy.
So, how do you get out there with spending little to no money and getting your much needed clients to get your business going?
You need a smart strategy. And to build that strategy you need to be clear about a few questions.
- Who is your ideal client?
What need are you satisfying with your offerings? What do these people really need? What is their lifestyle, what do they do, where do they hang out?
You need to really put yourself in their shoes. Think like them, look at life like them. What are they spending money on? What are their values? What is important to them?
By figuring that out, you’ll know how to appeal to them and communicate your offers.
You might even come up with an idea of how to reach them without spending a cent on ads.
Maybe they hang out at a specific place you can join? Maybe you have something in common so you can connect? Just think about who they are and where you can find them organically. - What is your specialty?
Is there something in particular that makes your offer better, or unique compared to your competitors? Is there something you offer more than they do? Something that can make you stand out?
Finding that can narrow your audience so that you will not be trying to communicate to millions and reaching very few, but rather you will be communicating to the people that matter.
Make a list of all the things that make your business unique and different and the added value and features you offer compared to other companies in your field.
You can leverage that and find an audience that needs that particular thing. - Find a niche.
Big companies can afford to target a broad audience and reach a lot of people. They also have lots of experience in their field and have gathered lots of credibility. Putting yourself out there right next to them might close down your business very soon.
What you might want to do is find a specific niche. Is there a niche you are familiar with and can connect with? That narrows down your audience even more. In fact, when you find your specific niche you might well be the better fit for your potential clients because they might be looking for a smaller and more personal company to get the job done. Also, you can afford to give them more attention and build up credibility and references for your business.
So, think if there is some specific group of people that you can target with your marketing that needs your solution with the added value that makes your business unique.
If you target a really small group you might get a lot more customers than if you target the broad worldwide population for example that will just not notice you at all. Also, in a smaller group people might start recommending you which brings us to the next point. - Build references.
That’s a great opportunity if you are just starting out. You should make use of each client. Ask them, if they are comfortable and satisfied with your product or service to leave you a review or write you a reference. Suggest them to recommend you to any friends they know. And like that you will be building credibility. Businesses with references do get a higher percentage of new customers than ones without references, so don’t miss to mention to that new client that if they are happy with your service, you’d appreciate their review. - Professional branding.
We all know how important the first impression is. If you are looking for clients mostly online, you most definitely will profit from a good branding. When your website and social media look professionally done that will boost your credibility and also your price. Your business will look more premium and trustworthy. People are predominantly visual these days, which means they process information better through images. So, the image of your brand will be decisive when they are choosing to work with you or not. Make sure your brand speaks your message and has the looks to catch people’s attention. - Collaboration
Why do something alone when we can do it together? Finding businesses to collaborate with might be a good opportunity for advertisement. You can team up with someone who can recommend you to their clients. Even if they take a small percentage it is worth it if you are in the beginning of your business. You need to build some clientele to stabilize your position on the market so making use of your connections and offering to work together is something that can be useful in the beginning, at least until you can afford to reach more people on your own.
Now, if you think about all these points and write it down, you might come up with a pretty effective strategy on how to reach people organically without spending a fortune on marketing.
The basic keys are narrowing your audience as much as you can, finding your specific niche, showing up professionally, building credibility and collaborating when possible.
This way you will surely find clients before you even know it. Paid advertisement is surely an important and effective way to grow your business but when you can’t afford it yet you need not despair but be smart and creative. And that’s what any entrepreneur needs to be in order to build a successful business and premium brand.