Launching a business means doing a lot of what big companies do on a limited budget. When it comes to marketing, it can feel like you’ll never make a dent in the market without the backing of million dollar budgets.
Fortunately, there are many examples of small businesses running successful marketing campaigns. It takes hard work, an understanding of the tools at your disposal, and strategic thinking.
Whatever you’re trying to accomplish, whether it’s growing your newsletter audience or selling more product, there are lots of examples out there that you can pull from.
Using Contests for Brand Recognition
If you aim to get your brand in front of as many eyes as possible on a limited budget, think about running a contest. AdoramaPix took advantage of the Royal Wedding excitement by running a photo contest on its platform.
The photo competition took a lot of grunt work off their plate. Photographers that submitted asked their network for votes, which in turn brought over 635k views to the company’s website. All this from just 85 photographer entries. That’s no small feat for a small business.
Running a contest is much like hosting a party. You put the invite and location out there, and everyone else just has to tell people about it and show up.
The Power of Content Marketing
Content marketing is one of the most powerful tools a small business can use. When done right, content can resonate with an audience on a personal and emotional level.
One company that has done content marketing right is Cleveland-based Good Greens. The protein bar company spent only four months on their content marketing before seeing results.
In that limited time, they gave readers information on growing a garden and provided health tips. For their efforts, they saw a 50% increase in sales – further proof that all small businesses should give content marketing a shot.
Investing in a Social Media Message
Chicago-based Mohop, a sustainable and eco-friendly footwear company, turned to their customers when it came time to raise more money for production. To spread the word, they made their message one their audiences would relate to.
They created a consistent social media campaign that spoke to the power of creating products that reduce our carbon footprint. From there, viewers were encouraged to donate to their Kickstarter campaign, where they returned the favor by offering goodies for each tier of donation.
The campaign was a success. It ended up in the 1.2 percent of highest funded Kickstart campaigns, raising over 67k in the first 45 days. The company exceeded its initial funding goal and came in 2nd place in Chicago’s Small Business Online Marketing Contest.
With the right message and a loyal audience, word of mouth can be your greatest asset.
It might seem like small or new businesses lack the resources to create great marketing campaigns. However, given these stories, we know that’s not true.
Take these three small business successes and get inspired. There’s no reason you can’t accomplish some big things on a small budget.
