Finding Affordable Marketing: A Guide for New Entrepreneurs

Economical marketing tactics for young businesses

Affordable Marketing Tactics

Starting a business or side hustle? 

Discover budget-friendly marketing options for startup success.

Book a Focus Session to take the next step toward clarifying your marketing strategy and message.
Book a Focus Session to take the next step toward clarifying your marketing strategy and message.

Essential Marketing Tactics for Entrepreneurs

As a business owner, I get cold-pitched various tactics every day. Just deleting the emails and LinkedIn messages feels like a daily chore. 

The reality is you don’t need to do everything you get pitched. In fact, you likely don’t need to do 90% of it. I’ve seen business owners experience significant impact from just effectively executing the essentials.

Wonder what those essentials are? Check out my guide on Minimum Viable Marketing.

In this guide, we’ll explore some of the essential tactics that most entrepreneurs will benefit from and that you can execute without a lot of cost.

Social Media Presence

A solid social media presence is crucial for young businesses looking to connect with their audience without spending a fortune. Here’s how to maximize your impact on social media:

Choose Your Platforms

You don’t need to be everywhere. Focus on 1-2 social media platforms where your target audience is most active. This targeted approach allows you to concentrate your efforts and resources efficiently. 

Popular options include:

  • Instagram: Ideal for visually-driven content and younger demographics.
  • Facebook: Great for community building and a wide range of age groups.
  • LinkedIn: Best for B2B marketing and professional networking.

Consistent Posting

Consistency is vital to maintaining an active and engaging social media presence. 

Follow these tips:

  • Schedule Regular Posts: Use scheduling tools like Buffer, Hootsuite or our Marketing OS to plan your posts in advance.
  • Quality Over Quantity: Focus on creating high-quality content that adds value to your audience rather than flooding them with frequent, low-impact posts. This could include informative articles, behind-the-scenes looks, user-generated content, and industry tips.

Because consistency has a high impact on visibility and engagement, it’s important to only choose the platforms you need to be on. 

Engage with Followers

Social media is a two-way street. Engaging actively with your followers helps build a loyal community. 

Here’s how:

  • Respond Promptly: Answer comments and messages quickly to show that you value your audience's input and feedback.
  • Interactive Content: Create polls, ask questions, and host giveaways to encourage interaction and engagement. This increases your visibility and fosters a sense of community around your brand.

Focusing on these strategies can help you develop a robust social media presence that drives engagement and growth without requiring a large budget.

Content Marketing

Content marketing is essential for young businesses looking to attract and engage their target audience on a budget. Here are some effective strategies to get you started:

Start a Blog

Creating a blog is one of the best ways to share valuable information with your audience and establish your expertise. Follow these steps:

  • Identify Pain Points: Write informative articles that address common challenges and questions your target audience faces.
  • Choose Platforms: Most entrepreneurs will host on their website using platforms like WordPress or Webflow. But some use secondary platforms like Medium, SubStack or LinkedIn to host their blog.
  • Consistency: Post regularly to keep your audience engaged and returning for more.

Guest Blogging

Collaborating with established blogs in your niche can significantly boost your visibility and drive traffic to your site. Here’s how to do it:

  • Research Blogs: Identify popular blogs in your industry that accept guest contributions.
  • Pitch Your Ideas: Reach out with well-thought-out pitches that align with the blog’s content and audience.
  • Provide Value: Write high-quality, informative posts that add value to the host blog’s readers while subtly promoting your own brand.

Repurpose Content

Maximize the reach and impact of your content by repurposing it into various formats. Here are a few ideas:

  • Video Content: Turn blog posts into engaging videos and share them on platforms like YouTube or social media.
  • Infographics: Convert complex articles into visually appealing infographics to make the information more digestible and shareable.
  • Social Media Posts: Break down your blog content into bite-sized pieces for social media, driving traffic back to your blog.

Implementing these content marketing strategies will help you effectively attract and engage your target audience while staying within a limited budget.

You may be wondering, “Can I just have ChatGPT write all my content for me?” 

You can, but it will impact your ROI. 

Using AI can dramatically increase your writing speed, but I would like to think of it using the Pareto Principle. Leverage AI to write a first draft and then adapt about 20% to make the content personal and truly valuable to your ideal customer. 

Regurgitated AI content will not sustainably grow your business. However, high-quality content that helps people solve a real problem will pay long-term dividends.

Don't wait to level up your marketing

BrandPacks give you all the marketing you need in one pack.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is a powerful and cost-effective way to nurture relationships with potential clients and keep your current audience engaged. 

Here’s how you can make the most of it:

Build an Email List

An engaged email list is the foundation of effective email marketing. Here’s how to build one:

  • Sign-Up Forms: Place sign-up forms prominently on your website to capture visitor information.
  • Offer Incentives: Encourage visitors to join your list by offering incentives such as free eBooks, discounts, or exclusive content.

Regular Newsletters

Consistent communication keeps your audience informed and engaged. Follow these tips for effective newsletters:

  • Frequency: Send newsletters weekly or bi-weekly to maintain regular contact without overwhelming your subscribers.
  • Valuable Content: Your newsletters should include a mix of valuable content, updates, and special offers. Ensure they are informative and engaging.
  • Tools: Utilize email marketing tools like Mailchimp or our Marketing OS to design, send, and track your newsletters effortlessly.

Personalize Messages

Personalization increases the relevance and impact of your emails. Here’s how to do it:

  • Segment Your List: Divide your email list into segments based on user behavior and preferences.
  • Targeted Messages: Send tailored messages to each segment to address their specific interests and needs. This could include personalized recommendations, birthday greetings, or follow-ups based on past interactions.
  • Leverage Automation: Keeping up with email can be exhausting when launching or running a business. Automation can nurture and convert your leads while you sleep. That’s why our BrandPacks come with intentionally designed automations to help you grow your business.

Implementing these email marketing strategies can help you nurture leads effectively, build strong relationships, and drive conversions while staying within your budget.

Networking and Partnerships

Building solid connections through networking and partnerships can significantly boost your business's visibility and growth. Here’s how to leverage these strategies effectively:

Attend Local Events

Engaging with the local business community can open doors to new opportunities. Follow these steps:

  • Find Events: Look for business meetups, workshops, and networking events in your area.
  • Participate Actively: Make the most of these events by actively participating, engaging in conversations, and exchanging contact information.
  • Follow-Up: After the event, follow up with the people you met to nurture these new relationships.

I’ve seen a lot of success through a local BNI chapter. It’s not cheap, but in my experience, it pays for itself. Chambers and industry-specific groups tend to be free or low-cost. 

Collaborate with Other Businesses

Partnering with complementary businesses can mutually benefit both parties. Here’s how to approach it:

  • Identify Potential Partners: Look for businesses that complement yours and share a similar target audience.
  • Propose Collaborations: Reach out with proposals for co-hosted webinars, joint promotions, or referral programs.
  • Execute Joint Efforts: Work together on these initiatives to expand your reach and offer more value to your customers.

By attending local events and collaborating with other businesses, you can create valuable connections that help your business grow, all while keeping costs low.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Effective SEO is essential for making your business discoverable online. Here are some strategies to optimize your website and boost its search engine rankings:

Optimize Your Website

A well-optimized website enhances user experience and improves your search engine rankings. Follow these best practices:

  • Mobile-Friendly: Ensure your website is responsive and functions well on mobile devices.
  • Fast-Loading: Optimize images, use caching, and minimize code to improve loading speeds.
  • Easy Navigation: Design a user-friendly layout with clear menus and intuitive navigation.
  • Keyword Usage: Integrate relevant keywords into your content, meta descriptions, and image alt texts to improve search visibility.

Personally I’ve used a tool KeySearch for a few years because it is affordable but allows me to research, save and track keywords effectively. 

Create High-Quality Backlinks

Backlinks from reputable sites signal to search engines that your content is valuable. Here’s how to build them:

  • Outreach to Influencers: Contact industry influencers and bloggers to ask them to link back to your site through mentions or features.
  • Guest Posting: Write guest posts for authoritative blogs in your niche, including links back to your site.
  • Content Collaborations: Collaborate with others on content projects, such as joint articles or research, that include backlinks to your site.

Implementing these SEO strategies will help increase your website's visibility, attract more visitors, and ultimately drive more conversions, all without incurring significant costs.

Be cautious about paying an SEO Expert. I’ve sat in on conference calls with many entrepreneurs and their experts to help unpack what is and, most often, what isn’t being done. Sadly, there is a lot of snake oil being sold here, and it makes me mad thinking about all the small business owners who have been taken advantage of.

Leverage Free Tools and Resources

Utilizing free tools and resources can help you execute high-quality marketing strategies without straining your budget. Here are some essential tools to consider:

Design Tools

Creating appealing visuals is critical to effective marketing. Here’s how to do it affordably:

  • Canva: Use Canva, a user-friendly design tool, to create graphics and visuals for your marketing materials. It offers a wide range of templates for social media posts, presentations, infographics, and more. Even with its free version, you can produce professional-looking designs that enhance your brand’s visual appeal.

Analytics

Understanding your audience and measuring the performance of your marketing efforts is crucial for continuous improvement. Here’s how to leverage analytics:

  • Google Analytics: Utilize Google Analytics to track your website traffic and gain insights into user behavior. This powerful tool helps you understand where your visitors are coming from, which pages they visit, and how long they stay. Use these insights to adjust your marketing strategies and optimize your website for better performance.
  • Google Search Console: Use Google Search Console to monitor your website’s presence in Google search results. This tool provides valuable data on how often your site appears in searches, which keywords drive traffic, and any issues affecting your site’s visibility. By addressing these insights, you can improve your SEO and increase organic traffic.

By leveraging these free tools and resources, you can create high-quality marketing materials and make data-driven decisions to enhance your business growth, all while keeping costs down.

Introducing the BrandPack: Your All-in-One Marketing Solution

To make your marketing journey even smoother, we’ve put together the BrandPack—a comprehensive kit with everything you need to market your business right from the start.

Here’s the backstory.

A few months ago, I met Fernando. I asked him what he did, and he answered, “I’m starting a handyman business.” Together, we refined a one-liner: "We turn your endless weekend to-do lists into DONE lists, giving you back your Saturdays to enjoy life."

But Fernando needed more than a punchy one-liner; he needed a complete marketing package—strategy, website, email campaigns—the works, all on a start-up budget.

I knew Fernando wasn’t alone. 

As an entrepreneur myself, I know how overwhelming the multitude of tasks involved in starting a business can be. I knew there were so many other early-stage entrepreneurs who needed significant marketing but didn’t yet have the budget for it.

This challenge sparked an idea that I couldn't shake off: How can I offer massive value at a fraction of the cost?

And that’s how the idea of BrandPacks was born.

Why the BrandPack is Perfect for Entrepreneurs:

  • Ready-to-Use Materials: Everything you need to market your business effectively right out of the gate.
  • Cost-Effective: The BrandPack usually pays for itself with the first 1-2 customers, making it a smart investment.
  • Scalable: As your business grows, you can always level up and expand your marketing efforts.

Leveraging a BrandPack means you don’t have to wait to have:

  • A calendar full of bookings
  • Lead converting offers
  • Emails that sell
  • Visibility to all your estimates and invoices
  • Clarity about the next step for each lead and customer

By focusing on these essential, economical marketing tactics and leveraging the power of the BrandPack, you can effectively launch and grow your new business without a hefty budget. Start small, stay consistent, and watch your business thrive!

Action Plan

If you’re ready to get all the marketing you need in one pack, find the BrandPack that’s right for you. And if you’re interested in the BrandPack Pilot Program, schedule a BrandPack Pilot Program Interest Session.

Frequently Asked Questions

Affordable Marketing

What is content marketing?

A strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract, engage and retain a clearly defined audience.

See the full answer to
What is content marketing?

Why is content marketing important for my business?

As your prospects trust you with their time and attention, they will become customers who trust you with the projects and budget

See the full answer to
Why is content marketing important for my business?

Why should I repurpose content?

Repurposing content allows you to reach a wider audience, as different people prefer different types of content. It also helps you get the most value out of your content creation efforts.

See the full answer to
Why should I repurpose content?

What should be included in a regular newsletter?

Your newsletter should include a mix of valuable content, company updates, special offers, and personalized messages. Aim for a balance that keeps your audience informed and engaged.

See the full answer to
What should be included in a regular newsletter?

What is SEO and how can it help my coaching business?

SEO can be used to improve your website's ranking in search engine results, making it easier for potential clients to find your services online.

See the full answer to
What is SEO and how can it help my coaching business?

BrandPacks

What is a BrandPack?

A BrandPack is your one-stop marketing solution: done-for-you, ready-to-go, and customizable.

See the full answer to
What is a BrandPack?

What is included in a BrandPack?

Your BrandPack includes all the essential content, strategy and automation you need to launch and grow your business.

See the full answer to
What is included in a BrandPack?

How can I use a BrandPack to launch/grow my business?

From focusing your marketing actions using an annual strategy to generating new leads or making booking an appointment with you easy, each element of the BrandPack is designed to help you launch and grow your business.

See the full answer to
How can I use a BrandPack to launch/grow my business?

What if there isn’t already a BrandPack for my type of business?

You can suggest a new BrandPack and consider the BranPack Pilot Program to see if it's a good fit for you.

See the full answer to
What if there isn’t already a BrandPack for my type of business?

Content Marketing

What is content marketing?

A strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract, engage and retain a clearly defined audience.

See the full answer to
What is content marketing?

How do I make my content engaging?

To make your content engaging, it needs to be relevant to your audience and provide value. It should also be well-written, visually appealing, and include a call to action.

See the full answer to
How do I make my content engaging?

How do I start with content marketing?

Define and understand your ideal customer's goals and pain points. Then map their customer journey from awareness to decision.

See the full answer to
How do I start with content marketing?

What type of content should I create?

Focus on the content that best highlights how you solve your customer's problems.

See the full answer to
What type of content should I create?

Why is content marketing important for my business?

As your prospects trust you with their time and attention, they will become customers who trust you with the projects and budget

See the full answer to
Why is content marketing important for my business?

Repurposing Content

What is repurposing content?

Repurposing content involves taking an existing piece of content and changing it to use across different media channels or for different audiences.

See the full answer to
What is repurposing content?

Why should I repurpose content?

Repurposing content allows you to reach a wider audience, as different people prefer different types of content. It also helps you get the most value out of your content creation efforts.

See the full answer to
Why should I repurpose content?

What are some ways to repurpose content?

You could turn a blog post into a video, use quotes from an article for social media posts, create an infographic based on research data, or compile several blog posts into an eBook.

See the full answer to
What are some ways to repurpose content?

Can repurposing content hurt my SEO?

Repurposing content won't hurt your SEO if done correctly. Ensure that the repurposed content is significantly different from the original, add new insights, and avoid duplicate content.

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Can repurposing content hurt my SEO?

How do I choose which content to repurpose?

The best content to repurpose is typically your most successful content.

See the full answer to
How do I choose which content to repurpose?

Minimum Viable Marketing

What is Minimum Viable Marketing?

Minimum Viable Marketing (MVM) is a simplified approach to marketing that focuses on executing essential marketing activities consistently. It helps businesses grow by concentrating on the most impactful elements without getting overwhelmed by numerous options and trends.

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What is Minimum Viable Marketing?

Why should I focus on Minimum Viable Marketing?

By focusing on the essentials, you can ensure that your marketing efforts are efficient and effective. MVM helps you prioritize what truly matters, leading to better resource allocation and clearer outcomes for business growth.

See the full answer to
Why should I focus on Minimum Viable Marketing?

What are the core elements of Minimum Viable Marketing?

The core elements of MVM include a compelling and clear brand story, a focused and converting website, an optimized system to deliver and receive payment and a lead machine.

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What are the core elements of Minimum Viable Marketing?

Ready to level up your marketing? Start today!