Growth hack: How to perfect self-marketing on a budget

business card

30th November 2016

3 Minutes

If you run a business, however big or small, you’ll know the importance of getting word out about your products and services. Online marketing through your website and social media is relatively inexpensive and a great way to reach your audience. But that’s not only way to get the word out there. You’ll also need high quality real-world marketing materials to reach a wide customer base.

Professionally designed and printed flyers, posters and branded items can come at a cost. However, the high standard of printers, paper and inks available today means you can do the job yourself for a fraction of the price.

Here are a few ideas to create your own promotions and improve your online presence, without breaking the bank.

Business cards

A staple for every successful company, the business card is your go-to when meeting new clients, networking with other professionals or even socialising. When you make your own, you’re in complete control of the end result, so you can chose the size and finish you want, and add any personal touches. Additionally, when you’ve handed them all out, it’s easy to print more off at the touch of a button. Once you’ve perfected one design, you can role them out to others within your business to create a consistent marketing theme across the board.

Leaflets/flyers

Whether you’re posting flyers through letterboxes, having an employee hand out leaflets in the street or putting the finishing touch to your outgoings, small print-outs are a fantastic way to reach local customers directly. Use eye-catching photography or colourful graphics, brand them up with your company logo, carefully check the spelling and grammar are perfect and you’ll be good to go. All of this can be done at a relatively low cost, so you can represent your business in a great light, without spending too much cash.

Advertising posters for deals/offers

If you’ve got a special deal or offer on, it’s vital to let as many people know about it as possible. Posters hung around your town, in shops and businesses, or wherever your customer base may congregate, are effective and affordable. Plus, the ability to design them yourself and add your own images, messages and logo to exactly the size and number of posters you require will save both time and cash. Best of all, you can create templates and simply amend details as your offers change throughout the year to save time and money on your in-house production system.

Self-printed t-shirts

For some businesses, a team uniform can be a great idea, giving employees a sense of pride in their appearance and presenting a more polished front to the public. Whether you’re the owner or manager of a garage, a hair salon or a key cutting business, staff wearing matching outfits always creates a professional atmosphere. To get the look without breaking the bank, why not print your own logo onto tops using specially created t-shirt transfers?

Extra inspiration

There are lots of other items you can print your company’s logo and message on. What about handy magnets, given away when a customer spends over a certain amount? Or, if you’re a shop selling smaller items, how about using stickers printed on the premises to seal packaging and boost your brand?

Perfect your online presence

As well as creating your own promotion materials, you’ll need to ensure you’ve got a great presence online too. From perfecting your tone of voice on you website, to regularly posting engaging and relevant information on your social media, this is all a part of creating a marketing impact. Luckily, as with your printed promotions, this can all be done from your office. As long as you stay active and true to your company, you’ll be adding another powerful tool to your marketing approach.

With these ideas on board it’s never been easier to take control of your self-marketing plan and let the world know about your enterprise.

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