Newly founded small businesses must often operate on a shoestring budget when it comes to marketing themselves. In order to get word out to other businesses about their products and services, new small businesses must enact creative marketing strategies, explains this article on The New Zealand Herald. With some careful planning and heavy use of technology, new small businesses can market themselves to other businesses even with a slim marketing budget. These inexpensive or even free marketing strategies will help any small business get started on marketing itself to other, more established businesses.
The fastest and least expensive way to connect with the greatest number of other businesses is to build a presence on social media. Setting up business accounts on Facebook, Twitter and other social networks requires no start-up costs. Keeping the profile up-to-date with regular posts, likes and shares helps add history to the page. Showcasing products and services and linking to other local businesses adds a powerful foundation to the social media presence of a small business. The owners of small businesses should ensure that all posts and links promote a positive image and accurately depict what they have to offer to other businesses.
Another way that newly started small businesses can market themselves to other businesses is to forge partnerships in the community. Rather than looking at other businesses as competitors, creating partnerships can increase the opportunities for sales of products and services to other businesses. To make the connections needed to forge such partnerships, the least expensive way is simply to make business cards and set out on foot to speak with the owners of nearby businesses. The in-person greeting and handshake make for a memorable connection. The provision of contact information including mobile phone, website, social media landing pages and email addresses makes it easier for newly established partners to connect with one another.
Community engagement is an excellent low-cost strategy for new businesses to market themselves. Upon opening its doors, a small business can offer an open house for other businesses to come and get a feel for their products and services. This can be tied in with a larger open house event for general community members. Community events such as farmer’s markets, arts fairs and fundraisers are also great ways for a new business to market itself without spending much money.
Many communities offer a complimentary membership to the small business association for new members. The local small business association may be able to provide free or low-cost advertising to a new business. The association’s monthly printed and online newsletters can also be used to introduce a new small business to other businesses within the community. Neighborhood meet and greet meetings are another way for the owners of small businesses to announce their presence and market their goods and services to other local businesses at a low cost.
