Eight zero budget marketing tips from the Connect community

Money being put into a piggy bank
Free marketing ideas such as social media and collaborating with other brands will save your business money Credit: Wavebreak Media ltd/Alamy

Trying to encourage new leads and market your business with zero budget isn't as hard as you might think.

Many young businesses, and smaller operations, often find it difficult to justify a hefty marketing spend. Once overheads have been paid – premises, staffing costs, office supplies and so on – there’s often little left in the kitty to spend on marketing, so anything you can do for free is well worth it.

We asked Telegraph Small Business Connect readers to share their tips on how to market on a zero budget. Here’s what they said:

1. Use online communities to profile customers

“Get online and start looking for communities related to your niche or places where potential customers may hang out. Use these communities to research buyer persona and guide your content strategy. A decent SME community on LinkedIn is a useful research tool and can even deliver the odd lead.”

Tip by David Vallance, inbound marketer, Digital Impact

2. Get mapped by Google

“Claim your free Google My Business account. This is important, especially for local businesses, because search results will often include a map pack with three local businesses on it. Google My Business is what feeds these results, so if your business isn't on there, you won't show up on the map results."

Tip by Rob Watson, digital marketing consultant, Click to Sale

3. Remember that time costs money

“Social media accounts are free to create, but costly in terms of time spent on them. Utilise free tools such as Hootsuite for social media management, Buffer for social media scheduling and Buzzsumo for content marketing research to manage your time and budget efficiently.”

Tip by Carla Bradman, head of marketing, Johns & Co

4. Piggy-back on big stories

“A big event that creates online chatter can offer a strong opportunity to get your business out there. Being reactive on Twitter costs nothing, especially if you can pair it with some smart design as Oreo did during its infamous Super Bowl tweet. Beyond that, survey your customers and audience to acquire data that you can tie into an ongoing event or story for public relations purposes. Many brands used this approach to capitalise on the noise surrounding Pokemon GO.”

Tip by Richard Paul, outreach and campaign manager, addmustard

5. Build deeper relationships with existing customers

“With a little extra effort, your existing customers can become your biggest supporters. It doesn't have to be complex: send them a simple, personalised thank you email and ask them how you can improve their experience of your business. They will love the attention and you will learn lots from them.”

Tip by Sybil Wong, head of marketing and communications, Sparrho

6. Collaborate with other brands

“Reach new audiences by striking contra-marketing agreements with brands of a similar size. They will be just as keen to reach your audience in exchange. But make sure their audience is of interest, and consists of your target audience. Also ensure that you both offer a comparable level of exposure by researching their reach across their website, newsletter, social media and offline.”

Tip by Elaine Farrell, digital communications specialist, Hackney Mama

7. Offer free insights

“Join relevant industry Facebook groups and provide lots of free value in the form of the information you provide. Help people who are stuck. Offer advice on how you’ve tackled similar situations. Become known as the go-to expert in your field so that people learn to trust your advice and knowledge. This may ultimately lead them to work with you when their budgets allow.”

Tip by Charlotte Moore, food and fitness copywriter, That Copy Girl

8. Guest blog

“Guest blogging is an ideal way to get your name out there. It’s something people often overlook, but it's a great way to expose your ideas to a wider audience. You might have a blog yourself, but getting a decent amount of visitors to it can take of time and effort. Seek out sites that accept guest bloggers and well-written articles. If you manage to have a post published, make sure to include a link to your website.”

Tip by Emma Saldana, freelance writer, writtenbyems

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