17 marketing ideas to promote your small business
Starting your own business is no easy feat, so if you’ve launched a new store, service, product, or any type of small business, congratulations are certainly in order. But whether you’ve just opened your doors to customers for the first time or are hoping to grow your existing company, effective and efficient marketing is key. To put it simply, a business is driven by profit, which is driven by customers. And the first step in securing a customer base is reaching out to your target audience to make them aware of your business offering through impactful communication.
For small businesses specifically, from food trucks to personal training services to independent fashion retailers and more, the unique challenges of opening and running a successful business are well known. Small businesses often, understandably, have smaller budgets and fewer overall resources to devote to big-ticket expenses such as advertising. But to successfully market your small business, you don’t need to break the bank.
From creative low-cost marketing strategies to clever uses of social media to spreading the word through business events, we’ve put together a helpful list of marketing and promotion ideas for small businesses. Before you dive in, hone in on your unique value proposition (what makes your business offering special), establish your ideal customer profile (who you would like to reach with your marketing outreach), and read on to learn how to promote your small business and successfully grow your brand.
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Free marketing ideas
If your business is brand new or operating on a shoestring budget, there are still plenty of ways to spread the word without spending a dime. Learn how to promote your small business with these free marketing ideas, and save that budget for a rainy day.
1. Word-of-mouth marketing
One of the most time-tested and effective marketing strategies is also, luckily, one of the simplest. Word-of-mouth marketing (or WOM) is achieved when customers recommend a business, product, or service to people they know personally, based on their own positive experience. Future customers are likely to take recommendations from people they know and trust to heart more than any third-party advertisement they come across, so focus on providing a quality service that customers will feel good about sharing after visiting your business.
Consider also asking customers directly to tell their friends or families about your small business. Being honest and open with your clientele can establish a lasting relationship and make them feel useful in helping you to spread the word.
2. Collect email addresses
Establish lasting customer communications with this no-cost promotion idea for small businesses. Email marketing is a great way to set your business up for long-term success and spread the word straight to inboxes without having to dip into the budget. Encourage customers to provide their email addresses when making a purchase, either in person or online, and start collecting a master list to keep on hand for whenever you want to promote your business.
You can also entice customers to provide their email addresses by offering them a limited discount when they sign up. Keep loyal customers up-to-date on any promotions, sales, or goings-on with consistent, on-brand email marketing.
3. Write a newsletter
Once you have a list of customers’ contact information, utilize that built-in audience by sending out a regular email newsletter. Share news about any business updates, new products or offerings, seasonal sales and events, and anecdotes and photos for a personal touch. Determine what frequency makes sense for your small business’s newsletter—whether it’s monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly—and decide on a consistent voice and style to establish recognizable branding. Staying up to date on your small business will make customers feel connected to and invested in the success of your brand.
4. Partner with another small business
Cross-promotion with other small businesses can be a great way to get the message out about your product to an audience that may be especially likely to engage. Find local businesses that share a similar audience with you, reach out to them or pay them a visit in person, and propose a mutually beneficial plan to promote each other’s offerings on your respective platforms and premises. For example, if you’re opening a new cheese shop, see if a local wine store in the area would be interested in partnering up to provide pop-up stands, give out samples, pass out business cards, or post on social media.
Low-cost marketing ideas
When running any business, every single dollar counts, especially for businesses that are just getting off the ground. Make a limited budget stretch as far as possible with these low-cost marketing ideas for small businesses.
5. Create a referral program
Encourage existing customers to help market your business for you by offering them an incentive to spread the word. Create a referral program where customers who refer their friends get a special discount or freebie for every new customer that mentions their name. For the discount, make sure to put thought into the amount that makes sense for you: one that provides enough of a driving reason for customers to go out of their way to make a recommendation, but not beyond what’s financially feasible for you to offer.
6. Print and share business flyers
Design, print, and share flyers around the neighborhood to promote your small business right in front of potential customers’ eyes. Ask nearby local businesses if you can hang up flyers in their windows, find bulletin boards at public libraries and grocery stores, send them directly in the mail to people who live near your location, or leave them on residential front porches and doors (just make sure not to cross any personal property boundaries). An eye-catching, on-brand flyer for your small business can drive growth and garner attention, for only the cost of printing a few sheets of paper.
7. Offer customer loyalty rewards
Rewards programs are a great marketing idea for small businesses to help establish a loyal, repeat customer base, which is critical for the continued success of any business. Driving engagement and profit through discounts and other incentives gives customers a reason to keep coming back, when they often have a saturated marketplace of choices. Offer rewards such as loyalty punch-cards, where their 10th purchase is free, or keep a database of customers’ birthdays to offer them special discounts and freebies when it’s time to celebrate.
8. Keep in touch with your customers
Maintaining personal relationships with your customers goes a long way toward fostering loyalty and retention. Once you’ve gathered customers’ contact information, you can use it to reach out to individuals directly, in addition to your general marketing communications.
Send customers and clients personalized digital birthday cards, holiday greetings, and thank you messages to show appreciation any time of year. Paperless Post offers customizable design templates you can brand with your logo, colors, photos, and more. Send thoughtful cards via text message, shareable link, or a Custom Email you can edit to match your branding. Customers will appreciate the personal touch and will go on to associate your business with both professional branding and thoughtfulness.
9. Submit for industry recognitions
Awards, competitions, and other recognitions within your industry can be impactful in providing your business with credibility and generating buzz. Submitting for local honors and awards is also a highly affordable promotion idea for small businesses, typically limited to a relatively low submission fee. As a bonus, even if your business doesn’t take home first place, any nominations or shortlistings can also be marketed to drive growth and impress potential customers.
Similarly, submitting to have your business featured or listed in local publications, recommendation guides, “best of” listicles, or area-specific websites can help bring in new clientele and lead to organic discovery.
Online and social media marketing ideas
In today’s digital landscape, any small business would be remiss not to use social media and other online platforms to their full potential. When it comes to small business promotion ideas, social media and digital marketing strategies are cost-effective, allow for plenty of creativity and branding, and can be done from anywhere!
10. Create social media accounts
First and foremost, make sure your business is utilizing social media to reach the widest possible audience. Determine what online platforms your target customers engage with most, and create unique accounts on each relevant social site, from Instagram to TikTok to LinkedIn and whatever else makes the most sense for your demographic.
Post frequently from your business social media accounts and follow accounts of similar brands, influencers, and more to build your follower count. Encourage customers to post about your business, tag your account, and share their posts to maximize engagement. Organize social media contests and giveaways such as photo competitions or “tag a friend” campaigns, and provide exclusive discount codes for your followers.
11. Partner with influencers
Grow your brand online with the help of popular and micro influencers with existing followings in your industry. Reach out to any relevant connections and contacts you have online to see if they would be willing to post promotional material on your small business’s behalf. You can offer discounts, free samples, or exclusive products in exchange for sponsored posts. Provide influencers with any important talking points you’d like them to hit (like your business name, where they can find you, and what you offer) while still encouraging their honest reviews and personalities to shine through, so any content feels genuine and unscripted.
12. Participate in viral trends
If you’re looking for unique and fun ways to market your small business on social media, make sure to pay attention to any digital trends and viral campaigns popping up. Capitalize on current memes, formats, challenges, dances, trending sounds and songs, or any other relevant pop culture happenings that align with your business and audience. Embrace humor, if that feels right for your brand, and determine a specific online voice and tone to interact with customers and other business accounts on social media.
13. Engage with business review websites
Another helpful promotion idea for small businesses is to interact with customers directly on any business review websites, like Google, Yelp, or wherever people are posting about their experiences at your business. Respond to any positive feedback with thoughtful messages of appreciation, shouting out any personal interactions you remember with the individual, to go the extra mile. Any negative or constructive feedback can be helpful as well, as customers will appreciate kind words in response to any less-than-ideal experiences they had and promises to implement changes going forward.
Event marketing ideas
Hosting and attending professional events provides an effective and enjoyable opportunity to grow your business, build connections, and establish your presence in the community. Read our guide to event marketing strategies, decide what event type lines up with your business goals and audience, and start planning it all with our collection of customizable, professional invitations for everything from casual networking drinks to formal charity galas.
14. Offer a demonstration
Attract new customers to your small business by hosting an exclusive demonstration of one of your products or services. If you’re running a personal training facility, for example, hold a free workout session for those interested in embarking on a fitness journey. If you run a bakery, bring customers into the kitchen to show them how the cakes and cookies get made fresh. Salon owners might consider demonstrating a live makeover of one lucky client. Whatever your niche, show it off to the world!
Make the demo a one-day-only (or weekend-long) event to drive urgency, and make sure to advertise the details on your social media accounts. You can create a shareable link with a Custom URL for your Paperless Post invitation and post it anywhere on the web, social media, or embed it within an email newsletter to spread the word far and wide.
15. Join community events
If there are any existing community-wide events in your area, such as Sunday farmers’ markets, weekend street fairs, craft festivals, or seasonal holiday pop-ups, sign your business up to participate with a stand or booth to market your small business in a lively, festive atmosphere.
These types of community events and block parties can get the word out about your business, give new customers the opportunity to try out your product or service, and foster networking opportunities with fellow vendors. If there are no existing community events that you know of, see if a group of local businesses would be interested in collaborating to host one with you! With Paperless Post invitations, you can designate co-hosts to help manage your event and access and edit all the planning details.
16. Host a panel or expert
Another savvy small business promotion idea to establish your brand as an authority in your field is hosting a notable speaker or panel on a topic of interest within your industry. You can hold this conference or reception at your business location, or rent out a separate event space to accommodate a larger audience. Let your attendees know who the expert speaker or speakers will be in advance by including a Speakers Block on your invitation event page, highlighting the notable guests’ bios, photos, and links to their websites.
17. Throw a soft launch
Hosting a soft launch event can be a beneficial marketing idea for small businesses that gets your name out there without having to go all out with a public grand opening (though those are also great, if you have the resources!). A soft launch guest list is typically limited to friends and family, so you can work out all the kinks and implement feedback before officially opening your doors. You can set a maximum capacity on your Paperless Post launch party invitations to ensure you have enough space, food, and drinks for all your guests, and send a broadcast message to guests after the big day thanking everyone for their attendance and feedback.
Build connections and promote your brand with Paperless Pro
Whether you’re throwing a launch party for your brand-new small business or celebrating an impressive business anniversary, Paperless Pro has the invitations and tools you need to make every professional event a success. A Paperless Pro subscription unlocks unlimited access to all of our premium invitation templates, advanced customization tools, and guest management features, all for one transparent, annual price. From on-brand event marketing to simple RSVP tracking and more, you’ll be able to spend less time planning and more time networking.
Find sophisticated, business-minded designs that streamline planning and impress guests.
