Low cost ways to market your business

Today, every business owner is looking to save money no matter the size of their business. Unfortunately, when times are tough many business owners think that the way to save money is by cutting marketing. This is a serious mistake. Keep in mind that if your customers can't find you or don't know what you have to offer them, how will they know to buy from you? Instead of cutting marketing when things are difficult savvy business owners know to refocus their marketing dollars to the places where they are getting the highest results. The good news is that there are many low cost marketing strategies that can provide high results. Here is what you need to know about how low cost ways to market your business-

- Provide education-All to often your customers only need a reason to buy from you. You can often give them a reason by providing an educational experience for them. Having a speaker or demonstration about something related to your business can often spread the word for a fairly low cost that you are the expert in your field. Keep in mind however, that you must be able to provide your customers with something of value. If you fail to do this they will not take your marketing seriously and it may even generate negative publicity instead of the result that you are looking for.
- Provide online access to your business-One of the lowest costs ways to successfully market your company is to get online. If you don't have an online presence for your business then you need to get one today. The best way to start out is to set up a website for your business. There are many different types of websites that you can set up and most of them are free!If you are unsure as to how to go about setting up a website there are many sites online that provide a free tutorial or you can turn to a technology minded family member, friend, or even employee. Once your website is set up then you can branch out on your online marketing using a business blog, email marketing, and social media sites for very low or even no cost.
- Provide co-op marketing-Keep in mind that most other businesses are struggling to find ways to market for a low cost, as well. You can often address this with other business owners and set up what is known as co-op marketing. This type of marketing can take many different forms however; the bottom line is that your business and another business join forces to market together. This can range from things as simple as putting in a business card from the other business into your outgoing mail to doing joint marketing events together. The main advantage of this is that each business gets to use their limited marketing resources in a more powerful and effective way when they are joined with another business(s).
- Provide the best customer service-This is often one of the most overlooked low cost ways to market your business. Studies show that many customers will return to buy from a business not because they offered something for the lowest price but rather because of the service experience they had with the business. In addition, when your customers leave happy with the way you treated them they are far more likely to recommend you to their family and friends. Business owners often underestimate the power of this "word of mouth marketing" that can not only generate repeat sales but bring in new customers, as well.