DIY Marketing On A Dime: 7 Low-Budget Marketing Hacks To Attract New Customers

No budget for a marketing agency? Check out these 7 Low-budget DIY marketing hacks to bring in new customers starting today. 

 

DIY marketing hacks

DIY marketing hacks that you can implement today if you don’t have the budget to hire that website marketing agency.

Launching a business startup requires time, money, and resources.

Without them, how will new customers find your business?

Looking at the big picture, it’s crucial to build a recognizable brand people value and trust. Fortunately, you won’t need a huge budget to do that. Here are seven low-budget DIY marketing hacks that’ll chime the lovely cha-ching of success without purging your wallet.

 

1. Join Conversations On Social Media 

Social media is kind of like a nightclub for consumers with no entry fee. They can effortlessly scroll Instagram or Facebook and engage with their favorite accounts and businesses. That’s likely why 66% of consumers follow or like their favorite brands on Facebook.

 

And Twitter? There’s no better place to jump in on second-to-second dialogue than hopping on a popular Twitter hashtag or thread. You can also pop over to the “Trending” section to see what hot topics are flaring up.

 

Engaging with online communities centered around your niche is a cheap DIY marketing hack that requires zero output. There are a few cardinal rules for joining conversations on social media. The ultimate goal is to be real and transparent with your audience and impress them with your helpfulness and industry expertise. 

 

If you’re starting out and don’t have an audience yet, here’s some social media etiquette 101 as a springboard:

 

  • Respond to all DMs and comments you receive to show that you’re active and relevant.
  • Find related Facebook groups, join, and start engaging with the community.
  • Find out which hashtags thread into your niche and start engaging. Say you own a craft business; follow hashtags like #DIY and #MakersMovement and leave genuine comments on posts, offer advice, and get involved.

 

When it comes to DIY marketing hacks, joining the conversation is a great way to build exposure, form genuine connections, and grow your network!

As a bonus, check out these 10 social media tools to help juice up your DIY marketing hack campaign.

 

2. Curate Content On Pinterest

What is Pinterest, and why is it one of the best low-budget DIY marketing hacks on our list? 

 

Think about it: When you don’t know something, you Google it. Well… when you want something, you Pin it!

 

What is it?

Pinterest is an inspirational, visual search platform people use to discover recipes, DIY projects, shop for clothing and accessories, and find information. 

 

Why should you use it?

First of all, Pinterest is completely free. There are 300 million global users, and 98% of users actively “try” pins. Trying a pin means someone followed the pin to a website’s product page, blog post, video, or website.

 

Pinterest is a notoriously active visual search platform. Plus, it has a sustainable, compounding effect. When you actively pin, people repin your content, and there’s no expiration date or limit to the amount of engagement a pin can get. 

 

Long story short: Pinterest is effective, and if you follow a strategy, you can see results quickly.

 

Use these Pinterest tips to create content, drive traffic, and get sales without spending a dime:

 

  • Make 3-6 original pins for each of your products, services, how-tos, recipe cards, blog posts, and videos. 
  • Create rich pins by fleshing out the pin’s title and description, and don’t forget to link to your product!
  • Use free graphic design software like PosterMyWall to create unique, branded pins easily. You’ll find hundreds of Pinterest templates to customize, or you can build your own from scratch, just be sure they’re formatted to the standard 2:3 aspect ratio or 
  • Create Boards for your pin categories like blog posts or recipes. For example, devote one board to “Highlights” and pin best-selling products or in-depth blog guides there.
  • Actively pin original content and shared content every day. Use the popular “Original-Repin-Ratio,” by posting about 80% original pins and 20% repins.

 

3. Repurpose Content For Multiple Mediums

Do you want to save time and produce more content? Then it’s time to get savvy on repurposing and recycling existing content into new, fresh media. 

 

It’s one of the best affordable DIY marketing hacks because you’re squeezing more life out of the content you already created. In other words: you’re just repackaging it.

Repurpose Content

Source: PosterMyWall

 

Here are some concepts to help you dive through the archives and throw a fresh spin on existing content:

 

  • First, go through your blog or social media content and think about how you can throw a new spin on it. 
  • Find informational guides and transition them to a new medium. For example, if you wrote a blog post about the best techniques for planting succulents, why not convert it into a quick video for social media? 
  • Take the same blog post and turn the highlights into a visually compelling infographic.
  • Now fire out that infographic out to your newsletter and post it to your social accounts.

 

The key here is to take comprehensive, informational content and section it into bite-sized, digestible pieces that help your audience. 

 

Better yet? Put content into motion with engaging videos!

 

4. Create Engaging Video Content On The Cheap

Video marketing in 2020 is vital. The stakes are increasingly higher as people batten down the hatches and tune into their devices.

 

What do they want to see? Video content from their go-to brands, of course!

Think about it: Do you think a consumer would rather read a vivid description of a new product or see an unboxing video?

 

Chances are they’re going to watch the video.

 

The truth is that people are visual. If you have the choice to include product or service videos for your business, why pass it up? Especially considering what you have to gain — a 64-85% boost in conversion rates!

 

Videos are compelling, engaging, helpful, and interactive. A video pulls us in far more than an image because it crystallizes a product into a tangible thing — not just some over-edited, glossy picture.

 

But isn’t video production expensive? Not today!

You’ve got a smartphone and WiFi, right? Then all you need is free video editing software and professionally designed templates from PosterMyWall make the perfect DIY marketing hack to get you started.

 

Here are some easy-to-create video marketing ideas:

 

  • Instructional videos or how-to content: For example, food industry brands can craft 60-second recipes like this Best-Ever Guacamole video. It’s interactive, it’s delicious, and it’s tied in with a blog post — a great example of repurposing content!
  • Product videos for each item in your collection, like this gallery from organic clothing brand, Pact.
  • Behind the scenes of your business operations or production process: Peel the curtain back and show your audience exactly what goes on day-to-day, like this behind the scenes look at Starbucks.
  • Q&A/interview with owners or team members: Humanize your brand by putting its story in front of the camera. Ask your followers to chime in with their questions and answer them in a Facebook Live or Instagram Stories segment, like this “Ask Canon” Q&A sequence from Canon USA.
  • Tease an upcoming launch: Tease new products by posting short video snippets highlighting the product features, like this sequence of the new GoPro Hero8. If this doesn’t make consumers want to buy the GoPro, skateboard down a mountain, or take a selfie with a tiger, I don’t know what will.

 

5. Host A Contest or Giveaway

Want to get people pumped about your brand? There isn’t a more effective DIY marketing hack to get people excited than giving away free stuff.

 

The appeal of a giveaway is that you don’t technically have to cough up any major expenses. Sure, you’ll need to offer something worth playing for, but you likely already have it in your product collection. 

 

Check out this giveaway from Elf Cosmetics. The brand offers a $100 gift card to two participants who like the post, follow the page, and tag their friends in the comments. 

host a giveaway

Source: Elf Cosmetics

 

You’ll gain an influx of new followers for minimal funds, drive people to your website, and build excitement about your brand. 

 

6. Cross-Promote With Other Small Businesses 

Partnering with other small businesses is a potentially great low-budget DIY marketing hack because all you have to do is join forces to tap into a broader audience.

 

Start by finding small businesses in your niche that align with your mission and values. For example, an ocean conservancy nonprofit could join forces with a local swimwear brand. The goal is to access audiences that fit your target demographic. 

 

Incentivize buyers to shop by offering discounts at each store. Both parties can cross-promote to their collective audience.

 

Taking this tactic requires zero funds, and the gains are sizable. 

 

Need proof? Leave it to Apple and MasterCard’s genius conception of Apple Pay, the pay from your phone partnership brilliance that literally changed the way we make purchases.

 

7. Implement A Customer Referral Program

Did you know that 92% of consumers trust recommendations from reviews or their peers over advertisements? That’s because referrals offer buyer assurance that your offerings have been tried, tested, and trusted.

 

An affordable way to bring in new customers and endorse your brand is to implement a customer referral program.

 

The process is straightforward and boils down to a few easy steps:

 

  • Offer existing customers discounts once they reach a specific amount of referrals
  • Once their referrals make a purchase, reward the referrer with a free product, major discount, or complimentary gift on their next purchase
  • Enroll the new customers into the program as well to capitalize on your momentum
  • Encourage referrals by offering giveaways or free products to those who refer the most amount of new customers

 

A referral program is a low-budget DIY marketing that that will bring in more leads, build trust with your existing clientele, and skillfully persuade your customers to promote your brand. 

 

DIY Marketing Hacks Made Easy

You don’t need a massive budget to market effectively. Chances are, you already have content and products to work with, and now you have some great affordable DIY marketing hacks to attract new customers on a dime.

Here are 10 more must have tools to help your DIY marketing hack progress.

Follow the steps in this guide to build hype, bring in new customers, increase sales conversions, and grow your business!