Essential Low-Cost Business Marketing Tools You Need Right Now

When you’re bootstrapping your start up, finding the best, low-cost business marketing tools goes a long way towards establishing a positive ROI.

business marketing tools

As a new business, you really want to establish business growth as rapidly as possible.

There are literally thousands of marketing tips and tricks to help design and market your website in order to move leads through your sales funnel effectively. In this post we’re going to take a look at a few essential business marketing tools you may have overlooked that could play a huge part in increasing your profit margins.

 

 

To grow your business you should harness these three business essentials:

  1. printed marketing materials
  2. promotional products
  3. business management software.

To find out more and to learn about their benefits, keep reading.

 

 

Printed marketing materials

You may think that traditional print marketing is becoming obsolete, but you’d be wrong.

There is still power and influence in printed marketing materials, and when used in conjunction with your digital marketing efforts it can bring great returns.

 

Forget printed ads in newspapers and magazines – they may not be effective for your business. Instead, get your own printed marketing materials made and distribute them smartly.

They are cheap to get created, especially when you work with a business essentials printing solution company.

 

The printed marketing materials you should consider include:

 

Business cards

It’s crucial that you have business cards made and that you hand them out at every opportunity. It may not seem like you’re doing a lot, but the subtlety of this act is incredibly effective. You are nurturing a relationship between your business and that lead, and because they will likely keep it in their wallet or in their house you will stay top-of-mind.

Pro Tip: business cards are one of the cheapest business marketing tools you can get for your business and there are dozens of great ways to use them.

For example if you sell online, drop a business card in every order that you send out. This is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to get customers coming back.

 

Flyers and posters

Flyers and posters have a great impact because you can distribute just about anywhere and again at a relatively low cost.

For example if you’re bootstrapping for business, you may opt to hang them wherever you can like; lampposts around your neighborhood, bulletin boards, train stations, local churches, cafes, pubs, etc.

The more often prospective customers see your brand message the more they will come to identify with you, and the higher the chance they will invest in your business.

 

Brochures

By using brochures you can creatively and effectively communicate your brand message and showcase your offerings. Even if your business operates mostly online, your brochure will reach an offline audience and educate them about what you do. Plus, having tangible printed materials will enhance your digital channels.

Building brand awareness through printed materials is an incredibly effective marketing tactic. Consider what type of material will work for your business and leverage it.

 

 

Promotional Products

promotional products

Another low-cost business tactic that can add real value to your marketing efforts is investing in promotional products.

Distributing items that are branded can be instrumental to the growth of your business as they will enhance your brand awareness tremendously.

The benefits of promotional products include: they’re cost-effective, they enhance brand awareness, they reach a wider audience, they are long-lasting and you can increase the trust between brand and consumer.

 

Even small items are effective in spreading your brand’s message.

For example, if someone uses a pen that has your name on it, they will see your business’s name every time they use that pen (and so will the people around them).

You are therefore continuing to nurture your relationship with that person by doing nothing at all, and this growing familiarity means you earn their trust, and soon their business.

 

Additionally, if you distribute branded umbrellas, every time it rains a person who uses one of your umbrellas becomes a walking advertisement for your business. And if that umbrella is good quality it may be kept for years, meaning that for a small initial cost you can market your audience indefinitely.

 

Other promotional products that have the same lasting effect include:

  • Mugs
  • Notebooks
  • T-Shirts
  • Tote bags

These things may seem silly or just really obvious, and maybe that’s what makes them so overlooked.

But here’s a great example of how we made tote bags work for one of our customers at a trade show:

If you’ve ever been to a trade show, well then you know there’s a LOT of crap you end up carrying around. We brought about 2,000 branded tote bags (that were really large, large enough to fit all other vendors bags inside). By the end of the first day the show was a sea of bright yellow bags with our logo everywhere. They worked so well, in fact, that we had dozens of comments about how great they were.

The key is to make products that are useful, high-quality and long-lasting.

If you make something that breaks easily, your business will risk looking shabby or unprofessional, thus your image will be tarnished.

 

If you do this right, you will generate more consumer interest and enhance your other marketing efforts, all for a low-cost investment.

 

Business management software

business management software

Nowadays, most business operations take place online and processes are mostly digital.

The majority of businesses process at least a portion of their operations online from taxes to simple word docs and even virtual meetings. Tasks and projects like these are now organized and assigned online instead of in person.

In order to effectively manage and track business operations online, there are certain software, programs and business marketing tools that you should adopt. Not only do they help productivity, but they are low-cost and reduce operational expenses.

Some Awesome Business Management Software You Should Take a Look at:

 

G Suite

G Suite

G Suite is owned by Google and is a computer software that allows organizations to store, move, edit and share important data internally and externally. It is a type of cloud computing, meaning that storage space is unlimited, and features apps Gmail (professional email for businesses) and shareable calendars. Using G Suite for your business – big or small – will increase productivity and speed up management processes.

In fact Pixel Productions uses G Suite and recommends it to all their clients.

 

Dropbox

DropBox

Dropbox is a file hosting service that uses cloud-based computing.

With Dropbox, you can store and share files and documents in a few easy clicks. It can be used by businesses and individuals alike.

Pro Tip: the more you share drop box, the more FREE space you get for people new to it.

 

Skype

skype

Skype is the contemporary digital solution to telecommunications.

It is an application that allows its users to message, voice call and video chat with each other seamlessly. Each individual is given a unique caller ID, similar to a phone number, and can communicate with anyone, anywhere around the world, at any time.

 

Trello

trello

Trello is a project management platform that allows businesses and teams to assign, track and monitor tasks seamlessly. This software is customizable and easy to use.

If you need a task tracking tool, Trello is a great option.

 

These modern online workspaces take out the hassle of administrative tasks. They are all low-cost, collaborative, easy to use and will enhance your business management.

Plus, they are all downloadable as apps on smartphones, meaning you can complete work on-the-go.

 

Conclusion

By leveraging the power of these business marketing tools and promotional products, you will witness amazing results in terms of brand awareness, generating leads and securing more customers.

And, if you want to improve your productivity and keep up to date with the digital era, introduce low-cost business software like G Suite and Skype into your business processes. If you do all of these, your business will grow at a speed like never before.