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When budgets are tight, it’s time to develop creative, cost-effective ways to make an impact: stunts that grab attention, partnerships that expand your reach, and shareable content that resonates with your audience.
With ingenuity and strategy, you can turn limited resources into maximum exposure.
Let’s dive into this below with some real examples. But first, check out these other newsletters if you’re looking for more business and marketing content in your inbox.
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Three ways to market without a big budget
When budgets are tight, ingenuity is your best weapon. Let’s focus on three tactics that pack a punch: stunts, connections, and content.
1. Stunts: Stand out by being bold
Stunts grab attention and generate buzz when done right. They don’t have to be expensive—just memorable.
Example: During the morning commute, a local coffee shop takes over a busy area and hands out free cups of coffee with its social handle printed on the sleeve, encouraging people to snap and share a photo of their free coffee.
Why It Works: People love and share surprises online, organically expanding your reach. You might win over the people you handed free coffee to and their online friends and followers.
How to Start: Brainstorm something playful or unexpected that fits your brand. Tie it back to your core offering so the buzz turns into conversions. Ensure your idea is fully baked—in the example above, it wasn’t just about the free coffee but also encouraging people to share it online. Place your logo prominently!
2. Connections: Network for influence
Your network is another form of net worth. Leverage your business relationships to amplify your efforts.
Example: A yoga studio collaborates with a smoothie shop for wellness packages. Non-competing but related businesses can be great for cross-promotional campaigns.
Why It Works: You access their audience while reinforcing your value to your own. If you do it right, it's a win-win. Some audiences overlap with others.
How to Start: List businesses, creators, or influencers that align with your brand values. Reach out with a clear, mutually beneficial pitch. Make sure you focus on how it will benefit the other business, not just yours.
3. Content: Create something people will share
Great content can gain traction, turning limited resources into exponential exposure.
Example: A business creates a graphic or short video that has fun with something related to its business or that allows the viewer to participate. For example, a bakery challenges people to share a video or photo in which they come up with the name of a new flavor and try to bake it.
Why It Works: Content is shareable, searchable, and evergreen. It can live online, driving traffic long after the initial push. Even content that doesn’t go viral might drive a few new leads your way.
How to Start: Tap into common trends in your niche. Present your take in a format that’s easy to consume and share. Consider something that might make a good series, so this isn’t just a one-and-done post. If one post in your series gains traction, it will help drive traffic to the others.
Maximum impact
You don’t need a big budget to make waves. You need bold ideas, meaningful connections, and a knack for storytelling. Experiment, measure what sticks, and don’t be afraid to push the envelope.
What are you trying next? Share your thoughts on LinkedIn or reply to this email—I’d love to brainstorm with you!
Thanks for reading. I’ll talk with you again next Sunday.
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