It’s a competitive world. And having your business in the public eye takes work.

A well planned multi-pronged marketing strategy can help to achieve sales targets but is a luxury that most small businesses cannot afford. Further, many businesses are reluctant to set a large budget for marketing activities, as it may or may not bring them the desired result. It’s a game of chance that not everyone can play big, but is one that all can afford to play smart.

Having a shoestring budget for marketing should not be looked upon as limiting or restrictive; but rather an opportunity to seek out ways of promoting a business using alternate methods that are available, easy to

implement and helps build brand and Internet footprint.

Here are some great ways you can help your business be known without breaking budgets.

1.​ ​List​ ​your​ ​Business​ ​on​ ​Local​ ​Search​ ​Engine​ ​Directories

Entering your business on the popular local directories makes you accessible for any potential customer that might have been searching for the services you offer.

There are many free listing platforms including Google and Bing where you can enter your data easily. Yahoo charges nominally for their local listings but at the same time offers you a chance to be visible on 50+ online platforms with a single data entry.

2.​ ​Promote​ ​via​ ​Guest​ ​Posts​ ​on​ ​Popular​ ​Networks

The pen is mightier than words. And the pen can help your business reach a larger audience.

Write blogs relevant to your business expertise and try to post them on local platforms- a news website, content channel, or anywhere relevant and with traffic. Just choose well. After all, it is going to reflect on your business

and you have to present professionally. Publish fresh content regularly to keep your links alive. Engage SEO tools to increase your chances of being noticed. Reply to all comments posted and remember to add on social sharing options to make your blog posts shareable. Include short bios and backlinks, if the website policy allows you to do so.

Blog posts are a good tool for non-invasive advertising.

3.​ ​Discover​ ​Niche​ ​Social​ ​Media​ ​Platform​ ​Groups​ ​&​ ​Use​ ​them​ ​for​ ​your​ ​Benefit

Social media can be used to market a business. You don’t have to engage cost per click media ad campaigns to do so. And you can start to expand your reach to larger audiences.

Understand your customers and create a list of social media platforms they visit often. Then create relevant profiles and broadcast news, events or any other information that may be of interest to your potential customers. You can also use social media to interact with your customers and learn from feedback they provide. Know your local community and engage with a local flavor.

4.​ ​ ​Promote​ ​your​ ​Business​ ​using​ ​Local​ ​Self ​Service Advertising​ ​Platforms

There is nothing better than being self-sufficient. Whether you are a brick-and-mortar business, online-based business or individuals, posting your ads on local self service advertising platforms can help extend your brand reach by exposing you to the thriving local market.

The steps are simple. Seek out trustworthy self service advertising platforms, frame engaging advertisements with your target audience in mind, have an engaging Call-To-Action, and post it to reach across digital platforms and search engines. And share the ads on the social media.

The best self service advertising platforms provide your advertisement with its own that unique URL. Google loves it and it will help your ranking i.e. be found! As an example, check out www.shopwhere.com.

5.​ ​Quora​ ​Answering

A curious man is the one who causes change. People are curious by nature, but not all of us channel our curiosity to bring about a change. We must ask questions and seek out answers. And with the sf end of the Internet, we are never too far from an expert.

As an example, there is Quora. Quora is a super-utilized question-and-answer service platform which is full of interesting queries. It is like a hub of intellectuals that thrive to connect with people with and outside their

expertise.

Quora can be a worthwhile place to promote your business more widely. You can present opinions related to your business, see the latest ‘know-hows’, build a presence, gain followers and potentially reach to new customers. Always remember to ask questions, both on Quora and to the person sitting next to you!

6.​ ​Keyword​ ​Advertising

Opting for keyword advertising is obvious. There is nothing that can beat a focused mode of advertising. It can help you build a presence on google search via keyword research. Just be mindful it requires an ongoing budget which you can control, and careful monitoring.

To have Adwords work for your business, you need to dig deep into your business offerings and select keywords that suit your business the best and rank well on Google, and then bid to place your advertisements in the search results of those specific keywords. Again, careful with your budget!

7.​ ​Video​ ​Advertising

Video content is growing in popularity. Every day we see new viral videos, whether they promote a social cause, a brand campaign or are simply humorous. There is a reason why the number of solely video-based

networking platforms are on the rise. So try and use such platforms to get your business advertisement reach out.

Utilize popular video-engaging areas like YouTube, Dailymotion, and Vine to place your ad before the start of the video, on the search results or even on the website.

Your videos can be uploaded and used in your advertisements on platforms such as shopwhere.com. In-fact, they can be uploaded from ShopWhere.

8.​ ​Distribute​ ​Press​ ​Release​ ​Regularly​ ​about​ ​News​ ​&​ ​Events

Celebrate everything new happening in your business by letting people know about it. Take help of your local news agencies by providing them well-written press releases describing a new launch, the start of a promotional period, staff recruitment, seminar or anything that is relevant and builds brand and trust in your market.

Develop relationships with the editors of various publications to help your press releases get published.

9.​ ​ ​Request​ ​Feedback​ ​Posts​ ​from​ ​Happy​ ​Clients

Build on the success your customers are having with your product or service.

Your satisfied clients can help you bring more business by providing their valuable comments on websites, blog posts, and forums.

If your customers are having good experiences, they will most probably tell their family and friends. Having comments written expands the audience that gets to know the good news!

10.​ ​Offer​ ​Coupons​ ​and​ ​Promotional​ ​Codes

Providing special coupons and deals is s great way to market your business. While it helps current customers to keep coming back, used smartly and can excite new customers to action.