In order to succeed in any business, marketing and advertising efforts must be superior to those of competitors. Although marketing and advertising can be costly, there are ways to market a company organically which are free of charge. With some planning, effort, and determination, one can spread brand awareness without having to tap into the budget.
Of course, organic and paid for marketing are the best combination in getting the word out about your business and promoting your products or services properly. To get started, here are a few tips on making the most of your organic marketing efforts.
The Online Basics
The first port of call is obviously your website. A well developed and optimized website which is simple and easy to navigate will rank higher on search engines. Consumers that can easily find you online is a great way to draw organic leads and sales. This process is called Search Engine Optimization, or SEO. When establishing your website, ensure your developers understand the importance of SEO and incorporate the building blocks on the back-end to support optimizing the website. If you are not able to do SEO on your own, you may have to consider employing a consultancy to manage this process for you.
Social media would be the next step in your organic marketing arsenal. Social media enhances your search engine optimization efforts by building an online community with the purpose of strengthening your brand offering, reputation, and engagement. This can be done free of charge and can create the brand activation processes you need to operate efficiently. There are various resources available online to teach you how to optimize your social media efforts in order to add to your bottom line. Reaching out to influencers who can align themselves with your brand and have a significant follower base can also be beneficial in your organic marketing efforts. You may have to offer trials or samples of your products to do this though.
Out and About
The next step in organic marketing is visual communication methods and networking. Visual communication means resources that advertise your business in ways that are not online. Consider branding your vehicle, wearing branded clothing or accessories, or leaving business cards on social boards or meetings.
Networking is especially beneficial to marketing if you’re an entrepreneur rather than a big business. Networking can help to establish yourself as an expert or thought leader in your industry. Attend networking events related to your business such as meetings, gatherings or consider volunteering on boards and mentoring young children or adults.
The power of word of mouth is still a contender within the marketing industry and the best way to implement this strategy is to network with your peers and community. There are so many great ways you can increase your brand footprint organically, free of charge or for very little cost. All you need to do is put in some research, time and effort to reap the marketing rewards.