Least expensive marketing campaigns for a small business

As a small business owner one thing that you need to be aware of is that in order to run a small business successfully you are going to need to have an effective marketing campaign in place. The biggest problem that most small business owners face when it comes to having an effective marketing plan in place is how expensive most marketing campaigns are. Most small business owners are on a tight budget, especially if you are just opening your small business or are trying to make it through the recession. The good news is that if you are on a tight budget there are marketing campaigns that you can use that are inexpensive, but also very effective.

Here are some of the least expensive marketing campaigns that you can use for a small business.

Number one: Postcard
Postcard marketing is probably the least expensive marketing techniques that you can use; it is also one of the most effective marketing techniques around for a small business. This campaign works so well because more people are apt to read a postcard than they are a letter because with a postcard all you have to do is flip the postcard over and read it. With letters they usually end up in the trashcan unopened, meaning they never got read. Another benefit to using postcards is that they are easy to hang up on the refrigerator for future reference.

Number two: Email
Email marketing is a marketing campaign that allows users to sign up for updates and specials, such as newsletters, if they wish. Creating an email marketing campaign is rather simple, but you are going to need to have a website for your business. You are going to want to have a website that will draw in more customers to your business, through your website you are going to want to entice them to sign up for news and updates from your company. A good email marketing campaign can increase your sales, enhance your customer relationships, and increase your brand recognition.

Number three: Internet marketing
Email marketing is only the most basic of the internet marketing campaigns that you can have for your small business. As long as you have a website for your business you can take advantage of the numerous internet marketing campaigns because they are all fairly inexpensive. One of the most common methods of internet marketing is advertisements that you can create and then make arrangements for other people to place your ads on their websites. You can also take advantage of pay per click advertising and banner ads to name a few. With internet marketing campaigns what you need to know is that you need to create eye catching ads that will entice your customers to continue returning to your page time and again.

Number four: Surveys
Another simple, but effective marketing campaign is surveys, which are also rather inexpensive as long as you do everything yourself. Surveys are a great way to increase awareness of your company and its products, but they can also give you ideas on how and where to improve your company so that your business is successful. The great thing about using surveys for your marketing campaign is that you have a variety of options to choose from to accomplish the marketing campaign, meaning you can have them mailed back to your business, faxed back, or even have them filled out face to face.

Just keep in mind that whichever techniques that you choose in order to create a successful marketing campaign you are going to have to combine more than one technique.