EPISODE 047 | APPLE PODCASTS | SPOTIFY

This is an exciting and bigger episode than usual. It’s full of helpful steps and methods. It’s a topic that I know will be helpful for so many small business owners — we’re looking in-depth at marketing on a budget. I feel so often we place so much attention on social media when it comes to marketing and whilst it plays an important role, there are many more methods we can focus on, without needing heavy investment. Whether you're just starting out or looking to refine your marketing efforts without breaking the bank, this episode is packed with practical strategies that you can implement right away.

I remember all of those feelings vividly, and to some extent, I’m going through them again right now as my business and brand have changed significantly since I pivoted within the last year, from having a flower design-led business to now supporting creative entrepreneurs within their own businesses. But I know that the marketing strategies that I’m using work; they are highly practical, they don’t need to take significant time to manage and to maintain consistently, they can be done without support from a large team and dedicated marketing department, and don’t need heavy investment. So although it’s definitely harder right now than it was following ten-plus years of dedicated focus on marketing for my flower brand, I know the right strategies to apply, and the steps to take, and I’m really excited to share them with you. These are the very same steps that I am using right now.

At the start of my business, I knew how important effective marketing would be, and I know this sounds obvious, but I placed an enormous amount of effort into this area, and I successfully positioned my brand as one of the go-to sources for flower design. I was regarded as a global authority, and although my design skills were strong, they were not necessarily stronger than thousands of other incredibly talented and dedicated florists. But alongside my design and floristry skills, I also made sure that I learned every possible marketing strategy that I could, and then I was consistent and continued to work hard at it. Growing a business successfully can be complex and a dedicated focus on marketing is a significant part of it. But it has to be marketing that is authentic and that you enjoy and that comes naturally to you because it’s impossible to maintain it if it’s something you can’t enjoy or sits comfortably.

Over the years, I have gone through a huge amount of trial and error, creativity, and a lot of persistence. And I definitely discovered that you don’t need a huge budget to make a big impact. In fact, I never had a marketing budget, other than investment from my time and investment in products to be able to share these and feature them in a variety of different publications and for collaborations with other brands, but the return was always significant. And still today, the most effective marketing strategies cost very little and yield the best results.

As a quick overview, I’ll be covering a range of topics to help you master budget-friendly marketing strategies. We'll start by defining what budget marketing is, why it's important, and discussing the common challenges small business owners face. Next, I'll explore social media marketing, offering tips for effectively using various platforms to engage with your audience and build a community. We'll then move on to content marketing, focusing on how to create valuable, shareable content that resonates with your target audience. Following that, I'll discuss email marketing, including how to build and maintain an email list, create compelling newsletters, and grow your list organically. I'll also provide an overview of budget-friendly tools and platforms that can enhance your marketing efforts.

Additionally, I'll emphasise the importance of networking and forming strategic partnerships, and how to leverage local events for marketing. Finally, I'll offer tips for measuring your marketing effectiveness and adjusting your strategies based on data and feedback. So, grab a notebook, get comfortable, and let's dive into the world of budget-friendly marketing strategies that can really help to transform your business.

Understanding Budget-friendly Marketing

Marketing on a budget is about utilising cost-effective strategies to promote your business without a significant financial outlay. It's about being resourceful, creative, and strategic in how you reach and engage your target audience. For small businesses, especially those just starting out, having a limited marketing budget is so common. However, this limitation can actually foster innovation and lead to highly effective and efficient marketing tactics.

Marketing on a budget involves finding ways to maximise your reach and impact without spending a lot of money. This could mean leveraging free or low-cost tools, utilising your existing network, and focusing on organic growth strategies.

I have heard again and again of crazy marketing budgets for specific marketing projects within huge corporations that were massively ineffective. So often, with a menial budget, you have to be hugely creative and come up with brilliantly organic strategies, and these strategies without a doubt lead to the most loyal form of customers.

If we look at Facebook advertising as an example, while it is effective, particularly if you are looking to grow your audience quickly, there is no denying that customers who discover your brand organically tend to be more loyal. According to a survey by Yotpo, customers who find your brand through organic means have a 50% higher lifetime value compared to those acquired through paid channels. Additionally, HubSpot's survey found that customers acquired through organic search have a 9% higher retention rate compared to those acquired through paid channels. These statistics highlight the power of organic marketing efforts, where customers actively seek out your brand or content, leading to a stronger connection and greater loyalty. This is a compelling reason to focus on organic strategies that build long-term relationships with your customers.

Common Challenges WITH MINIMAL BUDGETS

However, small business owners often face several challenges when it comes to marketing on a limited budget, and it’s important that we are also realistic about this.

Limited financial resources mean that we often have to make tough choices about where to allocate their marketing spend. This can be particularly challenging when there are so many different marketing channels and strategies to choose from.

As we are so often either a solopreneur juggling multiple roles or we have a small team, without a dedicated marketing department, we can be limited by a lack of expertise. Without a dedicated marketing team, we may well lack the expertise to implement and manage effective marketing strategies. This can lead to trial and error, which can be time-consuming and costly. There are though so many positives aspects to this, and I can’t wait to get into this, including how your marketing will undoubtedly be more genuine and authentic. This is a really interesting example from a wellness brand, and it’s from only a few months ago, the founder went from managing all the marketing herself to bringing in a dedicated marketing team and you could tell exactly when this had happened with the change in tone. Suddenly there were marketing slogans and it began to feel inauthentic. She was smart though, and listening to her followers, where so many had commented, she took the reins back again herself. Now I definitely don’t mean that a dedicated marketing team is ineffective, that’s far from true, but I really do want you to be fully aware of the large number of positives that sit beside the challenges we all face with our smaller businesses.

Another challenge is time management. Juggling multiple roles within the business can make it difficult to find the time to focus on marketing efforts. When you're responsible for everything from product development to customer service, marketing can sometimes take a backseat.

Benefits of Adopting Low-Cost Marketing Strategies

Despite these challenges, there are significant benefits to adopting low-cost marketing strategies:

Limited budgets often spur creativity and innovation, where we are forced to think outside the box and come up with unique ways to market our products and services.

Low-cost marketing strategies, such as social media engagement and content marketing, often involve direct interaction with customers, which really does build genuine, often long term relationships and helps to foster a loyal customer base.

By focusing on organic growth strategies, we can achieve sustainable growth without relying on heavy financial investment, which creates a considerably more stable and resilient business in the long run.

With a lean marketing budget, we can definitely be more agile and responsive to changes in the market, adapting strategies based on what’s working and what’s not, without being tied to large, inflexible campaigns.

Social Media Marketing

Let’s first look at social media, as it has completely transformed the way we can connect directly with our audience. With billions of active users on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, social media really does offer an incredible opportunity to reach and engage potential customers without a hefty price tag. If we, for a moment, remove any feeling of overwhelm that can come with using the platforms or that icky feeling that comes when we suddenly realise that we have been doom scrolling, with the algorithms neatly capturing our attention, we know that they are dynamic and interactive spaces where we can build incredible levels of brand awareness, foster strong relationships, and in time can drive sales. For small creative businesses, social media almost levels the playing field, allowing us to compete with larger companies by leveraging creativity and authenticity.

Facebook is ideal for building a community and engaging with a broad audience. You can use Facebook to share updates, host events, and run targeted ads, and you can join relevant groups and participate in discussions to increase your visibility.

Instagram is perfect for visual storytelling, where you can share high-quality photos, and videos, and use Stories to showcase behind-the-scenes content. By using Instagram Reels, you can reach a broader audience, where consistency is important, as is engaging with followers through comments and direct messages is crucial. I have an entire podcast episode dedicated to Instagram which you might want to listen to. It’s episode 025 and it’s simply called My Guide to Instagram. To note, I’m far from an Instagram expert, but I have found practical ways to use it effectively and grow my audience.

X (formerly Twitter) is great for real-time engagement and staying on top of trends, where you can share news, updates, and engage in conversations with your audience, and use relevant hashtags to increase your reach and participate in chats to connect with others in your industry.

LinkedIn is best for B2B marketing and professional networking, where you can share industry insights, and company updates, and engage with your professional network. You can also join LinkedIn groups related to your industry to share knowledge and connect with potential clients or collaborators.

Pinterest is one of the most underrated platforms. It’s excellent for driving traffic to your website, especially for creative businesses, where you can create visually appealing pins linked to your blog posts, products, or services, and organise your pins into themed boards to attract followers interested in specific topics. I will follow up at a later date with an episode focussed on Pinterest as I have a few brilliantly effective methods I’d love to share and Pinterest has become one of our website’s biggest sources of traffic.

How to Create Engaging Content that Attracts & Retains Followers

Let’s now move onto best practices and strategies for creating engaging content to help you build and retain a loyal following on social media:

Understand who your target audience is and what type of content they engage with. Tailor your posts to meet their interests and needs. It’s really important that you don’t post what you would simply like to. If you are not being strategic with the content, you’ll see little growth or effectiveness. You have to have some form of strategy and intention in place.

Focus on creating content that provides value to your audience, it’s great if it’s high-quality, but don’t let quality of the visuals hold you back as down to earth images perform much better than overly produced and shiny content. 

You don’t have to post everyday, but do maintain a consistent posting schedule to keep your audience engaged. It’s better to post less frequently and consistently, than staggered and random postings. To help you with this, look at social media management tools like Buffer or Hootsuite to plan and schedule your posts in advance.

Engaging with Your Audience & Building a Community

Next, and I speak about this a lot, as for me, this is the most important aspect of social media, it’s all about engagement. It’s crucial for building a loyal community on social media. There are a few tips that I swear by:

Reply to comments, messages, and mentions promptly. Show your audience that you value their input and are attentive to their needs. You don’t need to spend hours each day doing this, it can be a very quick few minutes, just respond with an authentic, genuine reply. And encourage interaction by asking questions in your posts. This can spark conversations and really increase engagement.

Hosting Live Sessions is really effective, I am though hesitant to say this one, as other than inside my online programmes, I don’t tend to host live events, but if this is your comfort place and you enjoy doing this, it is a highly effective way to use the platforms, where you can interact with your audience in real-time. You could host Q&A sessions, do product demos, or share behind-the-scenes content to build a deeper connection with your followers.

And finally, Collaborate with Others: This is something I did a huge amount of before and found it massively effective, and I will definitely prioritise it again. Although I never partnered with influencers, I did collaborate heavily with a large number of different brands, from small to large brands, most importantly, these were brands that shared a similar following, and it helped me to reach a far wider and broader audience. I still feel today that it is the most effective way to develop and grow your brand.

Content Marketing

Next, let’s look at content marketing, specifically in attracting and retaining customers. It's all about creating and sharing valuable, relevant content that speaks to your audience's interests and needs. By providing useful information, entertaining stories, or inspiring ideas, you can build trust and establish your brand as an authority in your field. This not only helps to attract new customers but also keeps existing ones engaged and loyal.

Content marketing allows you to showcase your expertise, share your brand's personality, and connect with your audience on a deeper level. It’s a way to provide value without always pushing for a sale, which can help build a stronger, more genuine relationship with your customers.

The key is to create content that is both valuable and shareable. There are a few different types of content:

Writing informative and engaging blog posts can help you attract visitors to your website. It’s important that you focus on topics that are relevant to your audience and provide insights or solutions to their problems or simply desires, it doesn’t always have to be about providing life changing solutions, particularly if you have a luxury offering. It ca be simple and interesting takeaways.

Videos are incredibly engaging and can be used to demonstrate products, share behind-the-scenes looks, or provide tutorials and how-to’s. They are versatile and can be shared on multiple platforms.

As we have already discussed, social media posts are also a form of content marketing.

Podcasts are a brilliant way to provide valuable content. I use our podcast to share insights, tips, and stories that resonate with our audience. They can really help you to build a loyal following by allowing listeners to connect with you on a more personal level. We are not quite experts at podcasting yet, we are nearly a year in, but it has become highly effective for us and I now have a neat, and relatively efficient system to fit all the research and recordings into my weeks. And we do have huge plans and hopes for our podcast, so it is very much something we are focussed on.

Quality is far more important than quantity, so take the time to produce content that really stands out, you know is valuable and reflects you and your brand, and you can be consistent with it. This is so important for when you are looking to build an audience. Set a regular posting schedule and stick to it. This helps your audience know when to expect new content and keeps them coming back for more.

I do this religiously with our podcasts and newsletters. Our audience knows to expect them every Thursday, without fail. I have been sending consistent Thursday newsletters now for over three years, one every single week and nearly a year with our podcast episodes. Our newsletter open rates are amongst the highest in my industry and our podcast has created a loyal following, and with this consistency, despite being a new show and only having a very small team producing it, and only the costs of hosting platform, we have already reached the top 3% of global podcasts, and I know this is a direct result of valuable content that speaks to my audience and because we are consistent every week.

And then promote your content, use social media, email marketing, and collaborations to promote the work you have taken time to put together, and engage with your audience by responding to comments and encouraging discussions. You can also look to publish your content on other brand’s blogs or websites in your niche. I used to do this a lot with both small and large brands, and it had a brilliant impact, often reusing the same content then on my own platforms. It really helps you to reach new readers and establish yourself as an authority in your field. And always make sure to include a link back to your own blog or website to drive traffic.

Importance of Building & Maintaining an Email List

OK, next is by far the most important part of your marketing and it’s where all your marketing efforts should be leading. Building and maintaining an email list. It is so important, especially for creative businesses. Through your email list, you can communicate directly with everyone, you can keep them informed about new products, special offers, and valuable content, the same content we have just spoken about i.e. content marketing. You may have heard this frequently being mentioned, unlike social media, where algorithms control visibility, email marketing gives you direct access to your customers' inboxes, making it a highly effective tool for engagement and conversion.

Email marketing also allows for personalisation, enabling you to tailor your messages to individual subscribers, making your communication more relevant and personal. And this direct and personalised approach typically results in higher conversion rates compared to other marketing channels.

Additionally, unlike social media platforms where you don't own your follower list, your email list is yours to keep, providing you with a valuable asset for long-term business growth.

Furthermore, email marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to reach your audience and drive sales, making it such an important tool for small businesses with limited budgets.

I am working hard on a number of different projects behind the scenes, and with that, my consistent posting on social media has taken a back seat, but I have remained absolutely consistent with our podcasts and newsletters. They are by far my most important focus when it comes to marketing. I will go back to being consistent again on social media, I’ve just had to allocate resources effectively for a period, which I know you will be able to relate to and hence much of the inspiration behind this episode. In fact, if there is only one takeaway from this podcast episode, please let it be your email list, where your first focus is simply establishing it, or ensuring the content you create is truly aligned with your brand and valuable to your target audience, or if you already have both of those in place, to next focus on being more consistent, with weekly newsletters. And please, please, just in case you are wondering and worrying, don’t be put off by thinking posting weekly is far too frequent. It is not, as long as your content is valuable and aligns perfectly with you and your brand.

Leveraging Online Platforms & Tools

Let’s move on to leveraging online platforms and tools, specifically budget-friendly options and strategies to maximise your online presence and effectiveness.

There are so many different and powerful online tools and platforms, with little to no cost. They can help you create, manage, and optimise your marketing campaigns more efficiently. We’ll explore just a few in this episode.

Tools like Canva and Adobe Spark allow you to create professional-quality graphics for social media, blogs, and other marketing materials without needing a graphic design background. There are free versions with a variety of templates and design elements to choose from.

You can use Google My Business (GMB), which is a free tool, to help you manage your online presence across Google, including Search and Maps, making it easier for potential customers to find your business. Just make sure your listing is complete with accurate information such as your business address, hours, contact information, and a link to your website. And if you take time to regularly update your profile with new photos, posts, and customer reviews, this helps to keep it current and engaging.

The Benefits of Online Review Sites & How to Encourage Positive Reviews

Another free option is using free review sites, such as Google Reviews, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Trustpilot. Positive reviews will have a significant impact on your business's reputation and help to attract new customers. When you are working with a happy client or customer, ask them to leave a review and explain the hugely positive impact it has on your business. Often people are so happy to support small businesses, particularly when they receive exceptional service, by nature we tend to want to help, and it’s not something that is necessarily obvious to people, so you simply need to ask. You can also include links to review sites in your email newsletters and on your website to make it easy for customers to leave feedback.

Basic Search Engine OptimiSation (SEO) to Improve Website Visibility

Another clear strategy is to make use of basic search engine optimisation (SEO) to improve your website visibility. It is a highly cost-effective way to increase your website's visibility and attract organic traffic. Start with basic SEO practices such as keyword research to identify the terms your target audience is searching for. Incorporate these keywords naturally into your website's content, including titles, headers, and meta descriptions. And ensure your website is mobile-friendly and has a fast loading speed, as these factors influence search engine rankings.

The usual culprit is large images, so make sure these are within the recommended size, so your site is always quick to load. A few years ago we went through a massive process of resizing all our images and it made a significant impact on engagement across our whole site.

And make sure you regularly update your website with fresh content that's high-quality and relevant at addressing your audience's needs, which will have a direct impact on your SEO performance.

Strategic Partnerships

Let’s now move on to Networking and Partnerships, two incredibly powerful tools for budget marketing that can significantly enhance your business's visibility and reputation.

Forming strategic partnerships with other small businesses can be a win-win situation. These partnerships allow you to pool resources, share audiences, and create joint marketing initiatives that can benefit both parties.

This has always been one of my main marketing focuses and I’d love to take you through a few tips to help you form effective partnerships:

Look for businesses that offer products or services that complement your own. For example, if you run a wedding planning business, partnering with a local florist or photographer could be beneficial.

Start by simply reaching out and begin to engage with potential partners, first building an initial relationship. This can be done via networking events, joining local business groups, or connecting via social media.

Once you have established a relationship, propose a few different ideas that can benefit both of you, this part is so important, it has to be a project that offers equal opportunities. Examples would be joint promotions, co-hosted events, or shared content creation. It’s so important that the partnership offers clear benefits for both of you.

The Power of Word-of-Mouth & Referral Marketing

Word-of-mouth and referral marketing are incredibly powerful and cost-effective ways to grow your business. When happy customers share their positive experiences with others, it can significantly boost your reputation and attract new customers.

To encourage word-of-mouth and referrals, you need to focus on a few key strategies. Firstly, and this may sound obvious, but make sure you are delivering exceptional service at every possible opportunity to ensure every customer has a positive experience with your business.

Exceptional service will naturally lead to positive word-of-mouth.

Secondly, encourage reviews and testimonials. We covered this earlier, but it comes into referral marketing. Take time to ask happy customers to leave reviews and share these on your website, social media, and marketing materials.

Thirdly, you might want to create a referral programme, and I would actually consider simply asking loyal customers to refer you and explain exactly the impact it has, rather than offering incentives as you might feel you have to, to encourage referrals. I spoke with Nick Jenkins recently. Nick is the founder of Moonpig.com, one of the UK’s most successful online retailers and he revolutionised personal greeting cards. During our conversation, he highlighted the importance of exactly this, simple word of mouth and genuine referrals, without incentives. It was something that he focussed on successfully within his own business, which he grew to multiple millions. There is so much to learn from him and you’ll find this conversation across two podcast episodes 040 and 041.

Measuring & Adjusting Your Marketing Efforts

Let’s look at the very last focus within this topic, and this is where it might be very easy to switch off or zone out, so I want to make sure that you’re still with me. It’s so important that we measure and then adjust our marketing efforts, to make sure our strategies are effective and bring us the best results.

Start by defining clear objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) for each of your marketing campaigns. This could include metrics like website traffic, conversion rates, social media engagement, email open rates, and sales. Having clear KPIs will help you measure your success and make informed decisions.

Next, utilise analytics tools like Google Analytics, social media insights, and email marketing analytics to track the performance of your campaigns. Google Analytics can provide comprehensive data on your website traffic, including where visitors are coming from, what pages they visit, and how long they stay. Social media platforms offer insights into engagement, reach, and follower growth, while email marketing platforms track open rates, click-through rates, and conversions.

In addition to quantitative data, gather qualitative feedback from your customers. You can use surveys, polls, and direct feedback to understand what they like and dislike about your marketing efforts. This feedback can provide valuable insights that numbers alone may not reveal. And speak with them directly, whether it’s face-to-face, via Zoom, via DMs in social media, emails, or by phone. Over the last few weeks, I have had numerous one-to-one calls with many of our audience to really understand where they need support, and this is having a big impact both on our new offerings and marketing strategy.

Set aside time regularly to review your analytics and feedback. Look for trends, patterns, and any areas that need improvement.

And use the insights gained from your analytics and feedback to adjust your marketing strategies. If a particular campaign or content type is performing well, consider investing more resources into it. Conversely, if something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to pivot and try a different approach. Flexibility and responsiveness are key to effective marketing.

We've covered a lot of ground in this episode, and I hope you've found it invaluable.

I hope you feel excited about implementing or refining these budget-friendly marketing strategies in your business. Remember, even small, consistent efforts can lead to significant results over time. Start with one or two strategies that resonate most with you and build from there.

And if you have any questions or want to share your progress, please send me an email at hello@philippacraddock.com or drop me a DM on Instagram. And in light of what I’ve shared today, if you are still with me, I very much hope that means that what I‘ve shared has been hugely helpful, and if that is the case, can you please take just a minute to leave a review on the podcast platform you are listening on. It really does make a big difference, and I appreciate it so much. You can also send me a message afterwards to let me know, so I can then say a huge thank you! And if you know someone who you think will benefit from this episode, please do let them know, it’s an incredibly kind act, in many ways.

Much love,
Philippa