How to boost your brand when you don’t have a marketing budget
You’ve invested all of your dollars into your business, now how do you tell everyone you exist?
We’ve listed 8 tips to build a market presence and really get seen – even when you don’t have the marketing or PR dollars to spend.
1. Use Bartercard
We’re cutting straight to the chase - if you don’t have a cash budget for marketing, use Bartercard trade dollars to land exposure without the cash bill instead. Bartercard has hundreds of media companies, including magazines and industry publications, where you can advertise your business and showcase your brand without the hard cash.
Don’t have any print or digital assets? Use graphic designers on Bartercard to create all of your artwork and collateral, including a killer brand. But take one step back – what’s your market position? Bartercard has digital marketing and PR agencies available too, so you can put your brand in the hands of experts to position and maximise its market reach.
2. Research and build relationships
Get to know the journalists and influencers in your industry. Write a list including their area of expertise and contact details. Follow them on social media and like and comment on their posts before reaching out to them directly. Consider what valuable information and expertise you can add instead of focusing directly on your brand - whether it’s a new restaurant trend or a new menu item making a splash.
3. Tell a story
Part of getting seen is knowing how to tell a great story that stands out from the throngs. What pain points are you tackling, in what creative way, and what led you to launch? Most critical, what’s your solution?
Brands like Dollar Shave Club mail out competitively-priced grooming supplies straight to customers while Coca-Cola and Commonwealth Bank appeal through clever, emotive story telling. Other brands like Oreo just know how to do their specialty - and market it - well.
As part of your brand story, everything in your business should be conducive. Are healthy deserts your specialty? Serve them in environmentally-friendly packaging to stay consistent.
4. What can you do differently to tell it?
Some brands have quirky personalities while others tackle the market through a stand-out identity, consumer-generated content or jumping on a trend really well. Put a narrative around your brand and weigh up how you can tell your story differently to make an impact in the market. Think Uber delivering ice cream - #ubericecream.
5. Perfect all brand touch points - including website, social media, blog, shop-front
(or e-commerce store) and advertising
Ensure your information and branding is consistent across the board – so that if a journalist or influencer does check you out, you’ve done everything you can to maximise the leverage and control the message. If you work in a service-based industry like accounting or law, see what current issues you can lend your expertise to through blogs and case studies.
6. Nail your pitch
Once you’ve positioned your angle and approach, write the press release you’ll send to the journalists. Just keep in mind that they read hundreds of press releases each day – so ensure your pitch is clean and cuts to the chase.
If you're a retailer, send them a sample too, thinking of creative and stand-out ways to present it – like a customised Donutella Versace doughnut for World Chocolate Day.
7. Send your press release
Customise your press release to make it relevant to the journalist and call them up to pitch it first. When you speak to them, keep it short and succinct.
Tip: Instead of attaching, paste your press release in the body of the email so the journalist can just scroll down to see it on their phone.
8. Assess, rinse and repeat
Try to line up your PR with advertising to maximise your market impact. See what worked and what didn’t, adjust and retry.
Want more tips like these? Download our FREE ebook ‘8 ways to attract new customers’ – just click the banner below.
26th April 2018.
