McVan Blog

In these tight economic times, businesses of all sizes are looking for creative ways of advertising with low budgets. But creativity is not the only challenge. Today’s ever-evolving technology is changing buyers’ behaviors in the marketplace, making it critical for businesses to stay up-to-date with technology and learn how to use it to their advantage. In this blog article, we brought creativity and technology together to show you 3 ideas on how you can advertise your retail store with a low budget.

Social Media

By now, almost every business should have some type of social media presence. According to venturebeat.com, more than 15 million businesses and organizations use Facebook.  But it’s not enough to simply have an account in a social media platform. The bigger issues are knowing which resources to use and subsequently how to use them.

The different social media platforms have diverse qualities and you should stick with those that suit your needs best. For example, a small retailer might not have much use for Twitter, which is largely text-based. But Pinterest and Instagram are more photogenic platforms and may be far more useful. YouTube videos are also a great way to gain exposure.

Social media’s greatest attributes are its reach and its format, which allows retailers to be a little less formal than typical advertising.  When you have and are part of a social community and are an active contributor of valuable information, people tend to promote you at no cost. Social media also offers very inexpensive advertisement with great targeting opportunities.  A good place to start is Facebook Advertising.  

QR Codes

QR codes are the square digital barcodes you see on advertisements; when scanned, these barcodes bring users to the website of your choice. You can get a QR code made for free at www.qrstuff.com and add that code to print ads and promotional materials, or you can stick it around your website and allow people to learn more about your company.

To maximize the user experience, it’s worth to note that the website you take your users to should be responsive or mobile friendly. But QR codes also work with regular sites.

Blogs

Although blogs are not exactly new, they can be cutting-edge if used correctly. According to the State of Inbound Marketing,  92% of companies who blogged multiple times a day acquired a customer through their blog. Many retail businesses use their websites strictly to promote their merchandise. As such, people only visit when they know what they’re looking for. But by creating quality blogs on a frequent basis, you can give your site an enhanced value that encourages people to come back more frequently. Additionally, people can share this content with others, increasing your reach and driving your business to the next level.

What should you write about? Anything that will educate your customers. For example, if you sell religious jewelry, you can talk about how to take care of the different metals you offer. You can also give recommendations on gifts for certain occasions, etc. You want to be informative so that people will want to give you their business.

These suggestions are just the tip of the iceberg. There are tons of avenues you can take to advertise without spending money. The keys to remember are to be informative and consistent. That last one is particularly important; if you only post good content once in a while, people will forget. Stay in touch with your customers and give them something good to send to their friends, and you’ll reap the benefits without spending too much on advertising.

Have you tried any of these low cost advertising ideas? If so, share your sucesses, failures, or suggestions! Are you a start-up or an established retailer? Check out some additional tips to continue to grow!