Starting 2014 Right With A Strong Marketing Strategy (That Won’t Break The Bank)

Marissa Levin

One of my favorite resources for great small business growth ideas is Slideshare. I came across a compilation of 19 shoestring-budget strategies that will help you connect with your target audience without going broke – exactly what a small business needs to expand their presence and stay financially healthy.

Here are my suggestions to move these ideas to implementation.

1: Pick three out of the list and focus on them. If you try to tackle the entire list, you will do a mediocre or poor job for all of them. Then, once those are done, move to the next three. The greatest ideas fail at implementation because we bite off more than we chew.

2: Determine what you can outsource, and what you need to manage yourself. For example, if you decide to join a Chamber, you personally need to cultivate those relationships, so ensure you have enough time to be present in the organization. If you decide to write a blog, you need to build your editorial calendar and write your blogs, but can outsource the mechanics of posting and sharing.

As a small business owner, deciding how and where you will dedicate your very limited time is essential to your success.

3: Finally, if an idea isn’t working for you, pivot quickly. Drop the tactic and move on. It’s all about figuring out what works best for you at this point in time.

Here is the link to the complete presentation.

Here are the tips:

1. Establish a web presence

2. Join your local Chamber of Commerce

3. Claim your local Google listing

4. List your business on local directories

5. Ask your customer for online reviews

6. Optimize your site for mobile devices

7. Join a business incubator

8. Start a blog

9. Create videos and post to YouTube

10. Comment on blogs in your niche

11. Create a monthly email newsletter

12. Create premium content to collect emails

13. Establish a presence in social media

14. Optimize your site for search engines

15. Conduct a free webinar

16. Use QR codes in your print materials

17. Set up Google analytics

18. Start a contest

19. Cross-promote with another business

These tips have helped me launch two successful businesses. Do you have any marketing tips to skyrocket 2014? I’d love to hear from you.

Good luck!

~Marissa

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Marissa Levin

Marissa Levin is the co-founder of Successful Culture International, which applies a proprietary Culture Development Lifecycle (CDL) to help organizations move from current state to desired state, and helps leaders reach their greatest personal and organizational potential. As founder of a 23-year old, multimillion-dollar business that pivoted seven times in response to market shifts, Levin has personally overcome every business challenge her clients have faced, which uniquely qualifies her to lead leaders through change. She is also the author of Built to Scale: How Top Companies Create Breakthrough Growth Through Exceptional Advisory Boards.