The prospect of marketing your business can be overwhelming, especially when you are a small business with an even smaller budget. The good news is that marketing doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to be effective.

All you need is to take advantage of the several free tools, resources, and platforms online; an undying drive to hustle hard; consistency to churn out massive value; plus, the discipline to stick to a schedule.

With these in place, even the most novice of business owners can market on a shoestring budget and play with the big boys.

Here are five items to focus on when you hit the ground running.

Start a blog for your business

Your blog will be the foundation of all your other marketing efforts. It is where you direct visitors, nurture relationships, and capture leads. Be sure to regularly post content that meets the needs and interests of your audience.

Use websites like http://www.articlesfactory.com/ to distribute your content.

Also, make it incredibly easy for site visitors to sign-up to your email list. While they are still on your site, ask them to share the content with their social media friends too.

Use HARO

How does free PR in national magazines and websites sound? HARO, an acronym for Help A Reporter Out, is a news sourcing platform dedicated to connecting journalists and bloggers with relevant brands.

Take advantage of this platform to get the word out about your products and services. The best part is, it’s free to register, plus you get a chance to work with PR experts for a tiny fraction of the amount you would have paid otherwise.

Begin email marketing on a free plan

Every business owner should have an email list! But when you are just starting, you likely don’t want to commit to the monthly fee that many email management services charges.

Fortunately, most offer a free option for businesses with smaller lists. For instance, MailChimp offers its service for free for companies with fewer than 2,000 subscribers. And when you are ready to take things to the next level, Aweber starts at just $19/month.

Become a Contributor

Advertising in trade magazines can set your business back by several thousands of dollars, but contributing an article? Absolutely free.

Many magazines accept guest contributions. Now that’s a great way to kill two birds with one stone: First, you’re able to position your brand as an authority people can trust in your industry. Secondly, you also get a slot to promote your business in your bio.

Attend local networking events

Check out local business events on Meetup.com, or see what events your local chamber or small business association is hosting. This is an easy way to create multiple meaningful interactions and also meet potential customers. When starting up, face to face exposure is essential to get your name out there.

As you can see, these five items are effective yet cheap marketing strategies you can implement right now without draining your bank account.

Wrapping up

Startups have all the fire in the world; however, the trick is in figuring out how to harness that energy, so you are working smarter and not harder.

While I use these tools frequently, I like to vary it up to connect with different audiences. 

Remember, the goal is to get as many eyeballs as possible on your content. The more that people read your content, the easier it is to associate your brand with quality and the easier it is for them to remember you when it’s time to make a purchase.