25 Amazing Low-Budget Online Marketing Tactics for Small Businesses

What a time to be the owner of a small business, right? You’ve got so many opportunities and so many ways to promote your products or services.

It’s unprecedented.

The online world alone offers hundreds of them.

Image via Smart Insights

But here’s the catch (yes, there’s always a catch): online marketing costs money.

I’m not here to tell you that you can make it big on your own, if you just “DIY this amazing technique that will make you a billionaire in five minutes”. There’s enough clickbait on that topic already.

I’m here to be honest with you and tell you that online marketing requires an investment. A financial one on top of the time one.

Yes, it costs money, despite what self-proclaimed gurus will tell you.

Still, how much money you spend is entirely up to you.

Creating a small business marketing budget is no easy task. Just look at the options above. How could you possibly be sure that you chose digital marketing channels that actually work for you?

Of course, you’d love to go for the low-budget online marketing tactics, but will those work? After all, there are so many people who argue in favor of costly PPC ads or even online banners in top-tier publications.

I think they do work.

Scratch that! I know they work.

I’ve been using low-budget online marketing tactics for more than ten years as an employee in a marketing department, a freelancer, a business owner and as an adviser for the Idunn clients.

But you don’t have to take my word for it.

Let’s take a look at the bigger picture to help us put things into perspective.

A Short Breakdown of the Online World from a Marketing Perspective

At the time I’m writing this, I am one of the almost 4 billion internet users.

Image via InternetLiveStats

The number above is forecast to grow steadily in upcoming years. Right now, approximately 40% of the world population has internet access. In 1995, only 1% did.

Why does this matter, you ask?

Well, because marketers know that their audience is online. So they are online, too.

2017 was the year when digital ad spending surpassed TV ad spending.

Image via EMarketer

In 2019, Google and Facebook alone will have combined ad revenues greater than those of TV ad spending. And they would still be accounting for only 50% of the total digital ad spending.

Digital spending will reach $129.23 billion by 2021. Yes, that’s billion with a “b”!

Now that’s A LOT of money.

Most of it wasted.

Yes, I know, I wrote an article about choosing between Google AdWords and Facebook Ads not so long ago. Bear with me, I’m not crazy. Nor do I change my opinions every week.

I’m not saying that AdWords or Facebook ads should disappear from your marketing strategy. Not at all.

They have their place in (almost) any digital marketing strategy. And they can yield great benefits if done properly.

I’m just saying there are much cheaper ways to gain some traction. Neither AdWords nor Facebook ads are low-budget online marketing tactics.

If you’re a small business owner looking to grow your market share you don’t have to be frightened by the ad spending (or marketing spending in general) of the “big players” in your industry.

This article is for you.

It was been written to show you how to use low-budget online marketing tactics to get great impact. And compete with ad budgets of millions of dollars.

Let’s dig in!

Top 25 Low-Budget Online Marketing Tactics You Can Start Implementing Right Now in Your Small Business

I get a lot of questions about online marketing on a budget. It’s only natural – no one wants to spend a fortune if they can achieve their goals on much less. And since our specialty at Idunn is working with small businesses with tight budgets, I obliged.

I compiled a list of low-budget online marketing tactics that we are currently using at Idunn for our own promotions or for those of our clients. The costs of each of these tactics depends on your current manpower and the results you want to obtain.

Again, please note that I said “low-budget online marketing tactics” not “free online marketing tactics”. However, I am going to suggest free apps or software that you can use (when possible) to help you stretch your budget.

None of the tools suggested below are partners or clients of ours (neither the free, nor the paid ones). We use them at Idunn and we pay for those who aren’t free just like you would if you chose to use them, too.

1. Set Clear Goals

You may think this is obvious.

It’s really not.

When I’m talking about clear goals, I’m not referring to “make more money” or “get more clients”. It goes without saying that those are the ultimate goals of any business, big or small.

But try to break this down a bit.

How many new clients are you aiming for exactly?

What is the total revenue that your business would need?

What are your growth plans for the next one to five years?

Breaking big goals down like this helps you get a better understanding of how and where to spend your money.

Let’s say you want 20 new leads per month. You know that you could convert at least 1% of them and two new clients per month is what your business needs right now.

When you know this for sure, you also know that you need to look at lead generation tactics.

Plus, this “intimate” knowledge of your goals helps to keep you on track and focused. Here’s a small trick I use when FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) hits me and I want to invest in a brand new online tactic.

I ask myself: “Will this generate more revenue now or in the long run?”

If the answer is “no”, I move on with no regrets, no matter how shiny the new tactic is.

If the answer is “yes”, I try to come up with ways to squeeze it in my marketing budget.

“A friend told me this works”, “I read an article about it”, “My competitors are doing it” – none of these are reason to add a new online marketing tactic to your plate.

The only reason is accomplishing your goals.

2. Check Your SEO

SEO is the best way to make sure you generate organic traffic, as well as leads. Better yet, in the long run it’s one of the cheapest online marketing tactics you can find.

Unlike PPC ads, SEO is the gift that keeps on giving. While you do need to add fresh content regularly, that content can generate traffic and leads for years to come. When you only use PPC ads, their effect stops as soon as you stop pouring money into it.

I like to say that we are our own success story when it comes to SEO content. Ever since Idunn was established (end of 2015), we spent less than $1000 on ads. In total. When it comes to low-budget online marketing tactics, SEO and content marketing are the top winners in my book.

All of our work comes from the content we create.

People visit our website from SERPs, referral links (that we have won through quality content) or social media and ask us for a price quotation.

That’s efficiency in my book.

Want this kind of content for your own business? Our expert writers and marketers are just a click away. Check out what we can do for you.

But in order to know where to start with SEO, you need to know where you are now. This means you need an SEO analysis and a content audit.

My go-to tools for SEO audits are:

1. Google Webmaster Tools

This FREE tool by Google tells you exactly what each of your page ranks for. The only shortcoming is that you cannot analyze more than 999 keywords.

However, odds are that you don’t need to optimize for more than this. Better yet, you can also check your progress (I choose the 3-month option) and see how many clicks you get from organic results every day.

If/when you see a major drop in organic traffic, it’s time to call your SEO copywriters and your web admin. Something’s terribly wrong.

2. SEMrush

This is a paid tool with a limited free account option. You can use SEMrush for virtually anything.

It can tell you which keywords you rank for, how much money you’d need to get the same traffic from paid ads, how your competitors are doing and many, many other useful things.

Of course, you can generate full SEO analysis reports and even blog templates that tell you how to craft a blog post to get it to rank better than your competitors’.

3. SiteChecker

Site Checker analyses your SEO health for free. Still, you will have to upgrade if you want a more in-depth analysis.

4. SEO Analyzer

This free tool by Neil Patel will help you find all the technical SEO-related aspects of your website that need improvement. It will also suggest ways to improve your content.

Please note that, while the last two tools are free, the insights they provide are limited. However, they are perfect if you’re just getting started with SEO and you’re looking for a way to keep costs under control.

You can upgrade to a better, paid one later.

That’s the beauty of low-budget online marketing tactics: when they begin to yield results, you can use the cash they bring in to up your game.

3. Build an Email List

I know I’ve said it before, but I feel like I need to repeat it: never, ever buy an email list!

It’s not only illegal and immoral, but it’s useless. What are the odds that people you annoy with spam (yes, every unrequested message is spam) will want to buy from you?

I won’t get into further details on this. I already wrote a lengthy email on why you should never buy an email list, you can check it out if you’re still on the fence about it.

But all this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t build an email list.

Email lists that are built from scratch can bring you qualified leads and turn you into a thought leader. You don’t need to be intimidated by having less than 10 people on the list. Keep at it, create great content and the list will build itself in no time.

You can use my step-by-step tutorial on how to build an email list.

And the good news don’t stop here. You can use MailChimp to get subscribers and send emails.

It’s free until you reach 2,000 subscribers.

When you talk about low-budget online marketing tactics, email marketing should never miss from the list.

4. On-Going Keyword Research

Much like SEO itself, keyword research is one of those low-budget online marketing tactics that are only effective if you do it regularly.

Having a blueprint of keywords that you come up with after massive research is great. It will give you a content plan that can bring in both traffic and clients.

But here’s the thing: SEO changes.

And I’m not just talking about the numerous Google algorithm updates that take place every year – sometimes as many as 500-600.

I’m talking about how other websites’ content evolves. You can assume that, while you are busy crafting new content, so is your competition. This means that the landscape of SERPs changes quite frequently.

The same goes for your readers’ interest. As industries evolve, you may need to write content that is more in-depth or shorter.

So keep your master keyword list handy, but refresh that research every time you set out to write a new piece of content.

Check to see if you can still easily rank for that keyword. Find out if there are any new LSI keywords you can add to the mix. Is your predicted length still good to go?

You can start your keyword research with Google Keyword Planner tool. It’s free and it’s comprehensive enough to offer you a starting point.

For your LSI keywords, head on to LSI Graph, also a free tool.

If you really want to knock it out of the park, look for your keywords in SEMrush (see above) and Moz Explorer (limited free plan available).

You can do all your keyword research with free tools if you’re looking to keep your low-budget online marketing tactics as low budget as it gets. But I recommend you sign up for a free trial of a paid tool to see if that changes your results in any way.

If you’re wondering what you’re going to do with all those keywords, I’ve got just the right answer for you:

5. Start a Company Blog

There’s a reason why every startup or established business needs a blog. And no, it’s not because I said so.

Data said so.

Year after year, companies say they want to invest MORE in content.

Image via Content Marketing Institute

Why?

Because content works.

Websites with a blog tend to have 434% more indexed pages than those without a blog.  B2B marketers who blog get 67% more leads than those who don’t.

Better yet, blogs are the 5^th most trusted source of information.

Image via FitSmallBusiness

I could go on and on with these statistics forever. Each and every one of them says the same thing: content marketing is one of the best low-budget online marketing tactics for small businesses. I compiled a list of 10 of these stats in an article for SiteProNews. You can read them all here.

Blogging is the cornerstone of content marketing. It’s free to start a blog once you already have a website.

Plus, your blog will be part of a lot of other low-budget online marketing tactics that I will discuss below.

If you need help with blogging, we’re here for you! Our savvy writers can take this off your plate and turn your company blog into a well-oiled cash machine. Scroll down to the bottom of the post to fill in the contact form and we’ll take it from there.

6. Don’t Ignore Reddit

When speaking about social media or digital marketing in general, most people overlook Reddit. Which is exactly why you shouldn’t.

“The front page of the internet”, as Reddit calls itself is home to millions of people who gather in subreddits to discuss what matters to them. There’s a subreddit for anything, from cute cats and digital marketing to “birds with arms” – an entire subreddit dedicated to people who like to Photoshop arms onto birds.

Image via wolfgangjh/Imgur

While the photo above is as funny as it is bizarre, its point here is to demonstrate that you can easily find a subreddit that matches your business interests.

All you have to do is get an account on Reddit, then start searching for it.

This is only the first page of results for “real estate”. When you search for a certain industry, you’ll get results that are both a perfect match and closely related. For instance, a real estate agent could easily give advice in the Personal Finance subreddit or in subreddits dedicated to their own city.

Which brings us closer to the point.

How can you turn Reddit into one of your best low-budget online marketing tactics?

Start by subscribing to the subreddits that are a fit for your business. This way, you’ll get an email when something new is posted. Visit the subreddit at least once a week.

Be friendly and offer advice. Become a part of the community. Don’t jump in with links to your landing pages – most subreddits have a clear policy against self-promotion.

After you have established a presence there, you can link to a piece of content of yours every once in a while. Again, make sure it’s not promotional, but helpful and on-topic.

This is an excellent low-budget online marketing tactic as it helps you generate traffic from a new source (and boost your domain authority), stay in contact with people who match your buyer persona’s description (free insights into what they need) and even promote yourself subtly.

Not bad, right?

7. List Your Business on Google My Business

Most people who don’t have a local business ignore Google My Business. But you don’t need to be the owner of a bakery to reap the benefits of having a listing there.

Even if your business caters to national or international clients, why ignore the power of your local community? The buy local trend is quickly turning into a way of life rather than a quirk that only Millennials care for.

People all over the world understand that buying from a local business means more than supporting that business. It means supporting their own local community and, by extension, themselves.

And it goes beyond food. You’ll see that a lot of people prefer to work with local services providers even in an era when flights are cheap and tech advancements like email and conference calls allow us to speak to anyone, anywhere in the world.

Plus, setting up a Google My Business profile inspires trustworthiness. It also helps with SEO.

Again, it’s one of those low-budget online marketing tactics that comes with a wealth of benefits. I did say “low-budget” because I consider time to be just as valuable as money. Setting up your listing on Google My Business is completely free, all you have to invest is time.

8. Post a Craigslist Ad

I know what you’re thinking – Craigslist is for selling your old fridge and maybe for finding a random, shady hookup.

I beg to differ.

Craigslist has more than 500 million visitors per month. It’s the 14^th website is the US.

More than 50 million queries are performed every day.

Image via Rick Schiller/LinkedIn

You can advertise anything there for free or for a small fee. And, since you don’t have to give your full name and address, it’s a great way to try out new marketing ideas or slogans.

Plus, it’s almost everywhere in the world. So you can easily add it to your list of low-budget online marketing tactics.

9. Answer Questions on Quora

What better way to establish yourself as thought leader than to help people by sharing your knowledge (for free)?

This is why Quora made it on to our list of low-budget online marketing tactics.

The process is similar to the one described for Reddit. Create an account and start looking for topics and questions that match your expertise.

Begin answering them.

You don’t have to shy away from older questions. Look for those that have a lot of followers.

Each time a new answer is added, all those followers get an email notification. Which means they get to see your answer (aka content), too.

As far as your answers go, I have one very important piece of advice: don’t be lazy. Don’t just write “I answered this at length in a blog post. Here’s the link.”

Take the time to write a detailed answer. You can even go above 1000 words. Only then link to one of your pieces of content. Again, make sure it offers relevant information that complements your answer and it’s not promotional.

People know what link spammers look like. So they won’t click on a link you added just to gain traffic. But they will if you take the time to write a detailed answer.

Why should you bother with Quora?

Well, because the answer here get to the first page on Google really fast. And because a link from Quora won’t just get you relevant, targeted traffic. It will also boost your domain authority.

10. Invest in Facebook Advertising

Don’t worry. This is still about low-budget online marketing tactics.

Ever since Facebook announced they will limit the organic reach of business pages in the beginning of 2018, social media experts have spoken about workarounds. More videos and more engaging posts are the top two suggestions in almost every article on this topics.

And they are great suggestions.

However, remember what we were talking about building on land that’s not yours? This is exactly what your Facebook page is.

If the “land” is not yours, you don’t have any control over what’s happening to your home. Facebook is slowly turning into paid media.

And just like in the case of any other major media outlet, you have to pay to play.

This doesn’t mean you have to invest a fortune in Facebook ads. Even a smidge of a budget can be enough to make a difference and to put your content under the right eyes.

At Idunn, we have made campaigns work for our clients on $100 or less. It’s not impossible. You just have to know your way around targeting and building audiences very well.

If you need help with gaining more traction on Facebook or any other social media network we’re here to help! Check out our social media management and marketing services and let’s talk!

11. Go Live on Facebook

If you already have a business page, don’t avoid going live. In fact, do it as much as possible.

As I said above, the organic reach of business pages is dropping massively. BUT Facebook still wants to promote live videos. For free!

Every time you go live, your fans and followers receive a notification. So if you have something important to say, say it with a live video.

Facebook says that 20% of its videos are live. Of course, this includes both business and personal profiles.

But you still have to admit it’s a huge percentage. You won’t be the only one using this low-budget online marketing tactics. Still, you can be among the few ones who do it well.

Here’s how in a simple sentence: don’t overdo it.

A lot of marketers feel temped to go live as often as possible. After all, it’s the only kind of post that gets you a notification.

I get that.

But you should know that these notifications come with a “turn off” option. In other words: if you annoy people with live notifications three times per day, they will turn them off. No one could possibly have something really important to say every effin’ day, right?

So make sure you only go live when you feel like it’s something your fans would appreciate seeing.

Otherwise, see below:

12. Create more Video Content

Everyone says video is king. And there are good reasons for that.

Image via Impact

I can already hear your objection: but you promised low-budget online marketing tactics.

I did. And this is no exception.

Sure, there was a time when video creation was expensive. You needed a professional camera and then a few great specialists to produce, edit, add music and so on.

Today, you can probably do all that on your phone. And if you can’t, it’s extremely easy (and affordable!) to find a professional to do it for you. It’s even easy to get someone to animate a full video for you.

Better yet, you don’t have to worry about Oscar-level quality. Home videos are some of the most watched ones on YouTube and Facebook.

A candid video of the atmosphere in your office will always be more appreciated than a scruffy production involving a professional director.

13. Start a Podcast

More and more women and men listen to podcasts according to Salesforce.

Image via Salesforce

And why wouldn’t they? It’s a great way to learn new things while commuting.

Small business owners, entrepreneurs and solopreneurs can easily share their knowledge and build their reputation as thought leaders through podcasts.

And since we’re talking about low-budget online marketing tactics, you probably don’t need to spend anything on recording podcasts. All you need is a microphone (you can use the one on your phone or laptop if they are good enough) and an audio editing software. There are plenty of free audio editing software options.

No ideas where to start?

Be smart about it and repurpose some of your old content. You can start by reading some of your more popular blog posts. Later on, when you start to get the hang of it, you can answer questions from your clients or social media fans.

Depending on your budget, you may need to spend some money on ads to promote your new podcast, but it’s not mandatory.

14. Encourage People to Leave Reviews or Send Testimonials

90% of customers are influenced by the reviews they read online.

We trust reviews A LOT!

Image via Tint

Getting user-generated content that praises you online is one of the best low-budget online marketing tactics. In fact, it can be completely free.

Before you rejoice in the stats above, remember that it’s the unhappy customers that are most likely to leave reviews. So you have to counter that by encouraging your happiest customers to do the same.

Facebook, Google My Business and Yelp are just three of the places you can suggest.

Sometimes, you don’t have to do anything else than ask or remind them. People are busy, so you should expect them to forget to write a review.

But a simple reminder on a business card, in an email or even printed on the receipt can do wonders.

Of course, you can go one step further and offer incentives for any review. A 5% discount on the next purchase or a free espresso can go a long way.

The same goes for testimonials.

Every client you work with has an opinion about your services. Ask them about it!

This way, you won’t just get user-generated content to post on your website. You’ll also get feedback from the demographic that matters the most – your clients. This gives you the opportunity to tweak your services or customer relations department based on opinions that are truly important.

Lastly, whenever you get a new review online, don’t forget to respond to it. Yes, even to the bad ones. In fact, especially to those. Show people that their opinion matters and you might be able to turn a frown into a smile.

15. Offer Something for Free

Yes, offering something for free can be one of the most amazing low-budget online marketing tactics, even if it seems that you are losing money.

Allow me to explain.

Remember the free samples you get in a supermarket? They’re awesome because they give you an opportunity to test the product. And if you’re a bit munchy, they are an awesome snack.

For the manufacturers of those foods, such promotions cost very little. In fact, it costs more to hire promoters than it costs to produce the food offered for free.

In the online world, the cost of promoters is non-existent.

Now all you have to account for is the cost of your services of products.

If you sell the latter, you can always send free samples to influencers. Consumers are 71% more likely to buy something that was recommended by a social media influencer.

Image via Influencer Marketing Hub/LinkedIn

I’d call that a pretty good investment, wouldn’t you?

All you have to do is roll up your sleeves and find the influencers in your industry. I always recommend using social media for this kind of research.  Start with hashtags and Facebook/LinkedIn groups. You’ll be able to get a pretty good idea of who’s who.

In the SaaS industry, free trials are first step in helping customers understand what they stand to gain from a long-lasting relationship.

If you sell other services, you can always offer a free sample of what working with you would be like. A free audit, a free dental cleaning, a free health check, free advice on a certain topic – all these are great ways to open doors.

However, you need to be extra careful with freebies. You don’t want to cheapen your brand, so don’t make a habit out of offering free stuff. Only use this strategy until you reach an acceptable level of income.

16. Run Giveaways on Social Media

Facebook and Instagram are the perfect places to run a giveaway.

Ask people to like/follow your page and comment in exchange for a small (or big, your choice) prize. Be extra careful: you need to ask them to comment or you won’t be able to get in touch with them and send them their prizes.

This online marketing tactic can be as low-budget as you want it to be. It’s up to you to set the value of the prize and where you are shipping to. Keep it local if you have big budget constraints or go internationally if you can afford it. And if it makes sense for your business.

The Idunn team managed to grow the audience of one of our clients using no ads, only giveaways. We went from 0 to 10,000 in less than a year and we did so with a precise target audience in mind – no irrelevant followers.

Perhaps the most challenging part of a giveaway is establishing trust. There are so many scammers using this tactic that people have become quite wary of promotions.

So, if you plan to make giveaways a habit, be sure to offer proof that your previous ones were real and that the winners got their prizes. Photos with said winners are usually the best way to establish trust.

17. Don’t Ignore Slideshare

Much like Reddit, Slideshare is often overlooked by small business owners and small business marketers. And it’s a shame.

Slideshare offers a great platform to repurpose your content and gain the attention of new audiences.

In fact, they may have exactly the audience that you are looking for.

Image via Artillery Marketing

Most of Slideshare’s audience comes from organic traffic. Yet, this is not the best thing about it. It looks like they have five times the traffic from business owners of literally any other website.

That’s quite impressive, isn’t it?

But it’s not surprising.

A presentation is exactly the type of content business owners need. It’s short, easy to digest, filled with loads of graphics. It’s ideal for an audience that needs quick facts or quick tips and doesn’t have the time to swift through long e-books or white papers.

Better yet, it’s super easy to use. You don’t even need to come up with new content. Simply repurpose a blog post, a white paper or upload the slides of your latest webinar.

18. Repurpose Old Content

Speaking of ways to attract new audiences, content repurposing is one of the easiest ones. And when it comes to low-budget online marketing tactics, it rarely gets any cheaper than this.

For example, this blog post would make a great infographic. Heck, it could even become a 30-minute webinar in which I explain all the low-budget online marketing tactics in detail. Or perhaps a white paper.

The sky is the limit.

When you repurpose content, the investment is minimal. All you need is a bit of time and, sometimes, the help of a graphic designer. But with tools like Canva, odds are you can do it all on your own.

Aside from reaching new audiences, content repurposing is a great way to test out new formats, to see what your audience prefers. Will they choose video over written word? Or do they prefer a long-form blog post they can read in their own time?

Play with a few switches and find the best alternative.

I wrote an entire blog post on how to repurpose content, so I won’t get into too much detail here. Check out the post for new ideas on how to make the most out of every piece of content you produce.

19. Create a Facebook Group

The recent drop in organic reach for Facebook business pages has prompted us marketers to come up with new creative ways to get to the people who matter. There is, of course, the option to spend a fortune on Facebook ads, but that’s not what we are here to talk about, are we?

We are here to talk about low-budget online marketing tactics.

And Facebook groups is one of them.

The reach of groups is still very high, especially for active users. If someone interacted with a post in your group, they will always see new posts in their feed first.

But why would people join your group? And, more importantly, how can you make it profitable?

Good questions!

First off, you have to offer an incentive for people to join your group. Access to exclusive information and the opportunity to chat with thought leaders in your industry are usually the best way to gain new members.

Next, you have to make sure that you don’t turn the group into an infomercial. Post relevant things, valuable information. Don’t over-advertise.

Instead of telling people you are the best at what you do, show them. Demonstrate your expertise through offering free advice. Direct them to your blog if they want to read more on a topic. Add them to your sales funnel, but don’t be obnoxious about it.

Inbound sales are the future.

20. Join LinkedIn Groups

Speaking of groups, LinkedIn ones are a great way to learn from your peers and to establish yourself as a thought leader. Of course, you would need two different types of groups for this.

Let me explain.

First off, the most common objection is ‘who’s going to buy my stuff if all the members of the group are in the same industry?’

Fair enough.

This type of group will help you establish yourself as a thought leader. Engage in discussions and link to your content whenever possible – but mind the group rules, most of them don’t allow self-promotion.

If you are active enough, you may even learn a few new tricks from your peers.

The second type of group you can join is one that’s complementary to your industry. For example, someone selling an SaaS tool like Buffer or Hootsuite could easily find new clients in a group for social media experts.

Again, there’s no need to be promotional. If you offer valuable advice and participate in discussions, people will click on your profile and from there they only have a short step to your website.

21. Host a Twitter Chat

Twitter ads are expensive. And since we’re talking about low-budget online marketing tactics, an alternative to them is always welcome, isn’t it?

If you want to gain a larger Twitter following that you can eventually turn into paying customers, Twitter chats are the best way to get started.

Come up with a catchy name and a hashtag for it and start inviting thought leaders in your industry. You can also tag them in your tweets, but be sure to not overdo it – no one likes spammers.

I know I’ve said this before, but I’ll repeat it anyway: don’t get over-promotional. People join Twitter chats to learn new things and to connect with their peers. They are already tired of ads.

So make sure you come up with an interesting topic and questions that allow you to showcase your expertise. Buffer has an interesting guide on acing your Twitter chats – you can find it here.

22. Host a Webinar

Webinars can be excellent lead-generating tools. And yes, they ARE low-budget online marketing tactics.

Even if you want professional equipment for your webinar, you shouldn’t need to spend more than $1000 for a camera and a mic. But if you already have a good laptop, you’re probably good to go.

You can also easily find free webinar broadcasting platforms, especially if your audience is small. Google Hangouts, for instance, is great and completely free.

As for benefits, they can be huge especially for B2B companies.

Image via Marketing Charts

A well-researched and presented webinar can win you the best kind of customer: the loyal one who admires you even before making a purchase. Here’s how to convert webinar leads into amazing customers.  

23. Write an Ebook

I know, I know, writing an ebook can sound scary, but it’s really not.

In fact, you could repurpose some of your blog posts or even a webinar into an ebook and publish it on Amazon, iTunes and/or Barnes & Noble.

You can also turn it into gated content aka send it only to people who fill in a form on your website. This way, you also get to put them into your leads database.

An ebook doesn’t have to be that long. 25,000 to 30,000 words is plenty of room to offer your best tips.

24. Implement a Referral Program

Got a few happy customers and need more? Who doesn’t, right?

Why not give them a chance to earn a few extra bucks or discounts for your products or services?

If you run an online store, a tool like Referral Candy may be exactly what you need. It’s very easy to set up and the costs are minimal (packages starting at $49).

If you’re selling services, you can simply reach out to your happy customers and tell them they can get discounts and freebies for every new customer they refer to you. Again, super easy and affordable to do.

We already established that recommendations from friends and peers enjoy a lot of trust from potential customers. So why not turn your happy clients into brand ambassadors?

25. Fix Minor Issues on Your Website

I know I said ‘minor’, but a bunch of these tiny, nagging issues can turn into big problems for your brand.

Site speed, mobile-friendliness and duplicate content are three of the issues that can affect your SEO efforts.

Have your web developer take a look at the first two ones. Have a fast, mobile-friendly website can do wonders for your rankings according to Google themselves.

And make sure you don’t plagiarize anything, not even yourself.

Wondering why this appears under low-budget online marketing tactics?

Well, first of all because it’s inexpensive, of course!

Secondly, because a faulty website can actually cost you money. Here’s how a single second could cost Amazon 1.6 billion in sales.

So yes, the performance of your website can bring in new business or deter customers. Your choice.

Conclusion

If you try to implement 25 low-budget online marketing tactics at the same time, you may end up spending more than you would have on two or three high-priced ones.

This is not the point of this guide.

Its point is to offer you an overview of (almost) all the available low-budget online marketing tactics so you can choose the ones that suit your company best. Mix and match, test and see how every dollar in your marketing budget is put to good use.

And if you’re not certain about which of these tactics suit your needs best, our team of expert marketers can always advise you and even implement them for you. Take a look at our marketing strategy services and let’s talk!