3 Low- or No-Cost Marketing Activities to Help Your Remodeling Business Grow

The first thing many small business owners think of when they hear marketing is… “How much is this going to cost me?” Sure, marketing often requires a monetary investment. Sometimes, the investment is a big one. But not always – You do have options!

Read on to learn how you can drive customers to your business using low-cost or no-cost marketing activities.

It’s the oldest marketing method in the world – good ol’ word of mouth. It’s been around forever because it really works. And in the digital age, word of mouth is even more relevant, now that customers can share their opinions about you to countless others.

It’s incredibly easy to leverage word of mouth recommendations to build a marketing campaign. The possibilities are many. Offer your existing customers a discount on future services for each referral they send your way. Or offer the existing customer and the new customer an incentive, like a gift card. There are a ton of ways you can reward your existing customers for spreading positive feedback about your business and helping you get new customers.

The best part? Most referral programs cost you little to nothing upfront, (short of maybe some gift cards or company swag.) Down the road, you may out the cost of some discounted services, but it’s likely this expense will pale in comparison to the value of the new customers you’ve gained.

To many, email marketing seems complicated, invasive, and expensive. In truth, it can be all of those things. But it doesn’t have to be. Let’s tackle these concerns one at a time.

Collecting email addresses and building an email list was probably really complicated 20-years ago when a lot of it was done manually. But now, there are plenty of services out there that collect, collate, and manage all the addresses on your list. There’s very little involvement needed from the business itself.

Obviously, no one likes junk mail. And conscientious business owners never want to spam their email lists with a bunch of useless messages. This is easily avoidable, though. Be sure your email marketing messages contain useful, pertinent information and are sent on an acceptable frequency. Send emails once a month, bi-monthly, or maybe even once a week (more frequently is too much.) Share your knowledge, talk about upcoming events and projects, or offer coupons or discounts. Whatever you send, it should be something your customer actually wants to read.

There are plenty of email marketing applications out there and some of them can be very expensive. But like anything else, you can find good deals if you shop around. Some major names in the email marketing space – like MailChimp and Constant Contact – actually offer free plans that include great tools for small businesses.

Email marketing is a great, low-cost, way to reach your customer base. You’re consistently getting your name in front of people, sharing valuable content, and establishing your company as a trustworthy expert in your field.

The three marketing techniques we just mentioned are only the tip of the iceberg. There is no shortage of free or low-cost marketing activities you can engage in. Your financial risk is limited, since there’s little investment required, so try as many techniques as you want to find what works best for your business.