You dreamed of starting a business in Ohio.

And you have taken your time to learn how to do it.

Finally, it’s ready to serve customers.

But your hurdle is how to market your Ohio business well for profit. Yet, you aren’t looking for just any marketing tips, but creative ones within your budget. Well, you’re lucky, so worry no more.

Your quest to promote your new Ohio business confirms that you deem marketing essential to your business’s survival. Note that keen competition exists in Ohio. Therefore, you’ll struggle to attract potential clients without an effective marketing strategy.

Also, it gets even more challenging for a new business to compete without one. And with no marketing, there are no customers, leading to the failure of the business. As the leading SEO Company in Ohio, we help new and old businesses reach more customers.

So, we’ve got you covered!

We’ll share fifteen creative marketing strategies to get you started on a low budget. Interestingly, from years of experience, this is what we know about these marketing ideas:

  • They are highly proven.
  • They are inexpensive to implement.
  • They work for all sizes of businesses.
  • They are fast to put into action.
  • They are pretty easy to follow.

Let’s begin if you’re ready to attract your first profitable client.

  1. Cooperate with Others:

This is an effective way to attract customers effortlessly. It will also cost you less to nothing to implement. Here, look for small existing brands to partner with. However, ensure that their products complement yours rather than compete with them.

For instance, you can collaborate with a baby clothing brand if you sell baby foods. This provides a win-win avenue for both parties. To put this strategy to use, follow these tips:

  • Get on each other’s podcast shows.
  • Partner to host a joint webinar
  • Run a pop-up shop by sharing the cost.
  • Provide discounts to each other’s email lists.
  • Use social media to broadcast each other’s products.
  1. Offer Free Samples:

Most customers prefer to stick with familiar brands. To attract them, you can offer them free samples. By getting free samples, they will have experience with your brand, which could lead to future purchases. 

Also, you can use free samples to entice customers who have bought from you to become loyal. This is an effective marketing strategy because people love gifts. So, if you have the budget to offer this service, implement it.

  1. Use Coupons & Give Free Shipping:

In line with the free sample, you can also offer a discount. For example, get a 15% discount on orders above $100. Again, you can give free shipping to any place within the community and neighboring areas. These incentives—discount and free shipping—will attract more customers to your product.

  1. Use Word-of-Mouth Advertising:

It’s a fact that most brands survive because of existing customers rather than new ones. Therefore, having a loyalty program is a step in the right direction. Here, you reward customers for bringing in new customers. 

Remember that this is a successful strategy because people trust one another more than they trust commercial advertising. Also, it has a high success rate and a low entry barrier.

  1. Attend Local Events:

Most starting entrepreneurs bypass lots of opportunities. This is because they hardly capitalize on local events. Local events bring both businesses and customers together. So, attending them will help you showcase and communicate with potential customers. 

You can get a complete list of such events by contacting your local council. Also, you can be creative by hosting your event. Note that it’s an excellent way to promote your business and attract potential customers.

  1. Community Involvement:

Every community has unique needs. So, identify one of these needs and support it. For instance, you can sponsor a local team or even a charity project in your community. Associating with these groups will increase your visibility. 

Also, it would win the hearts of many towards your brand. Without a doubt, supporting your community will increase your customer network.

  1. Use Customer Feedback:

Potential customers may be skeptical about your product’s quality. So, they will stick with well-known brands. However, you can break through this resistance by leveraging on customers’ feedback. Your existing customers are your priceless resource.

Ask for their genuine feedback on your product. Use these testimonials on your website and other related marketing channels. This will serve as a marketing weapon—erasing doubts and increasing your credibility. It will translate into more sales and revenue.

  1. Make Use of Video Content:

If pictures are worth a thousand, then videos are ten times more. They are powerful ways of marketing your products. They are effective because they are engaging, entertaining, and less expensive. This is why platforms like YouTube, Reels, and TikTok are popular and thriving.

Luckily, you can share video content on these platforms for free. You can focus your content on product usage, production line, customers’ feedback, and loyalty reward events, among others.

  1. Use Search Engine Optimization:

SEO is another creative marketing strategy to use. Though it takes time to yield results, it’s effective. Granted, customers will find your website using related keywords on search engines. To win this game, pick potential traffic keywords and write helpful content around them.

Also, optimize your website, videos, and images to increase your chances of showing up naturally. If you lack expertise in this field, consult with an SEO expert.

  1. Use Local Business Listings:

You can elevate your brand by getting listed in local business listings. Luckily, there are several you can use for free. For example, you can freely sign up for Google My Business. You can add your product, contact, images, hours, etc. 

Your profile on this massive platform will help potential customers find your business. It’s a simple but effective way to get noticed.

  1. Use Influencers:

You are living in an era where the voices of influencers are goldmines. Yes, they are trusted by their teeming followers. And this is why influencer marketing is massive and ever-growing. You have two options for utilizing this marketing strategy.

First, you can pay a social media influencer to broadcast your product to their followers. In most cases, this is expensive. The second option is to send a gift to the influencer. Though there’s no guarantee that the influencer will share, it would have a viral and positive effect if she does.

You can get influencers from all the social media channels. Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram are some examples. More importantly, they are ready to work with brands. 

  1. Make Use of Social Media Ads:

Your potential Ohio customers are using one or more popular social media channels. So, you can’t ignore these networks if you want to engage with them. Though you can reach people for free, we recommend leveraging their paid ads.

Paid ads on these channels are inexpensive. Your advertisement will also be shown to a specific audience interested in your offer. You can use Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn based on your audience. Also, you can try Instagram and Pinterest if necessary.

  1. Make Use of PPC Marketing:

Like social media advertising, you need to pay some dollars to drive instant traffic. Here, you should invest in pay-per-click advertising or PPC for short. And without a doubt, Google and Microsoft ads are the most popular in this regard.

If you know how to run ads with these online giants, potential customers will flock to your website in no time. Note that you only pay when users click on your promotional link.

  1. Utilize Email Marketing:

Today, more brands are using email marketing to grow their businesses. You can’t sit on the fence for long as a new Ohio business. Adding this innovative marketing strategy to your business will be a life-changing event. It’s engaging, educative, informative, and effective. Let these steps guide you if you want to start email marketing:

  • Use a reliable email marketing service provider.
  • Use an email opt-in on your website
  • Entice users with free downloadable gifts.
  • Send periodic emails to your subscribers.
  • Update your email signature.
  • Start a free monthly email newsletter.
  • A/B testing can be used to measure the effectiveness of your campaign.
  • Rinse and repeat until you find your magic formula.
  1. Make Use of Traditional Advertising:

While you may be tempted to ignore traditional marketing, it is still reliable. As a new Ohio business, you can use flyers, billboards, banners, stickers, and souvenirs to promote your brand. In addition, you can leverage the power of your local radio and television stations to reach customers. Also, a targeted newspaper with wider circulation isn’t a bad idea.

My Final Remarks:

In business, every department is essential. However, marketing is the only division that brings in cash flow. Therefore, it’s the heart and soul of your business that needs serious attention. Yes, without customers, you wouldn’t have a business running.

Luckily, there are several ways to attract potential customers. You can find free and paid ways to promote your business. To help you get results quicker, we have shared fifteen creative ways to market your new Ohio business. These include free and low-cost marketing strategies.

To fully benefit from these marketing strategies, you’ve got to be consistent in your approach.