SME Marketing on a budget

When you’re running a small business you know marketing is essential, but if you’re on a tight budget, where do you start?

Content is STILL King!

Blog posts, how-to guides and interesting customer stories all contribute to establishing your reputation as an expert.  If you know your audience well, focus on the problems they want to solve and ensure that your content appears where they’re looking.

Social media is free

You don’t have to be everywhere, so find out where your target customers hang out and be visible.  Consistency and authenticity win over polished and slick.  Your top tips, customer stories, before and after images, behind-the-scenes insights all contribute to building a memorable profile.

The money is in the list

Email is one of the most cost-effective marketing methods – as long as your list is well targeted.  A highly focused lead magnet is a great start to start building your list.  There are lots of email marketing platforms that offer a free level to get you started, AWeber, MailChimp, MailerLite, etc.  Or check out AppSumo for a one-time payment for lifetime membership to Sendfox.

Get seen

Optimise your Google My Business profile and gather customer reviews to dramatically improve local visibility.  This is especially powerful for service-based businesses and retailers with physical locations.

Double your reach

Collaborate with complementary businesses for cross-promotion, joint events, or referral programmes.  This will extend your reach without additional ad spend.  Start by making a list of local companies who have a similar customer base to yours, then reach out.  It’s a win-win for everyone.

Lights, camera, action!

Short-form videos on social platforms are incredibly effective for engagement. Simple smartphone videos showing your process, customer testimonials, or quick tips often outperform expensive productions.

Who else do you know …?

Your existing customers are your best marketers.  Simple referral incentives can turn satisfied customers into active promoters, introducing you to their connections.  It doesn’t need to be a high cost incentive, be creative.  A great time to ask for referrals is at the point where you gather customer feedback.  When a customer has just told you how much they like you, they’ll be much more receptive to passing those warm and fuzzy feelings on to others. 

Don’t try to do it all

Pick 2-3 of these strategies and get them working well for you, rather than trying to do everything at once.  Give each one a good test run before deciding it does, or doesn’t, work for you – at least three months, but track and test as you go.

How to keep your newsletter audience engaged

The average person receives more than 120 emails daily, so creating a newsletter that cuts through the noise and genuinely engages readers is both an art and a science.  The difference between newsletters that get opened, read, and acted upon versus those that land straight in the trash often comes down to a few key principles.

Start with purpose, not promotion

The most engaging newsletters begin with a clear understanding of why they exist beyond selling products or services.  Great newsletters solve problems, provide valuable insights, or offer entertainment that readers genuinely want to receive. Before crafting your first issue, ask yourself: What unique value can I provide that my audience can't easily find elsewhere?

For example: Morning Brew's success in making business news accessible and entertaining.

The Hustle transforms dry entrepreneurship content into engaging stories.

The AI Rundown delivers bite-sized updates and ideas on emerging AI.

These publications succeed because they prioritise reader value over self-promotion, building trust that translates into long-term engagement.

Master the art of the subject line

Effective subject lines create curiosity, hint at the value inside, and maintain consistency with your brand voice.  They're specific enough to set expectations, but intriguing enough to encourage opens.  Ted Nicholas used to say that you should spend 80% of your writing time on the headline – and a subject line is just that.

Avoid overused phrases like ‘Don't miss out’ or lots of exclamation marks that trigger spam filters.  Instead, ask questions, use numbers or interesting facts, or create a sense of exclusivity.  Test different approaches with small segments of your audience to discover what resonates best with your readership.

Design for scanners, not readers

Most newsletter readers don't read—they scan.  Design your content with clear hierarchies using headers, subheaders, bullet points, and white space to guide the eye naturally down the page.  

Add relevant images, dividers, or highlight quotes to create visual breathing room.

Keep paragraphs short, typically no more than three sentences, and use formatting like bold text or italics strategically to highlight key points.  If the reader just reads the headlines, subheads and bold words, will they get your message?

Consistency builds anticipation

Successful newsletters establish and maintain consistent publishing schedules, whether daily, weekly, or monthly.  Consistency isn't just about timing—it extends to tone, format, and quality.  Readers should know what to expect when they see your newsletter in their inbox.

This doesn't mean every issue needs to be identical, but there should be recognisable elements that create familiarity.  Perhaps you always start with a personal note, include this month’s ‘aha moment’ section, or end with a thought-provoking question or observation.  

Personalisation goes beyond names

While including a subscriber's name in the greeting is a start, true personalisation goes much deeper.  Use data about subscriber behaviour, preferences, and engagement history to tailor content relevance.  This might mean segmenting your list based on interests, past purchases, or engagement levels.

Consider allowing subscribers to choose their own adventure by selecting topics they're most interested in or letting them control frequency preferences.  The goal is making each reader feel like the newsletter was crafted specifically for them, not just sent to a mass list.

Tell stories, don't just share information

Information is abundant and forgettable; stories are memorable and shareable.  Even in business or industry newsletters, weaving narrative elements into your content makes it more engaging.  Share case studies as stories, use customer examples, or relate industry trends to real-world scenarios that readers can visualise.

Stories create emotional connections that pure information cannot.  Readers remember your content and are more likely to forward it to colleagues or friends.

Create genuine two-way communication

The best newsletters feel like conversations, not broadcasts.  Encourage replies by asking questions, seeking feedback, or inviting readers to share their own experiences.  When readers do respond, actually engage with them.  Reply to emails, feature reader questions or stories, and acknowledge your community in meaningful ways.

Value quality over quantity

Resist the urge to include everything interesting you've found in a single issue.  Curate ruthlessly, focusing on a few high-quality pieces of content rather than overwhelming readers with options.  It's better to provide deep insight on two topics than surface-level coverage of ten.

Quality also extends to your writing.  Take time to edit, ensure accuracy, and maintain your unique voice.  Readers can sense when content has been hastily thrown together.

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Creating an engaging newsletter requires balancing creativity and data. By focusing on genuine value creation and respecting your readers' time, you can build a newsletter that not only gets opened, but genuinely impacts your audience.

How to shine on socials!

 

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the task of creating fresh social media posts every week.  This usually happens when you lose focus.  These are our top ten tips to help you to create content that connects.

1: Know your audience inside out

I bang on about this endlessly – but that’s because it’s not just useful; it’s the foundation for all your marketing.  If you know your target audience’s demographics, interests, and online behaviour, know when they're active, what content they engage with, and which platforms they prefer it will guide your entire strategy and help you create content that connects.

2: Maintain consistent branding

Use the same logo, colour scheme, fonts, and tone of voice across all platforms.  This creates a congruent brand experience that helps customers recognise your business instantly, whether they see your post on Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn (or see your brand anywhere else).

3: Follow the 80/20 rule

Share valuable, entertaining, or educational content 80% of the time, and promotional content only 20% of the time.  This keeps your audience engaged without making them feel like they're constantly being sold to.  Share your top tips, behind-the-scenes content, customer stories, and helpful resources.  Remember that the more value you deliver, the more engaged your connections will be.

4: Post consistently with a content calendar

Plan your posts in advance, it’s much easier to create good content, when you work in batches.  Whether you use a spreadsheet, Google docs or something else to plan, using scheduling tools like Buffer, Hootsuite, or one of the many other schedulers enables you to upload your posts in one hit and then you can focus your social media activity on responding to likes and comments and engaging with others.

5: Use high-quality visuals

Invest in good photos and graphics, even if you're using your smartphone.  Natural lighting, clean backgrounds, and authentic images of your products or team perform better than stock photos.  Visual content gets significantly more engagement than text-only posts.

6: Engage authentically with your community

Respond promptly to comments, messages, and mentions.  Ask questions in your posts to encourage interaction, share other people’s content to enhance your reputation as a smart curator, and participate in relevant conversations.  Social media is meant to be social – treat it like a two-way conversation, not a broadcasting channel.

7: Leverage local and relevant hashtags

Research hashtags that your target audience actually uses, including location-based tags if you serve a local market.  Mix popular hashtags with more niche ones to expand your reach, while connecting with engaged communities.  Avoid overusing hashtags – quality over quantity.

8: Share behind-the-scenes content

People love seeing the human side of the businesses they follow.  Share your work process, introduce team members, show how products are made, or give glimpses of your workspace.  This creates emotional connections with your audience.  At the end of the day people engage with people, not organisations.

9: Monitor your analytics and adapt

Use platform insights to track which types of content perform best, when your audience is most active, and which posts drive the most engagement or website traffic.  Reviewing performance at least weekly will help to drive your strategy and focus on what actually works for your specific audience.

10: Stay current with platform updates and trends

Social media platforms constantly evolve their algorithms and features.  Stay informed about changes and new opportunities like Instagram Reels, LinkedIn newsletters, or emerging platforms.  However, don't chase every trend – only adopt new features that align with your brand and audience preferences.

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Consistency builds trust and keeps your brand top-of-mind.  Aim for a realistic posting schedule you can maintain long-term rather than burning out with daily posts.

Social media success doesn't happen overnight.  Focus on building genuine relationships with your audience, providing value consistently, and staying true to your brand voice.  Quality engagement from a smaller, targeted audience is often more valuable than having thousands of followers who aren't interested in your business.