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How Small Businesses Can Boost Their Digital Footprint With A Shoestring Budget In 4 Proven Ways.

Emmanuel Nnaemeka
  Having a small budget shouldn’t deter small business owners from expanding their digital footprint. It is a well-known fact that building a digital footprint for small businesses can be very expensive as you might find yourself spending on digital marketing, social media management, SEO optimisation and what-have-you. 
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Marketing and advertising are some of the most important factors you must consider when building, growing and sustaining your business towards profit and productivity.      Fortunately, even with rising costs across the board, there are strategies for owners to grow their online presence without breaking the bank. Through creative marketing and advertising strategies, a shoestring budget can go a long way in 2022. Of course, every small business has its own unique set of speculations regarding its digital footprint and finances. This article takes you through 4 strategic ways to improve your SME’s online presence even with a small budget.
  1. Outsource, Don’t Employ.
Outsourcing is cheaper than employing. There are various ways you can outsource the job of marketing and advertising campaign to an expert without employing one. One of the ways to do so is by hiring a freelancer. Hiring a freelancer is real and results are often super-amazing. According to Upwork’s Freelance Forward Economist Report, “…freelancers contributed $1.3 trillion to the U.S. economy in annual earnings [in 2021], up to $100 million from 2020.” As a small business owner on a shoestring budget, this should be good news for you. Hiring contractors, not employees, allows you to save money in various ways. With Upwork and Fiverr you can access talent around the globe (not just in your local area), making it easier to find affordable talent. Likewise, there’s less maintenance when you hire contractors, as you avoid fixed costs such as benefits, retirement contributions, office space and office supplies, and so on. Isn’t it cheap? Furthermore, with freelancers, you can employ them either on a short- or long-term basis. For instance, if you only need a content writer or web developer for a few months, hire a freelancer according to a per-project agreement. When you don’t have constant and lasting needs for a specific task, it’s financially effective to do so. 
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  1. Focus On Organic Growth
What does “organic growth” mean in the first instance? According to Investopedia, organic growth is the growth a company achieves by increasing output and enhancing sales internally. This does not include profits or growth attributable to mergers and acquisitions, but rather an increase in sales and expansion through the company’s resources. Take for instance the search engine optimization (SEO) of your business if well-performing can create organic growth for your company. To illustrate further, if your website reaches the top of page one for a highly searched and targeted keyword, you’ll receive traffic for as long as it remains in that position. This is very different to pay-per-click advertising, in which you’re charged every time someone clicks through to your website. Optimisation of your website takes time, money and knowledge to reach the top of page one, but once you’re there, the traffic is free. If you’re prepared to take this approach, do so with point 1 above in mind: Hire a competent, knowledgeable and reputable SEO professional to manage your organic growth. 
  1. Building More Network.
If you’re going to build a widespread digital presence for your small business, you must network effectively. To a large extent, connecting with other professionals isn’t what it used to be, due in large part to an increase in the number of people working from home. Moreover, the growth of online networking (led by LinkedIn) has several people concentrating their time and effort on the digital world. There’s no shortage of ways online networking can help you expand your company’s digital footprint. Consider the following:
  1. Network with potential partners, clients, and suppliers.
  2. Find top talent.
  3. Discover cheaper and/or free marketing and advertising opportunities. 
  1. Appear As A Guest Writer On Industry-Specific Blogs.
Being a guest writer on industry-leading blogs and websites can improve your business’s digital footprint without incurring costs. Through occasional appearance as a guest writer on blogs and websites can establish you as a thought-leader, which can concurrently expand your company’s digital footprint. The keys to success here include creating high-quality content, choosing the right websites to post it on and taking an extraordinary stance that engages an audience. However, one of the ways to do yourself a great disservice is by constantly publishing generic content. Your content must be engaging and thought-provoking. If it resonates with the audience, you benefit by way of more traffic, more email subscribers and more customers.  Featured image source: Connect Nigeria
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