As a small business owner, you know you need to spend money to make money, and after reading our blog post detailing how much money you should be spending on your marketing, your next thought is “Okay, what will be the best use of my marketing budget?”

We’d love to help you figure that out, but if you’re looking to DIY your marketing strategy, we still wanted to offer some support.

As part of our latest series, Ultimate List of Marketing Tactics for Small Businesses, we share a list of ideas that require a marketing budget. These tactics can have major impacts on how fast your business grows, so with the right strategy, this kind of spend is worth it.

What Do We Mean By Paid Marketing Tactics?

Paid marketing tactics are often the same thing as advertising. You may be doing the strategy and writing and designing the ads yourself, but you’ll still have to pay for the exposure to that audience. 

Paid Marketing Tactics

Sidewalk Wraps Or Murals: Some communities or property owners will permit you to use the space on or near sidewalks or large buildings to promote your business or event. Speaking of the word permit, though, sometimes signs do require permits, so look up what’s needed for your municipality. 

Bus And Car Wraps: Similarly, you can also purchase ad space on the side of local busses, trains, stations, or even personal vehicles. The metrics here are a little heard to measure other than if you get a customer who says they first saw your business through a bus wrap. But it would be a fun way to blanket your community if you are concurrently running other marketing and advertising.

Mailers And Postcards: Don’t forget about good ol’ fashioned snail mail for your customers and prospects. Just remember that there will be additional costs with postage, and be sure to include something on your mailer that will help you track the effectiveness of your mail campaign, like a unique website URL, or QR code.

Conference Booth: We love hosting a booth or panel at relevant conventions and conferences. You get to meet so many interesting people and often that face-to-face interaction leaves a longer lasting impression than a one-time ad.

Advertorials: These are like an editorial in your local newspaper, but you get a lot more control over the copy, design and page you’re on since you’re paying for the space.

Billboards: If you’ve got the cash, billboards can be a fun way to remind folks of your brand messaging. Just make sure it’s simple because folks only see it for a second at a time.

Magazine Ads: Do your customers read physical magazines related to your products and services? It may be worth it to buy ad space in there to remind them how awesome you are, or about an upcoming sale or event you’re hosting.

Adopt A Highway: Listen, we’re including everything. Bet you didn’t remember that this was an option. While it’s technically not a paid option since you just have to take care of the land and clean up trash, it will still cost you time. But then you get your name on a sign along that stretch of highway.

Sponsorships: There are lots of things you could sponsor, not just little league teams, but festivals, fundraisers, sporting events and venues, nonprofits, etc. 

Social Ads: With social ads, you can reach thousands of eyeballs, so they can be powerful. However, you’ll pay per click on your ad, or pay per so many thousand impressions, which is why you need to be smart about your parameters and demographics that you choose for your ads, so that nothing gets out of control and they’re not a budget drain. Depending on the platform, sometimes posting an ad is called “Boosting a post.”

Affiliate Marketing: Affiliate marketing is where you have a contract with someone who is going to do some marketing and selling for you. Similar to public relations and influencer marketing, you still have to earn your opportunity to work with folks who will sell your products and services, but this typically entails a kickback for each lead or customer they send you, rather than an upfront cost for the content to be created no matter how effective it is.

Pay Per Click: You can purchase ad space on websites that display advertisements in the sidebars or above the header, or anywhere else really. There are a few different payment options that might help you manage your budget. For example, you might pay per view, or you could pay a small fee each time a person clicks on your ad. 

Ads In Email Newsletters: Most organizations send email newsletters, and some even incorporate ad or sponsorship space. This may offer awareness and credibility for your ideal customer. Plus, you can often link your ad to your website, so it’s just a click away. Consider chambers of commerce, industry newsletters, local “what’s happening this weekend” updates, even big media publishers that your target audience may read.

Ads In Organization Directories Or Websites: The same is true about organization websites or directories. E.g. if your winery has event space, getting into a bridal venue directory might be an awesome way to connect with folks. We mention this here in paid, because while some of them are free, many of them require a small fee or for you to offer their customers a discount in order to be listed.

Television Ads: This one can be costly because of the costs of commercial production, but if you can swing it, traditional cable advertising can be a powerful tool for the right demographic.

Streaming Platform Ads: Your audience doesn’t have cable anymore? Share your message with them via Hulu, Peacock, or other streaming platforms.

Terrestrial Radio Ads: Lots of folks still listen to terrestrial radio, especially in their car. Your local radio stations are a great option for brand awareness.

Internet Radio Ads: Purchase air time on Internet radio platforms like Spotify to connect with fans.

Podcast Ads: You know when you listen to your favorite podcast and the host will pause the show to tell you about a product or service from their own perspective, rather than reading copy straight from the brand. You can run native ads like that on your favorite relevant podcasts so customers like you can discover your business or be reminded of how awesome you are by their favorite hosts.

Livestream display or video ads: Many platforms like Twitch and Kick allow streamers to earn revenue from showing their viewers ads while they play a game. That could be your business shown during an epic speed run or play through!

Love the list, but feeling overwhelmed? With small teams or minimal budgets, it’s important to not spread yourself too thin. Prioritize what will have the biggest impact with the least amount of effort or budget. And of course, if you need help, you know where to find us!

Excited about some of these tactics but don’t know what the message should be? Download our guide 50+ Content Ideas to Share with Your Prospects and Customers.