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Running a modern restaurant can be challenging and expensive. Pressed between a tight budget and small margins, many owners don’t have the luxury of prioritizing their marketing, let alone generating a greater reach by running ads—but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

With the right knowhow, there are plenty of ways to capitalize on the market and gain exposure without breaking the bank. So, with that said, here are six inexpensive and effective ways to run ads without an extensive budget.

Use Social Media

While plenty of other ad-ready platforms require buy-ins or have specific requirements for posting, most forms of social media are entirely free and include massive audiences—both of which combine to make them incredibly effective.

While you can always supplement your organic posting efforts with paid restaurant ads on platforms like Facebook, you can certainly gain a lot of traction and significant exposure simply leaning into what you can accomplish for free.

Make sure to use each platform’s greatest strengths to showcase our business most effectively. For instance, Instagram is perfect for drool-worthy images of your dishes or posting any weekly specials you may be offering. LinkedIn can be leveraged to connect and even collaborate with others in the industry, while also showcasing your business to a tailored audience of professionals. Twitter is perfect for advertising with images and short text while also generating engagement, traffic, and even organic sharing.

Blog Often

If you already have a website, blogging is free and only costs a little bit of time and thought. It allows you to advertise your business specifically to those already searching for it, or related topics. So by using SEO best practices when writing about the food industry or highlighting what you are doing at your restaurant, you can easily bring in organic traffic and spread awareness of what you bring to the table—literally and figuratively.

Use your blog to engage your audience and keep people excited on a regular basis. The more you blog, the more your site is indexed by search engines, and the more traffic you’ll see.

Leverage your current assets—like your website

Have you ever been to a restaurant website, and all you see is the address and an image? Chances are, if you have, you probably found somewhere else to eat.

Having an attractive and up-to-date website not only makes your restaurant more appealing, but also tells current and potential clients how seriously you take your work.

Consider what you’d like to see when choosing a place to eat—such as accurate food and drink menus, specials, hours of operation, and so on—and make sure it’s intuitive and easy to navigate. Remember to include flattering images of your space, food, and environment to leave a good impression on visitors so they’re compelled to try it out. While it may not look like an ad, a good website certainly operates like one, creating interest, showcasing your best side, and bringing customers in, so make sure you make the most of it.

Local Search

Google is the most powerful search engine on the Internet and although Google Ads cost money, if done right, Google Places can be super cheap, if not free—and it’s massively helpful for directing a large quantity of local diners towards your establishment. In fact, it’s nearly a standard now, so if you’re looking to compete, you can’t afford to neglect it. Just make sure to use the right keywords and SEO practices so the site is optimized for search. With some quick lessons, you can learn to do it yourself, or if there’s room in the budget, hire a professional.

Partner with Others

Partnering with others is an excellent way to promote your restaurant—and it’s mutually beneficial. Consider what kinds of exchanges you can orchestrate with local charities or even other related businesses for a reasonable cost, like sponsoring a food drive. If you’re creative, there are plenty of partners you can find locally who will willingly partner with you for the right cause or exchange of goods/services.

Cooking Classes or Webinars

You might not have the budget for a lot of restaurant ads, so bring the customers to you by getting involved in the community. Host a free cooking class, showcase your expertise, and get people excited about your restaurant. You could also host a free webinar in the local area to discuss food or whatever other topics you feel are relevant while making your restaurant the backdrop and your dishes or experience a highlight or focus.

Social media is a great way to advertise any business. This is particularly true for the cosmetics industry, which is such a visual vertical. From the visual platform of Instagram to the interactive videos of TIkTok to the ability to create eye-catching graphics on Pinterest, there are endless options for attracting your ideal audience. And with more people than ever looking to these platforms for beauty inspiration, this “selfie” generation is primed and ready for your beauty advertisements.

The beauty industry is projected to be worth $90 billion by this year, which means that there is no shortage of people looking for the perfect product. You shouldn’t ignore the reality that a lot of those people are finding the products they are purchasing on social media. Whether you’re fairly comfortable in the social media marketing space, or you’re just starting to dip your toe in, here are a few tips to help you step up your game and reach your ideal audience.

Use a variety of platforms

It’s likely your ideal audience is hanging out on any number of social media platforms. In order to reach the most users and bring the most value to your audience, it’s important not to get stuck on any one platform. Broaden your reach by creating how-to videos for YouTube, and pairing them with a beautiful picture of the finished product on Instagram. Linking the two together can not only help you reach a wider base on either channel, but it can also let both audiences know you offer value on other platforms.

While, again, it’s important to have a presence on more than one platform, you want to make sure you are adjusting your content appropriately. You aren’t going to want to post the same bright photo with a snappy caption on Facebook as you did on Instagram, and likewise you’ll want to avoid a lengthy, informative post for Instagram like you might on LinkedIn.

Add value

While your main goal might be gaining an audience and marketing your beauty products, don’t miss the mark on adding value for your followers as well. No one is going to be interested in a page that is constantly peddling their wares. Instead, take the time to get to know your audience. Figure out their pain points and their most asked questions and create content accordingly that can help them solve those issues. This serves to demonstrate not only authentic connection with the individuals that make up your followers and your customer base, but that you’re paying attention to what they have to say.

Build a community

This tip goes hand-in-hand with adding value. Creating a base of loyal customers who are going to champion your brand is a huge win not only for your company, but for your clients. If you can create a community around a solid product where your followers feel heard, seen, and cared for, they’re going to tell all of their friends about you, and they’re going to keep coming back.

You can start to build this community by offering value-rich content, as mentioned above, but also by connecting with the audience you already have. While it’s important to reach a wider audience with your content, you should always focus on serving those who are already showing up for you. Comment back. Ask questions. Engage. Connect with your followers and make them feel heard and seen.

Another great way to do this is by highlighting testimonials. Drunk Elephant Skincare publishes testimonials on Instagram from beauty magazines to users who only have a handful of followers. Highlighting how your products are working from the perspective of the consumer is a great way to build community. For one, you’re showing that you care what your users have to say. Additionally, credibility and trust in your brand is built when you openly offer testimonials by those who are on the fence. This indicates that you have real-life customers to back up your beauty claims.

Utilize hashtags

Attaching hashtags to your posts can help your ideal audience find you. Hashtags can extend the reach of your post beyond your current users to those who are searching for a specific word or phrase. To help find the perfect hashtag, you can use a service like Hashtagify.

Consider creating custom hashtags to associate with your brand and with specific products. This can help set your content apart and also group your content such that when someone clicks on the hashtag, all the posts associated with that hashtag will pop up.

Update often

While it’s important to be on the right platform, engaging with your audience, and adding value to your feed, it’s as vital to update your social media accounts regularly. In this digital age where scrolling has become a national pastime, you want to be front of mind. That means fresh content as often as possible is must-have. Writing new blog posts, shooting new videos, and taking high-quality photos take time, but the payout is worth the effort.

Advertising your cosmetics business on social media will take some time, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. Start with small steps, meet your audience where they are, and grow from there.

Customers have a lot of choices to make when it comes to salons near them. Marketing your salon effectively can go a long way in helping you stand out from the crowd. While navigating your way through the intricacies of marketing can be challenging, the rewards far outweigh the costs.

Without the right marketing, it doesn’t matter if your salon has the best nail technicians, hairdressers, and aestheticians—no one is going to know! Don’t worry. While marketing might seem daunting, we’ve put together our top tips for helping you increase clientele and drive profits.

1. Improve your websiteWhen it comes to marketing your business, your website should be at the forefront of most strategies and techniques. A salon with an efficient website lets clients know you are serious about improving convenience and accessibility. A well-working, easy-to-use website makes it easier for clients to inquire about your services and make appointments.
2. Improve salon searchabilityImproving your searchability is a simple yet efficient technique to drive revenue. When your business can be found with a simple Google search, it increases your chances of attracting new customers. When you improve your searchability, it helps you avoid spending chunks of cash on ads and promotions.

1. Unique brandingUsing distinctive designs, patterns, and colors for all branding and marketing efforts, as well as on social media, will help differentiate your salon from others and make clients identify your business easily.
2. Take advantage of social mediaYou don’t need to be a marketing expert to recognize the influence social media has on promoting businesses in 2020. Your beauty salon should tap into social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to show customers why they should choose your salon.Instagram is a highly visual platform that makes it perfect for marketing your salon. Regularly updating Instagram with stunning photos and videos of your latest work is sure to capture your audience and win new clients.The best way to utilize Facebook is to create a page where clients can leave feedback and can also be used to run targeted ads.
3. Implement loyalty programsReward clients for being loyal. Using a loyalty program—such as a punchcard or online rewards system—can help you further build your relationship with your clients, while ensuring they’ll keep returning to your salon.

1. Request feedback and reviews regularlyYour reputation is the first thing most people notice when they perform an online search for your salon. Having customers leave reviews on Yelp, Facebook, and Google helps reassure potential clients of your team’s ability.
   Feedback can also help you spot areas where improvements are needed.
2. Create a space to take photos and videosSet up a space in your salon where customers can take and share Instagram-worthy photos with their followers. Not only will this help show off the talents of your staff, but it will create an experience for your clients that others will want to replicate.

1. Take advantage of special eventsOrganizing events or collaborating with local businesses to co-host events is an excellent way to promote and market your salon. In addition, rewarding loyal clients on their birthdays or even holidays can do wonders for publicity. These events and special recognitions show clients how important they are to your business, making them eager to return.
2. Create business cards and couponsClients should leave with a business card that indicates your website and social media handles. This makes it easy to book follow-up appointments and encourages your clients and potential clients to follow you on social media, where your best work is displayed. You can also create coupons for new or potential clients to encourage them to make an appointment.

1. Send out newsletters

   Send out messages and newsletters regularly to inform your clients of special events coming up. These messages can be the perfect tool to tell people more about your staff, share useful tips and ideas, and be a source of valuable information. Messages should be informative and direct, reducing the chances of them ending up as spam.

Promoting your construction business can be daunting. There are so many social channels, so many marketing opportunities, it’s hard to know where to start. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be as daunting as it may seem. We’ve put together a list that should help you dip your toe into promoting your construction business.

Get on Social Media

Highlighting your business on social media is a great way to reach a wide audience and keep people updated on what you’re up to. It’s also a wonderful way to walk people through projects from beginning to end – everyone loves a good before and after!

There are so many social channels you can be on – LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest – instead of driving yourself crazy and trying to tackle them all at once, pick one or two that make the most sense for your business and master it. This will help you better serve the audience that you have instead of wearing yourself out trying to figure out several new platforms at once. Once you feel you have one or two channels mastered, feel free to expand to others.

You might start with Facebook and Instagram. They’re both great channels for images. Facebook allows you to create a business page, which is great for adding your contact information and giving people an easy way to search for you. You can also add albums, which you can use to show off current and past projects. It’s also a great platform for writing longer posts that might give more information about projects or your business.

Instagram is a visual channel. You can create posts with your images, but the main focus is the image. You can also give people a snapshot of your life with Instagram’s stories feature. This is a great opportunity to give people a behind-the-scenes look at your day and what goes into making your business work.

Content Matters

All of the content you create should add value to your audience. Whether it’s a guide, a how-to, or just an informational post about your business, you should have your audience’s best interest in mind.

A good place to start would be to answer common questions and pain points. Solving the problems your audience is having is a great source of content, and it’s going to set you apart as an expert in your field. You can create this content as a blog post, and use that blog post to create several different social media posts to inform your audience and promote your post.

Eventually, creating helpful videos for YouTube would be an excellent way to get yourself in front of your audience in a more interactive medium.

Build Relationships with Companies

You’ll likely be working with several different companies – interior designers, electricians, painters, plumbers, and the like – on each project that you do. Creating strong relationships with these companies and individuals is a great way to not only ensure they’ll want to work with you on future projects, but it’s a good way to promote word-of-mouth marketing, both for yourself and for the companies you’re working with.

You can help these companies out by spreading the word about their services, and they can do the same for you. Hearing a referral from a trusted person is going to do wonders for your business, and it’ll do the same for those you refer others to.

Create a Newsletter

Newsletters help you connect with potential new clients and keep you in contact with older ones. They’re an excellent way to spread the word about current or past projects, keep your audience up-to-date on what you’re working on, and provide your readers with valuable content.

A newsletter doesn’t to be complicated or time consuming. Sending it out once a month can help keep you top-of-mind.

Update Your Website and Blog

With all of the other marketing initiatives, it’s easy to forget to update your website. Studies show that between 70-80% of people research a company online before even visiting a business, let alone making a purchase with them. When people search for your business, you want them to come across a clean, easy-to-use website where they can find helpful, worthwhile content.

Promoting your construction business might seem scary, but if you take small steps and just get started, you’ll find it’s worth your while.