With limited marketing budgets, marketers think creatively to get the best out of every cent. And those who see space for business growth as a restriction create excellent advertising campaigns with a low budget.
Surprisingly, many budget-friendly marketing ideas offer a better return on investment than those who cost top dollars.
The proof follows.
I spoke to global experts and searched the web from top to bottom to give you a list of more than 20 low-budget businesses and give you tips on replication.
Ideas for low-budget marketing campaigns
Understand your customers through and through to create highly converting advertisements.
I know it may sound quite obvious, but it is not an easy task to put your customers’ deepest wishes or fears. That was the case for the marketing agency Modeva.
They were commissioned to optimize existing Facebook ads for cashback visa. The ads looked smooth, but produced almost nothing. After Modeva listened to the pain points of the partners, he discovered the Knacking Point: Danish shopkeepers hated paying for marketing in advance.
Then Modeva converted the field around a blunt promise: “250,000 purchase of Danes – only pay if it works (no healing, no payment). “”
“No studio shoot, just a 15-second telephone video of a café owner that explains Victor André EnselmannFounder of Fashionva.
“Two ad vertical video for REACH, static for in-platform lead forms on DKK 200/day (≈ 3,500 US dollars over 4 weeks). We have never touched the target side,” continues Enselmann.
He also informed creative people to show how simple videos with the right news can lead to big results.
Speaking of numbers, the campaign brought:
- A sunken cost per lead (CPL) on a sixth of the previous amount.
- ~ 200 qualified leads per month, many are transformed into long -term partnerships.
Enselmann concludes: “Do not advise what is important to your audience. Talk to them! And then they show, don’t say it.”
Pitch to global and local media.
Getting pressed architecture for product publications and campaign starts is a good way to take care of Buzz free of charge. However, nailing this marketing channel will require some press releases that are never published.
But don’t feel discouraged! Here are five proven steps that I personally use to publish my articles:
- Think of a current story. It can be unique research, an op-ET or a story with an element of awareness.
- Media transactions go through And look for a pattern of published press releases. Try to replicate it, but do not copy it.
- Find relevant journalists Who treats your topic. Use rigid or buzzstream to find your verified contacts.
- Go straight to the point and offer a unique angle. Explain in your e -mail Who, what, when, where and why? And polish it with a unique perspective. Make your story convince and avoid only shared simple technical messages.
- Get involved with journalists on X or LinkedIn. Get to your radar so that you can develop an interest in you and recognize you in hundreds of parking spaces.
Here is an example of a simple pitch that was covered:
The story was published in dozens of reputable sources, including the New York Times and CNBC.
Use e -mail marketing for consistently high ROI.
I think it is remarkable that that 43% of the B2B Saas marketers Quote e -mails as the highest ROI. The same study reported that 53% of small business owners in the United States, Great Britain, Canada and Australia E -Mail marketing used as the most common strategy for the search for new and regular customers.
With such a great track record, I strongly recommend that you implement e -mail marketing to reach the audience if you have a short budget.
But think of your newsletter, product fitting and audience sessions that receive a specific offer. Well segmented email drive 30% more opening and 50% more click-through than not segmented.
Find out your public preferences and behaviors and make e -mails with tailor -made content and product offers.
I recently received a highly targeted e -mail in which marketers identified my problems with the lower back area, possibly by analyzing my browsing behavior on your website. The offer included a big discount and a video teaser of the program.
It probably took five newsletters before I finally made a purchase. However, what I think is great for the e -mail marketing is that you can send the same message to hundreds of potential customers with a common behavior pattern and no dollars that were spent on advertising.
Find out how to generate sums on social media.
Social media marketing has developed into an unstoppable sales machine for retail, e-commerce, non-profit organizations and even app advertising. Most marketers agree (69%) that more purchases will take place directly on social media than on brand website or marketplaces of third -party providers, according to our information 2025 Social Media Trends Report.
Speaking of purchases, the same study showed that 25% of consumers have bought products directly from social media in the past three months.
There are some deadly opportunities to attract new customers via social media:
- Start an advertising campaign.
- Work with influencers.
- Create viral videos.
- Post regularly on social media.
In order for something to work, you have to create content that incorporates into the pain points of your audience.
For example, LuvlyAn app for Face Yoga has an amazing social media marketing plan, in which you create daily short videos of your training, which deal with a specific problem (see below). Luvly releases them in stories and roles. In this way, they maintain pendants and attract new ones.
Use user -generated content.
Encourage your customers to create and exchange content in connection with your brand. User -generated content (UGC) not only promote your brand, but also builds trust and credibility.
Look at Kustceramics’ UGC example. The students share their ceramic art in their profiles, and the school takes up them and increases them in their stories. If you are in love with DIY, you will definitely ask your friend about the class.
Tory BullockYouTube Marketing Manager at Drift Kings Media says: “If brands are looking for new opportunities to expand their reach in a rapidly growing digital area, UGC becomes a more sustainable and cheaper marketing strategy than ever … People trust people.”
Create competitions, social media problems or ask for certificates and reviews to promote the creation of users in terms of content. I like his approach because it is not only inexpensive, but also helps build a strong community in your brand.
Use AI-powered, affordable marketing tools to optimize campaign work.
Start with the Drift Kings Media campaign assistant
Software is useful if you run campaigns with a narrow budget. Tools such as the Drift Kings Media campaign assistant can help you generate content for campaigns that range from e -mails to target pages under one roof.
For example, I took on the role of the owner in a sustainable travel business and created various forms of ad to celebrate the erdemonat.
I started designing a newsletter.
The campaign assistant prompted me to summarize the campaign, list important factors that people know about a call to call and choose a writing style. I got coping and customizable email modules in a matter of seconds.
The entire process lasted about 10-15 minutes, including determining the tool. To be honest, I was quite impressed by the quality of the copy, which only needed a few smaller changes. Next, I generated Google ads and Facebook ads for copy suggestions and received amazing results in one click.
Try it yourself.
Another budget-friendly marketing tool is Drift Kings Media’s AI content author, with whom you can generate any copy in a pinch. While the campaign assistant is specially designed for campaigns, Ai Content Writer throws a wider network. I recommend playing around with both tools.
AI software is not the only tool that is available to you. You can also use Drift Kings Media’s branding kit that contains free templates.
Make yourself well with the hosting online events.
Personal events are often expensive. Virtual events, on the other hand, are an intelligent and inexpensive way to interact with their brand on a personal level.
“The dirty little secret of the personal events is that they all compete with the largest number-the larger the number, the worse experience for the participants” Bob BejanMicrosoft VP of the global events, in an earlier interview with Drift Kings Media.
“From a data perspective, the power and effectiveness of virtual events are so convincing that it is difficult to imagine that they ever disappear,” said Bejan. “Virtual events in every dimension are so much more effective than personal events.”
So what should you organize to make a virtual event about your lead generation machine?
I strongly recommend trying webinars (B2B) and live streams (B2C). The latter often happens on Instagram, Facebook, Tikok, YouTube or Amazon Live.
Surveyed marketers confirmed High conversion rates between 9% and 30% After customers visited live streams. In comparison, the usual conversion rates for e-commerce websites are 2-3%.
Create viral videos and share them on social media.
Did you know that 37% of the Tikok users in the United States made purchases either by links in the app or directly on Tikkok?
Since B2C purchases are widespread on social media or are largely influenced on the user trip, you must feel comfortable by recording 30 second videos for TikTok, YouTube shorts, roles, etc.
I was there too.
I was skeptical about this tactic, but a few years ago I was deep in power yoga and was even certified as a trainer. I wanted to test it as my side appearance for Soul, and I wrote down in a Tikok virus course to learn how to get free traffic.
To my surprise, I became viral with my second video, which was shot in the course. And I received 10 paid training sessions immediately afterwards.
In addition, I had no chic camera or settings. I used my iPhone 14 and my living room without additional light. Authenticity worked for me.
Note: Virality does not come by chance. You have to follow a number of rules to make your video viral – from the scenario to different contribution times and an initial commitment thrust.
I leave a good reading TIKTOK virus videos Here you can replicate the strategy.
Take your local shop on Google Maps.
Every time I need a new hairdresser, a restaurant, a flower shop or another conceivable service, I open Google Maps.
It is so comfortable to find new shops there because you have all photos, reviews, telephone numbers and hours in addition to the location.
In addition, 97% of people are looking for online shops, with 28% of local searches end in a purchase.
So, Google my business (or Google Business Profile) is your minimum for low-budget marketing campaigns for local companies.
How do I start?
My colleague Aja Frost wrote an extensive guide to the GMB market, which I can definitely read.
Work with micro-influencers to give your products a boost.
According to our research, 21% of social media users I did a The purchase of social media purchase of influencer content influences In the past three months.
In my opinion, this is the tactics that you cannot miss. It works at relatively low costs with B2C and B2B.
Let us go through a case study.
My friend and a high -ranking paid advertising specialist marketing, marketing marketing specialist, Andrii Kolmykov A number of exchanging base with micro-influencers for his customer, a personal Climate Products Store, started with micro-influencers.
The aim was to strengthen both paid and organic traffic.
He announced: “We carried out a campaign on Instagram and selected creators with smaller (10k – 50,000 followers), but highly committed and loyal audience. By offering free products in exchange for authentic content, we were able to have a striking buoyancy in conversions of paid campaigns and the improvement of organic visibility in the seasonal peaks.”
On the screenshot below you can see a high increase in purchases a month in which the campaign was active.
You can also use discounts, free subscriptions or other giveaways for influencer campaigns.
Recommended to read: How to master Instagram influencer marketing for your brand
Start an employee Advocacy campaign.
The networks of employees are 10 times larger than the Follower base of a company. Content, which is shared by employees, receives 2x the click rate compared to the same content that is shared by the company, explained A LinkedIn study.
Translation: It is a gold mine of the possibilities to reach a new audience for free when you work in B2B.
In fact, Lemlist has made everyone in his team cost to attract new customers. It worked magically with brand traffic and sales grew around X10+when the founder Guillaume Moubeche was shared in his book The 150 million dollar secret.
Read Linkedins eBook to edit this tactic for your company: “In this way you maximize the range and commitment by enabling employees to exchange content. “”
Go offline with your advertising.
Although it sounds expensive, it is not if it is done correctly. It is as easy as the brainstorming of local companies that you can use to work with, and special offers to encourage people to stop by in your company.
For example, say I am a local sourdough bakery and my goal is to increase pedestrian traffic on slower weekends.
What can I do to go analogously?
First of all, I would think about non-competing local partners such as local libraries, yoga studios, coworking rooms, etc. Then I would print flyers with a QR code for a free coffee if I was paired with pastries on the weekend before 10 a.m.
I could use canva for a quick design or that Reve ai image generator To free this part.
Just take a look at what Reve created with a single input request:
I would deliver flyers myself to create an emotional bond with partner business owners or employees. In this way, they would advertise their customers.
In addition, I could also organize a free master class for sourdough starters in my shop in my shop and offer a discount on pastries for every cup of coffee.
Host of small niche meetings and then grow.
In his best -selling book about the importance of building your network, Never eat aloneKeith Ferrazzi emphasizes the ultimate ability to organize intimate niche meetings as a strategic, low-budget marketing tactic in order to build up authentic relationships and expand your own network.
Why do you need it?
It opens new customers for free doors.
All you have to do is find a place and talk about your event – on your social media, through your friends and acquaintances, etc.
The assembly can take place in the form of dinner or breakfast, but with limited seats, so that people have to book in advance by contacting their assistant. I suggest clearing it, bringing more people.
Introduction of a recommendation program.
“Invite your friend and receive discounts,” “earn 15% from every recommendation”, ” And something similar is widespread and for good reason. Customers who discover a brand through word of mouth are 31% –57% higher, as we present others.
So if you haven’t started it yet, start the strategy of your recommendation program.
Even giants like Payoneer Do not hesitate to remind me here and there, to recommend Payoneer to my circles and to receive a good reward.
Friends with social sale.
Regardless of whether you are B2C or B2B, you benefit from social selling a ton. For example, I quit a full-time job and started three years ago as a freelance marketing and sales writer. I have not promoted my services anywhere, except for LinkedIn.
Without real advertising, but with thoughtful and practical content, I quickly made a relevant supporter of over 4,000 people and received more than 50 leads. Of course I didn’t have the ability to work with 10%, so I slowed down on social media, but Leads still come through recommendations or native.
For social sales, I found that working with real content is most effective. For example:
- Practical tips on topics in which you are an expert.
- Expert connections.
- Your results and highlights.
- Your life behind the scenes.
- Success and failure stories.
- Customer statements.
The format can be everything, from text -based copies to carousel to videos. Experiment you to find out what your audience appeals the most.
Become a podcast guest.
Contact Podcasters in your niche and offer to be a guest, or find a podcast booker agency that will find you when you get started.
If you are heard in several podcasts, you can use a new audience and build your authority.
For example, Podcast Booker Has helped the authors to become a bestseller to win new customers, and SEO companies see an increase in traffic and ranking.
Partner with complementary companies.
Work with companies that offer additional products or services to expand your reach.
When I worked for Serpstat, I was responsible for any kind of partnership. Some strategies brought particularly great results to:
- A newsletter exchange, in which your partner assigns a whole problem to tell everything about your product and you do the same for him.
- Discounts and free trial versions for Internet marketing schools.
- Guest contribution exchange with exclusive offers for readers.
Here are some other tactics that work – or I wish we used to have used:
- Co-Branded webinars or workshops.
- Social media shoutouts.
- Bleeding bundle. Combine your eBook, checklist or template with your partner’s resource in a bundle. Every brand promotes it.
Present the content behind the scenes.
Give your audience an insight into your business, your corporate culture or your product development process.
I found a great example of this tactic in the action of a wooden furniture company.
Ben & ManuWood workers from France create incomparable pieces of furniture with wood carvings. All designs look so wonderful that they cannot believe that they are handmade.
But then you see behind the roles behind the scenes and dream of assets that you would save to have this coffee table or a bookshelf.
Start a “public structure” on LinkedIn or medium.
Who doesn’t love stories? We all do it, regardless of whether it is business or personally.
Another great and free advertising strategy is “in public”.
Document your trip as a manufacturer or business owner. Share your ups and downs and lessons. The authentic storytelling is building followers and future customers. This was the case with Lemlist that the company basically converted $ 150 million.
They even made a show from the financing of investors and decreased all subsequent offers.
I ask you to see an interview with his co-founder Guillaume Moubeche in order to replicate his “build-in-public” method.
Take a takeover in social media.
Work with another company or influencer to take over the social media accounts of another for one day and to expose your brand to a wider audience.
You can also carry out a live stream with your partner, borrow a few hours in stories or a similar exchange.
An example that I remember is PaceA wellness brand that hands over your account Dr. Shauna Shapiro For a living “pendant” meditation.
Tips for low-budget marketing campaigns
Which strategies you want to try from above recommend that you keep an eye on these tips to be successful.
Be realistic.
If you only have a few resources, you have one of the worst things you can do, unreachable expectations. You have to scale them and be realistic.
“If you work with a narrow budget, make sure that you have clear, measurable KPIs and prevent how you have to spend the product outside of the budget to expand the product from a paid perspective,” says Dréa HudsonHead of the new media growth at Drift Kings Media.
She adds that this can be a challenge if you are an ideas first, but also a lesson to prioritize time, resources, energy and budget.
“Make creatively with your deserves and in the possession media and summarize a clear, concise promise of values ​​that is easy to share.
Look at this Budget templates Make realistic and accessible plans.
Hug the collaboration.
Nobody should work in a silo – teamwork is needed to carry out a successful campaign.
“Identify teams with which you want to work in your company and then brainstorming or pitch pitch -advantage -like cooperations that can organize your work with a uniform goal,” says Pam bumpContent Growth Team Manager at HubSpot. “If your team creates text-based blog content or marketing emails, but you need videos for your campaign to offer the advertising content in your text-based content in your text-based content when you create media that relate to your campaign topic.”
It adds that the cooperation between cross team is advantageous for all parties involved.
“In this way you get the content you need to drive the time on the page or on the video search, and you benefit from the views, awareness and potential channel subscriptions that are equipped with advertising in your content,” concludes Bump.
Outsmart, do not spend.
If you have a limited budget, it is best to outsmart the competition.
“Search for creative efficiency increases by producing assets in waves or batches. And for branded media you will find ways to spend, not to spend, your competition with unforgettable, contextual advertising spaces to achieve oversized effects,” says Callie Wilkinson, Principal Brand Marketing Manager at HUBSPOT.
Start with low-budget marketing campaigns.
You don’t have to be very well financed to carry out a successful marketing campaign. Choose creativity via paid ads.
I did this to expand my personal brand and conclude contracts – and I did the same for the companies I worked for. Just like dozens of other companies in this article.
I would start with budget -friendly marketing to:
- A deep understanding of your audience.
- The right tools with AI-driven tools to reduce the costs for the creation of text and media assets.
So when you are ready to read, take your time and return to the post with your notebook. Think about how one or more examples can be used for your company.
Note from the publisher: This post was originally published in November 2023 and updated for completeness.