Durban: With inflation sending the price of basically everything through the ceiling, a second income could be considered a must for most people in the working world.
But side hustles aren’t always as easy as some of the YouTube videos make them out to be. Competing with bigger companies that have huge marketing budgets can be stressful but there are some ways around it.
Five ways you can market your side hustle on a budget:
Street Marketers - This is another word for using people standing at the traffic lights begging, to help bring awareness to your business. It is no secret that homeless people beg at traffic lights throughout the city and province, but offering them a job in return for building brand awareness could be killing two birds with one stone, creating employment and marketing.
A case in point would be Samuels Service Centre, a business hat fixes vehicles. It dressed people at various traffic lights in their company T-shirts to build awareness.
Make some noise - Have you ever heard a loud commotion in a mall and wanted to see where the noise was coming from? This is another stealthy marketing tactic.
Sometimes just having a speaker playing music outside your shop with someone on the mic making a scene is all you could need to build a customer base in the area you are trying to serve.
Give away something you don’t own - Prize give-aways can always reel in the crowds in person or online audience but sometimes you may not have anything to give-away.
This is when your business acumen and networking skills need to come together. Getting in touch with friends or other businesses from your area to strike a deal can work in your favour.
Not everyone will want to budge, but when you do find an opportunity, get a product from another business by offering them your product. You won’t be paying for anything in cash, but you would hold that value to use in your give-away.
Make short videos - Google statistics indicate that most people prefer watching videos online compared to anything else. These are short videos, often between 30 seconds to a minute long.
Regardless of your business niche, there is always someone online who will watch your video. So, start making them. Make it punchy, short and memorable enough to make them want to research your company immediately.
Huge corporations like Redbull understood this before social media became what it is today. Those stick figure adverts of sarcastic individuals will forever be etched in our minds when we look at its cans.
There is also free software available online for you to start making them on your own if you cannot afford to pay someone for it. Most importantly, be authentic.
Use social media influencers - Remember in the third option where you can give away something you don’t own by networking? I hate to admit it but influencers have some influence in society.
Try networking with influencers who have a small to medium audience. This way you can negotiate by offering them your products in return for marketing the brand.
It would be nice to use a popular influencer, but they often charge large sums of money to market your product. Teaming up with up-and-coming influencers can work in your favour if you have a tight budget.
Networking is key here, again, you will have to message many influencers to secure a few good prospects.
IOL