In an age where the vast majority of people do most of their day-to-day activities with at least some assistance from tech, it is effectively required to be well-versed in these matters. For brands and businesses specifically, reaching people through the platforms and devices they regularly use is essential in making a good impression and generating the kind of reach desired.

Ultimately, there are many forms of digital marketing that can produce varying levels of efficiency for brands, depending on the nature of their focus and their audiences. While some benefits can vary depending on the brand itself, each effort’s price tag is often a concrete reality for all.

Not every brand can afford the most expensive marketing methods in existence, so let’s look at some low-cost marketing methods that actually deliver.

Setup Business Profiles

One of the easiest ways in which to rank prominently for select, local search results is to claim various business profiles available to you. The most notable example is Google My Business, which allows you to add address and contact information, hours and ample descriptions and keywords associated with your brand.

However, there are other options as well, depending on your niche. Facebook is another prominent example via its brand pages, helping locally-relevant search results to more consistently show your brand’s presence. Others, such as Yelp, are great for local restaurants and other small businesses seeking to showcase reviews.

Regardless of which of these are relevant, claiming these pages to ensure you’re pinging links in more local search results is smart. Best of all, setting up these solutions costs absolutely nothing.

Utilize Email Marketing

One of the oldest and most consistently reliable forms of marketing, email blasts are a great choice for businesses and brands with an established list of subscribers and customers. By putting email lists to work, you can be sure to target individuals who have explicitly engaged with your brand in the past, thereby maximizing conversion rates, opens and clicks.

Furthermore, a variety of email marketing solutions exist that make it simple to setup any email campaign imaginable in just a few minutes. While small blasts can often be done for free, larger campaigns (targeting thousands of individuals or more) usually do require a subscription – though the cost is marginal compared to many other marketing efforts.

Offer Referral Benefits

One of the most effective marketing techniques in terms of persuasion is when friends or family members promote a product or service. Whether it be through generic word-of-mouth or a personal connection recommendation, referral programs can be a big boost to visibility, sales and/or subscriptions.

When customers and influencers alike are pinging links to friends, family and followers, the chances that any one of these individuals will sign-up or purchase something increases dramatically. As such, referral programs – which often can be implemented for a fraction of the price of a particular product or service – simply makes good business and marketing sense.

Not every form of marketing requires a huge up-front or long-term investment. Some efforts can be used with little to no cost and still have meaningful benefit, so consider these recommendations thoroughly and ask yourself whether they may work for your brand’s marketing needs.