Budgets are perhaps the single biggest hindrance to effective marketing, but it’s not the lack of budget that’s the problem.

The problem is that when you have money to spend, you think in terms of What do I get in exchange for my dollars? The solution is to think What do I get in exchange for my time?

Sometimes you need to spend money to get your time back, but there are dozens of tactics you can implement and hone without spending a dime.

You just have to do the effective work that isn’t glamorous.

• Talk to your customers. Call, text, email, go see them in person. Ask what they’re willing to spend more on and create it. Ask for referrals. Ask for upgrades. Ask for reviews.
• Google and LinkedIn search for your target customers. Go to their websites. Grab their emails and phone numbers and reach out.
• Create blog posts on your website that answer target customers’ questions and help them improve their situations. Improve your SEO.
• Contribute to other blogs and outlets. Build backlinks and gain exposure.
• Ask others how you can help.
• Interact with people on social media and offer valuable insights to build a following.
• Record videos on your phone, or tutorials on your computer using a Chrome extension. Push ’em out through social media and email.
• Create case studies with customers.

Free marketing is out there, and often more valuable than what you’d pay for. You just need to do the work and refine your tactics!

Think: What can you do for free?

Once you have something that works for free, then think about (or pitch your boss about) putting dollars behind just that tactic to pour fuel on your fire. Repeat the process and you’ll be better than probably 98% of marketers.