It is a given that marketing is an important aspect of any business. That is, if you want your business to survive. For small businesses, it has been especially hard in the past to keep up with major corporations. In a time when social media is a prominent source for all information, marketing has become not only way more simplistic, it is also possible to do it on a minimal budget. Even though it may be impossible to market without some upfront costs, many a successful business has been started on a shoestring budget. 

It is important for any small business to cut corners wherever needed. These marketing techniques are only the beginning to what it will take to keep you thriving in a competitive world. Luckily, technology and the way in which we use it are on your side. Make sure you are cutting down costs by checking the best card offer you can manage to grab, or looking for the most cost-efficient IT services with affordable, metered billing, and so on.

Keeping a low budget in mind, here is a list of ten inexpensive ways to keep your business headed in the right direction.

1. Use image-based social media platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest or Flickr to share photos of your products or anything that is relevant to your business. Photo sharing is an inexpensive way to get your ideas to a broad audience. 
2. Increase social sharing by offering discounts. Take the time to plan out upcoming discounts, share them on all of your social networks and quickly reap the benefits.
3. Allow your consumers to become your main source of marketing. Offer quality services and blog about it, allow your consumers to comment. Consumers are all too eager to share their opinions, good or bad. By ensuring you have a good product or service, you will receive rave reviews, boosting your sales immediately. 
4. Create mobile wallets. It is becoming more popular than ever for consumers to use their high tech smart phones to pay for items. Platforms such as Google (News - Alert) Wallet and Passbook are quickly rising to the top of mobile payment options. By adding savings to a consumer when purchasing through your mobile wallet option, you will reel them in.
5. Opt for content sharing versus placing ads on websites and search engines. Content sharing is a low cost alternative for any small business. Link your social media sites as well as your website. 
6. Change how your loyalty program works. In the past it has loyalty rewards cards have been used as an incentive to bring repeat business. Add loyalty rewards for sharing your product via social media sites. 
7. Use real-time analytics. Tools like Google Analytics are a good way to get up to the minute insight on what is happening online. By understanding what is being shared, liked and talked about, you are more apt to understand what you need to do in order to improve your current strategy.
8. It is important for any small business to always think local. Using geo-location tools that are offered on most social media sites you will help you to narrow down your consumers based on location. A great resource for any small business.
9. Give your website a face-lift. Consumers want to be drawn into an experience when they land on your page. Keep them scrolling down by adding games, videos and product reviews. 
10. While you are changing the way your website is viewed, make sure you update your mobile site as well. If you don't have a mobile site yet, it is imperative that you get one. More and more, consumers are using their smart phones to access all types of information. If they come to your page and it isn't mobile friendly, they will immediately be turned off by your product. 

Fewer expenses essentially imply more profits for the company, without having to grow business or invest more into it. Hence, any and every business, irrespective of the scale, must try and figure out all possible ways to cut down on costs if they want to take their business growth to the next level.