I have been in business since my early 20s. Some have survived, while others haven’t, due to unavoidable circumstances. But then, over the years, I have learned that marketing doesn’t have to drain your pockets. There are always low-cost marketing ideas for every business in Kenya.
With creativity, consistency, and a bit of digital savviness, you can reach new customers, build trust, and grow your business on a tight budget.
Whether you’re selling clothes in your local town, offering services online, or launching a new side hustle alongside your job, there are free marketing methods you can use for your business.
In this blog, I will share affordable ways to market your business in Kenya. With this, you can be assured of success, as long as you stay consistent. You can also get a Free Digital Marketing Checklist for your business below, as a bonus.
Affordable Ways to Advertise Your Business in Kenya Today!
For every business, you have to start somewhere. In this case, you can start marketing your business using freely available means as you grow.
Free, or Nearly Free Small Business Marketing Ideas in Kenya
1. Create a free Google Business Profile
You don’t pay a dime to create a Google My Business profile. All you need is your Gmail account, an internet connection, and your smartphone. Once you create the profile, Google lists your business online for free, and that’s somewhere you can start.
2. Use WhatsApp Business
Posting your products and services on your WhatsApp status is another affordable marketing idea for your business startup in Kenya. You can start by posting, and your family and friends will start viewing.
In addition, you should build meaningful contacts with potential customers. Your consistency in updating your status will create leads. Furthermore, with the WhatsApp Business app, you can add product catalogues that potential clients can view.
You can also create broadcasts and send messages to your potential clients who have their contact information. The broadcast feature helps you to send offers/announcements to every member, but you will receive individual replies.
Additionally, with WhatsApp Business, you can set message autoresponders. This will help you send automatic replies to people who message you.
3. Join and participate in niche Facebook groups
As a small business startup in Kenya, you can use Facebook to market your products and services. For it to be effective, you should join local groups with people in the neighbourhood.
However, don’t sell your products or services directly; instead, you should aim at offering solutions to questions asked in the group. This will help to place yourself as an expert in your business, and customers will start reaching out, one by one.
You can also create and grow a Facebook page for your business, and you can later earn some passive income from it.
4. Start a TikTok account and post creative videos
TikTok is turning businesses around for the better, and yours shouldn’t be left behind. It’s free to create a TikTok account, and you can use it to make sales for your products and services.
You can create short informative videos for your products or services and post them on TikTok. You should also try as much as possible to engage with your viewers in the comment section.
5. Ask happy clients for testimonials and referrals
Testimonials and referrals are a sure, effective, and free advertising method for your business in Kenya. However, to get to this level, you must first satisfy your existing customers, and they will be happy to refer your business to their friends.
For instance, I have a business that I run, and there is a single client who has referred more than 10 clients to my business. And I don’t take that for granted.
6. Collaborate with micro-influencers
You can also collaborate with small influencers in your local town to boost your business visibility. This could be someone with a huge social media following, WhatsApp status views, or some kind of personal influence over potential buyers, etc.
7. Share tips on LinkedIn to build authority
Let’s say you offer online services to businesses like digital marketing. You can share tips on LinkedIn and build authority in your area of specialization. The good news with LinkedIn is that you can reach a global audience, and you will likely get contracts from big companies.
8. Shout out your business
In all your social media channels, ensure you have a link to your WhatsApp and Website if you have one. Let people know what you do and continue sharing helpful tips, and you will eventually close some deals.
9. Use free Canva templates to make posters and flyers
You don’t have to pay a designer, while you can use Canva to make advertising posters and flyers. Canva is beginner-friendly, and you can also watch some YouTube tutorials to learn.
With Canva, you can also edit short video clips to use in Instagram Reels and TikTok.
For example, you can design posters showing discounted items and show the duration during which the offer will last. You can share the posters on all your social media channels.
10. Do email marketing
Email marketing is one way to do digital marketing on a budget in Kenya. You can collect emails from your existing clients, and also by offering freebies on your website or social media channels.
With a platform like Mailpoet, you can build an email list of up to 1000 subscribers for free. This can help you build a reliable audience that can later turn into buying customers.
The good thing about email marketing is that you can do market segmentation for your subscribers, such that you send relevant emails to new subscribers and existing subscribers separately.
For instance, if you have restocked your clothing business, you can send an email to your existing customers and tell them that you have some offers or discounts.
11. Ask friends to share your business on their status
There are good friends and family out there who can help in sharing your business on their WhatsApp statuses. They will do it for free, and that makes it an excellent marketing idea for a small business startup.
12. Share customer success stories
You can share your customer success stories after they have used your products or services. However, you need to do that with their consent. Their success stories can help you build your credibility in your industry, and that’s one of the free advertising methods in Kenya.
Additionally, you can create short testimonial videos with your clients. This will help you build trust with them and attract new customers for your honesty.
13. Offer solutions to customer needs
You will not go wrong if you start by solving people’s problems. People need solutions, and thus they will buy what will solve their problems.
Offering solutions is a great way to attract clients to your business. You can share information to help people learn how to use your products, and you will end up getting new clients.
For instance, if you are selling home appliances like a washing machine, you can post a short video explaining and showing how clients can operate the machine.
Affordable Paid Digital Marketing in Kenya
14. Run Facebook or Instagram ads (start with KES 100)
With as little as Ksh. 100, you can run Facebook or Instagram Ads. The good thing about these ads is that you choose where you want to display them.
For instance, let’s say you have a MaliMali business in Kayole. You can run a Facebook ad that will only reach people in Kayole and its surroundings. This targeted advertisement helps you to reach the right audience and eventually get clients for your business.
15. Subscribe to a bulk SMS service
SMS marketing is a very affordable marketing idea for your small business in Kenya. I have used SMS marketing for a while now, and trust me, it works wonders. You can send short messages to your customers, alerting them about new products and offers.
However, don’t always text them when trying to sell them something. Instead, you can also send them messages during holidays and the new month. This gesture shows that you still value them, and they will remain your customers.
To add more contacts to your list, you can attend local events to train them about your products, and you can get an attendance list with their contacts. As a result, you are likely going to have new clients for your business.
16. Leave branded stickers on boda bodas
With Canva, you can design stickers explaining your business and put them on bodabodas, with their permission, of course. Always ensure that the stickers have your business location and mobile number.
Additionally, you can let the bodaboda guys come for the products you sell in case their clients send them.
17. Set up a basic WordPress website or blog
In this digital era, every business needs a digital presence, and this includes a website. With a business website, you can sell your products and services to a global market.
For example, due to my website, I have offered my services to clients from the US, UK, India, etc. Therefore, you can also reach more clients with a website.
However, you will need around Ksh. 5000 to set up a business website, and you can’t compare that cost to the massive results you will get from your site.
18. Print branded shopping bags or tote bags
Shopping bags can also help you market your business. With just a few coins, you can manage to print the normal carrier bags.
Instead of paying for printing costs, you can opt to buy a screen printer and your preferred color, and print the bags yourself. This makes it one of the low-cost marketing ideas for business startups in Kenya.
19. Invest in a digital marketing course
You need to learn the ins and outs of digital marketing. With our digital marketing course, you can learn first-hand skills that will help you do the marketing yourself, hence reducing costs.
You can enquire about our course here on WhatsApp.
20. Partner with local kiosks to display your offers
Another affordable marketing idea for small businesses is asking local kiosks around your business to display your marketing materials, such as posters. However, you don’t have to spend much on printing costs. Instead, you can write them on paper and display them.
21. Attend chama or women’s group meetings and market your products
Attending women’s group meetings is another way to attract customers to your business. You can carry a few of your products to show them during their meetings. You can sponsor them with drinks, and trust me, you would have gained a few clients.
22. Wear branded t-shirts or caps
Before you can start giving branded t-shirts and caps to your clients, you need to start by wearing them.
By doing this, you will be speaking your business brand wherever you go.
Wearing branded clothes, whether you are at your business or going out, is a great, low-cost marketing for any start-up.
Conclusion
You don’t need millions to get your business noticed— just the right ideas, effort, and tools. Whether you’re working with zero budget or just a few thousand shillings, you now have a list of practical ways to promote your business across Kenya.
Which of these marketing ideas will you try first? Drop a comment or share your experience.
You can also grab a Free Digital Marketing checklist for your business below.