4. Referral Programs That Reward Word-of-Mouth
Referral marketing turns your existing customers into your salespeople. You offer small incentives when they bring in others. It’s low-cost, high-trust, and builds organically from your most loyal users.
What problem it solves:
Paid ads are getting more expensive. A referral program lowers customer acquisition costs while rewarding the people who already believe in what you offer.
Top tools to try and how to use them:
- GrowSurf: Automate referral programs. Issue unique links, track referrals, and send rewards, all without dev work.
- ReferralCandy: Best for eCommerce. It tracks purchases made via referral links and auto-sends coupons or cashback.
- Tally or Typeform: Create a simple referral submission form you can share in DMs, WhatsApp, or email, valid for service-based businesses.
- PostcardMania: For local businesses, send physical referral cards or QR codes that customers can give to friends.
- Notion: Build a transparent referral leaderboard. Show your top referrers each month and build community involvement.
Also Read: Digital Marketing vs. Affiliate Marketing: Exploring Key Differences and Similarities
5. Time-Limited Bundles That Create Urgency
This strategy involves offering a product or service bundle at a special price for a limited time. It works because people are more likely to buy when they feel they might miss out, especially when the value is obvious and the offer is limited.
What problem it solves:
When people delay purchases or keep comparing options, bundles give them an apparent reason to act fast without you needing to push discounts repeatedly.
Top tools to try and how to use them:
- Carrd + Gumroad: Set up a clean, one-page bundle offer with a timer using Carrd. Sell it through Gumroad with a start and end date.
- CountdownMail: Add a real-time countdown timer in your email blasts to show how long the bundle is available.
- Zapier: Automatically remove the offer or change the pricing after the time runs out, so you don’t have to track manually.
- Instagram Stories + Polls: Tease the bundle early, then go live when it’s available. Use polls to build hype and see what people want included.
- Google Sheets + QR Code Generator: List your bundle contents and pricing clearly in a sheet, generate a QR code for it, and stick it up in your café, shop, or pop-up stall.
New to marketing? Start with the basics. Join upGrad’s Fundamentals of Marketing Course to learn core strategies, branding, and customer engagement. Explore practical applications and earn a marketing certification in just 6 hours.
6. Turn Loyal Customers Into Word-of-Mouth Channels
Instead of relying on ad spend, this strategy encourages your existing happy customers to promote your product or service to others. It costs almost nothing and works well when trust is more valuable than visibility. People believe people more than they believe ads.
What problem it solves:
Paid reach is getting expensive and harder to track. Word-of-mouth builds trust and scales naturally. It also brings in better-qualified leads because they come through personal recommendations.
Top tools to try and how to use them:
- Google Forms or Tally.so
Create simple feedback forms to identify satisfied customers. Add a question asking if they’d recommend your brand.
- Refersion or FirstPromoter
Build small referral programs where loyal users get perks or discounts when someone joins through their link.
- Canva
Design shareable thank-you notes or social templates customers can post about your product.
- Instagram Stories or WhatsApp Broadcast Lists
Ask your top users to share a quick video or post, then reshare it to build social proof.
- Survicate or Typeform
Run small NPS surveys to find your most enthusiastic users. Follow up with a personalized request to refer or post a review.
Want to elevate your marketing content using AI tools? Join upGrad’s Generative AI Mastery Certificate for Content Creation and learn to create high-performing content using tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Jasper, and Grammarly.
7. Use Public Data to Create Share-Worthy Content
This strategy involves utilizing publicly available data, such as government statistics, financial reports, or research studies, to create new content. You don’t need to commission expensive research or run surveys. Instead, you find raw data that’s already out there and reshape it into content that adds value for your audience.
What problem it solves:
Creating unique content is one of the hardest parts of low-budget marketing. Public data gives you something to say that’s factual, credible, and often underused. It helps your content feel research-backed and makes it more likely to be shared, cited, or featured elsewhere.
Top tools to try and how to use them:
- data.gov.in, RBI Reports, or Census Data
Explore economic, demographic, or sector-based datasets. Use this to back up blog posts, build infographics, or highlight trends in your industry.
- Google Trends
Spot rising interest around a topic. Match that with relevant public data to create a timely post or email campaign.
- Flourish or Datawrapper
Turn plain datasets into engaging charts or interactive visuals. These can be embedded into blogs or shared on social media.
- ChatGPT or Gemini
Paste sections of public reports and ask for summaries or content ideas. This helps convert raw figures into digestible talking points.
- Canva
Use free templates to turn your charts, quotes, or summaries into carousels or one-pagers that are easy to share online.
Turn public reports into viral posts with smart prompts and AI magic! Learn how to summarize, ideate, and create with ChatGPT and Gemini. Start your free 1.5-hour journey with ChatGPT for Digital Marketing by upGrad!
While frugal marketing is built on smart decisions and resourceful thinking, it’s easy to slip up if you're not careful. Sometimes, in an attempt to save costs, businesses end up cutting corners that hurt their reputation or efforts. That’s why before jumping into tactics, it’s worth understanding where most people go wrong.
Mistakes to Avoid in Frugal Marketing
