The $100 MBA Show – Episode MBA2673

5 Marketing Hacks To Grow Fast That Cost $500 or Less

Host: Omar Zenhom
Date: September 5, 2025

Episode Overview

In this highly actionable, no-fluff episode, Omar Zenhom draws from his 20+ years of entrepreneurial experience to share five cost-effective marketing strategies. Each technique is designed for entrepreneurs on a budget, costing no more than $500 to implement, with some possible for even less. Every tactic is practical, rooted in real-world business success—either from Omar himself or trusted colleagues. The episode is full of relatable examples, direct advice, and motivation to take scrappy action for outsized results.

Key Discussion Points

1. Locally Targeted Ads with Your Best Content

[02:10]

• Strategy: Invest $50–$100/week to run local ads (via Meta, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) featuring your best content.
• Why Local? Becomes a “local celebrity” and builds hyper-engaged following. Local recognition leads to event invites, collaborations, and press.
  • "Being a local expert is 100 times easier than becoming a national figure." — Omar [03:25]
• Tactics: Use engaging content, run campaigns within 50 miles/100 km of your location.
• Benefits: Trust builds faster; future opportunities emerge (speaking gigs, interviews, referrals).

2. Branded Merch (That You Actually Wear)

[05:10]

• Strategy: Create $20–$200 worth of apparel (t-shirts, hats, hoodies) with your brand/logo and wear them everywhere.
• Personal Experience: Omar recounts success with Webinar Ninja shirts and currently, the $100 MBA hat—a constant conversation starter.
  • "If you’re wearing your brand 50% of the time, you just turned yourself into a walking billboard." — Omar [06:13]
• Real-World Value: Turns daily routines into branding opportunities. Omar points out this is far cheaper than paid gym ad placements.
• Advice: Invest in good design; it should be cool enough you genuinely want to wear it.

3. The Customer Interview Content Machine

[08:20]

• Strategy: Interview your top 10–15 customers (about $50 per person, offering a thank you gift card) over Zoom for 15 minutes to discuss:
  • What problems did they face before?
  • Why did they choose you?
  • What results did they achieve?
• Content Creation: Repurpose recordings into social graphics, case studies, testimonials for website/sales pages and social.
  • "You just created a content and conversion engine for the next few months or more." — Omar [09:00]
• Trust Building: Real customer stories help future prospects relate, building credibility and answering objections.

4. The Competitor’s Angry Customers Strategy

[15:33]

• Strategy: Monitor forums, Reddit, X/Twitter, Quora, or use tools like Mention/Google Alerts to find people publicly venting about competitors.
• Approach: Never pitch straight away. Open with empathy, offer helpful resources, and only suggest your service/product when appropriate.
  • "You’ll convert about 20 to 30% of these people into customers, sometimes more." — Omar, referencing a friend’s proven experience [16:55]
• Proof of Concept: Nathan Barry (of ConvertKit) grew to $45M+ a year employing this “help first, pitch later” method.
• Cost: Around $300/year for monitoring tools (or free if done manually).

5. Industry Spy Newsletter

[18:55]

• Strategy: Launch a weekly email covering industry drama, fails, pivots, acquisitions, launches, shutdowns, and “insider” stories—complete with your commentary.
• Why It Works: Humans love drama and exclusives; curating behind-the-scenes content turns you into an industry expert.
  • "People love this stuff and nobody else is doing it." — Omar [20:10]
• Simplicity: Setup requires just an email platform (~$200/year) and a landing page.
• Monetization: Grows an engaged list that opens doors to affiliates, paid memberships, consulting, or sponsorship.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Local Ads:
  "Pick a piece of content that you know will perform well and run a local campaign… you’ll be shocked at the doors it will open.” — Omar [04:07]

• On Wearing Branded Merch:
  "I can’t tell you how many conversations this has sparked for me… and boom, conversation starts. You get some leads, you get some potential customers sometimes, and you just become known.” — Omar [06:55]

• On Customer Stories:
  "These stories build trust. They answer objections. They help future customers see themselves in people you've already helped." — Omar [10:08]

• On Handling Competitor Anger:
  "You don’t need a huge funnel, just a bit of empathy, a bit of timing, and some hustle." — Omar [17:35]

• On Industry Newsletters:
  "You’ll quickly build a highly engaged audience… nobody else is doing it." — Omar [20:10]

• Call to Action:
  "Don't be afraid to get scrappy and get results… These are pretty smart, so go ahead and steal them from me and try them in your own business.” — Omar [21:50]

Segment Timestamps for Quick Reference

• [02:10] – Hack #1: Locally targeted ads
• [05:10] – Hack #2: Branded merch you actually wear
• [08:20] – Hack #3: Customer interview content machine
• [15:33] – Hack #4: Competitor’s angry customers strategy
• [18:55] – Hack #5: Industry spy newsletter
• [21:50] – Recap of all five hacks & closing motivation

Episode Summary

Omar Zenhom delivers a rapid-fire rundown of five robust, real-world marketing hacks that can ignite business growth for under $500 each. He emphasizes action over analysis, scrappiness over budget, and leveraging personal connections and hyper-local tactics. Each strategy is backed by his personal experience or that of trusted entrepreneurs—making the episode a must-listen for anyone bootstrapping and seeking creative ways to stand out, build reputation, and generate leads without a massive marketing budget.