How to Advertise Your Business Online for Free
Wouldn’t it be lovely if all businesses had the marketing budgets of global giants like Amazon or Google? That would make things much easier. But back in the real world, most start-ups and small businesses don’t have the luxury of a dedicated marketing budget.
However, thanks to the internet, this is not a huge disadvantage. There are lots of opportunities to advertise your business online for free.
Let’s take a look at some of the best places where you can advertise your business for free and still gain exposure, engagement and conversions.
Facebook business pages
Your company’s Facebook page is a great source of customer engagement. Facebook has almost two billion daily active users, and although organic reach is an ever-decreasing statistic, there is still organic reach to be had.
By posting regularly on your Facebook page you are opening the door for potential customers to learn about your company and the services it provides.
Be sure to utilise your employee’s social media also. By asking your workforce to share important company news and updates, you are expanding the potential reach of your posts, and circumventing the aforementioned reduction in organic reach.
Facebook groups
Facebook groups provide the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and key figures in your industry for free.
There are thousands of active groups that you can join to start discussions, share opinions and stay up to date with the latest information in your local area and beyond.
You can even start your own group and initiate the conversations. The topic of the group is up to you. It could be based around your industry, your local community or focussed solely on your company. Just be sure to follow the rules of each group, be respectful and avoid being too salesy.
Create a LinkedIn profile
LinkedIn is the go-to social media platform for businesses. Providing the opportunity to network with businesses, entrepreneurs and key industry players both locally and globally.
Posts on your LinkedIn profile will be seen by your connections and valuable content can be shared far and wide through industry networks.
LinkedIn is particularly useful for B2B (Business to Business) services, as your content can be seen by decision-makers in your target market, driving leads and sales.
Online business directories
Online business directories are incredibly useful for getting your business found online, and there are plenty of options for listing your business – many of which are free.
By listing your business in an online directory, you improve your online visibility and extend the reach of your company dramatically. Be sure to list your company on multiple directories to maximise the opportunity to be seen.
There are numerous directories available. Many serve a broad range of businesses whilst others focus on specific industries. Be sure to research the options available and pick those that suit you and are relevant to your business.
Google My Business
Google My Business is an online directory with added oomph. We all know that Google is the world’s number one search engine. So, it will come as no surprise that creating a Google My Business account will be highly beneficial for your business.
A Google My Business profile is an excellent way to get your business found online through Google search engine results (SERP) and on Google Maps – and of course, it’s a great tool for improving your businesses SEO.
Email marketing
Email marketing is a highly effective form of advertisement.
By sending targeted, personalised emails to those who sign up to your mailing list, you create brand awareness, develop customer loyalty and drive sales in a very cost-effective manner.
Mailchimp – one of the most popular email marketing tools – offers email marketing tools for free to accounts with less than 2000 contacts. For small businesses, that’s a lot of emails for nothing.
Write blog posts
Blog posts are a valuable tool to have in your marketing arsenal. Posting regular articles that are relevant to your industry will establish your brand as an authority in your sector.
You can add a blog page to your business website or use one of the many free blogging platforms available.
Share the latest company news, recent case studies or opinion pieces. The formats and topics are numerous, and the traffic created by these posts will improve SEO and engage potential customers.
Ask your customers to review your business
There are few better ways to advertise your business than through word of mouth.
Get your happy customers to leave reviews of your products/services on your Facebook business page, your website and popular review sites like Trustpilot.
Positive reviews will show that you are a trustworthy company and reassure potential customers that you provide a quality service.
Share content created by others
Sharing content created by other people within your industry has many benefits. Not least the fact that you can keep your social media channels active even when you have no content to share yourself.
It also encourages the creators of the content to view your profiles and share your posts in return. This provides exposure to a ready-made audience that may not have been aware of your company previously – opening the door for conversations and conversions.
Create free videos
Video is an incredibly popular form of content. Social media users much prefer visual content and consume it regularly.
Video content can come in many forms. You could create a vlog (video blog), live stream an event, record a presentation or share a Gif.
By creating an engaging video, you are providing easily digestible, shareable content which increases your potential reach exponentially.
Canva is a great tool that allows you to create optimised social media videos for free.
A number of options
So, we have listed some of the popular free marketing tools available to help you with your business growth.
If you would like advice on how to improve your marketing strategy, contact our friendly team and book your free 30-minute consultation and strategy call.
