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How to advertise your business for free

9 February, 2021 · 7 min read·Traffic generation

Free ways to advertise your business online, on social media platforms and others.

Free advertising is one of the various benefits of the internet. Different platforms offer free advertising for big and small businesses - it's a matter of finding the one that suits your business.

Business owners prefer such a marketing strategy because it is free, and it is an effective way of finding potential customers for the business.

Of course, time investment is required to arrive at the most effective advertising tactic. It is a downside, but you'll prefer it rather than spending a lot of money on advertising.

Free advertising such as through social media or LinkedIn presents the following advantages:

No money involved. It is free. You can spend your marketing budget on other business aspects such as improving your website SEO performance for the search engine to notice it quickly.
Better marketing ideas. It allows you to showcase new ideas that can jumpstart the business. Besides, free options drive you to create fresher ideas on social media to reach the target audience.
Positive word-of-mouth. Free advertising is now widely accepted. Positive word-of-mouth drives more sales and improves business reputation.

There's more to this... it's impossible to cover all the advantages. Indeed, free business advertising on social media works in conjunction with SEO for small businesses, and many potential customers can attest to it.

So, let's talk about free ways to advertise your business online, on social media platforms and others!

Free? Yes.

Here are ways to advertise your local business even offline for free - especially small businesses without breaking the bank.

#1 Take advantage of social media marketing

Social media marketing offers free business advertising online. You can set up a social media account for free, post content on your business page, and engage with the target audience.

Post content on your social media page to reach the target audience and talk to your leads via your business listing. Savvy marketers know relevant content drives traffic to your site and posting content from third party sources provides more information to your followers.

Press releases, guest posts, and referrals are also helpful.

Engaging with your audience allows you to build a strong relationship with leads and customers and reach potential customers through online directories.

Answering comments and responding to questions is a great way to let your followers know that you want to help them.

Moreover, you can also show your appreciation to followers who share your content on social media by providing discounts and offering giveaways. After all, word-of-mouth endorsement can give your business a quick boost.

Social media marketing is free for the most part. However, it requires a time investment, but there are ways to achieve efficiency, such as scheduling posts ahead of time.

#2 Blogging

Blogging is another marketing strategy that offers free business advertising. WordPress and Blogger.com are sites that allow small business owners to start a blog for free.

However, you'll need to buy a domain for business and brand identity. On the other hand, if you already have a business website, consider adding a blog section for your customers and leads to read.

Create various types of content such as infographics, videos, webinars, podcasts, etc. Publish content regularly for better results - the more often you post content, the better results you'll achieve from an SEO standpoint and engagement.

One way to manage and organize blog content is to create an editorial calendar. It includes information such as blog title, SEO keywords, due date, author, and other important details.

Here are a few pointers that can help you arrive at the best content for your audience:

Use questions your leads and customers ask when looking for services or products. Use it as a blog starting point.
Industry news is a great topic because it is timely and people are curious to know about the latest development and news in business, finance, marketing, fashion, entertainment, etc.
Think of search terms users use when they perform Google searches to find products or brands. Create a topic that surrounds it.

#3 Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

You can optimize your website for search engines (such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo) and social media sites (such as Yelp, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram) for free. It will take some time to optimize your website fully. However, the process is free, and if you do it right, it can drive free traffic to the site.

There are free tools that can be used for keyword research, such as Google Keyword Planner. There are also other SEO tools with a small fee that can deliver more efficient results and improve your business's reach. High-quality content that is relevant to the keywords should be emphasized for better searchability. You should focus on optimizing for local searches for better results.

Building quality backlinks is another important factor in SEO. It improves domain authority and search engine visibility.

If your website is optimized, it will appear on the organic search results of Google searches - for free. Your business will be on the first page of the search engine results page, and potential customers can see it quickly.

#4 LinkedIn Marketing

LinkedIn is a marketing platform that allows you to promote your business for free. It is also a recommended social media channel for B2B marketing.

LinkedIn features the Lead Accelerator tool which allows the advertisers to display ads at the right time. The tool has helped business owners all over the US and has increased the conversion rate to 50%.

LinkedIn groups are also helpful to raise brand awareness and expand the reach of your business. Joining Linkedin groups allows you to connect with like-minded people and turn them into real customers in the future.

If you put your mind to it, you can use LinkedIn to raise brand awareness, find new customers, and discover partners. For free!

#5 Google My Business

Google My Business is a free tool that allows you to promote your business and website on Google search and Maps. The platform allows you to connect with customers, post updates on your Business Profile, and see how customers interact with your business on Google.

Google My Business allows you to engage with new customers when they search for your business on Google. It also allows you to present your business professionally online with photos and other business details.

After signing up for free on Google My Business account, you will also get a free web builder where you can add photos and choose templates and designs to customize your business website. All for free!

#6 Email Marketing

Email marketing is an online marketing strategy that involves sending emails to customers and prospects. It is an effective online advertising strategy that converts prospects to customers and one-time buyers to loyal raving fans.

Marketing tactics evolve but email remains constant. There are free email marketing tools that can help you save money and time. You can also build up your email list by adding a contact information feature to your website. Sending email newsletters to potential customers is a great way of introducing your business.

For example, Omnisend is an e-commerce marketing platform that integrates all your communication in one place. It allows you to automate your email using behavioral triggers and time communication based on customers' convenience.

#7 Quora

Facebook and Google are not enough to improve the visibility of your business online. It's worth considering other platforms where your target audience might be found - take Quora as an example.

Quora is a question and answer site. It gives information and advice to people. You can also add links to blog posts to direct readers to your website.

You should also consider Reddit - it offers the same benefits as Quora. You can post any topic on Reddit and promote your business free by adding links. But, don't overdo the promotion part because it is against the Reddit guidelines.

#8 YouTube

YouTube is a social media channel that offers free business advertising. Setting up a YouTube channel that is dedicated to your business is an excellent idea. Great content can drive more traffic to your site and increase the engagement rate.

Create content that is related to the products and services that you offer. Tutorials and videos are great ideas for YouTube content. You can also host live streaming to answer questions from your followers. Collaborating with influencers can also drive more traffic to the site and increase conversions.

Add links to your website and social media channels to direct the followers to your page. Also, make sure to create an enticing YouTube description on every video that you post.

#9 Facebook Advertising

Facebook is one of the most used online platforms in online advertising. People spend most of their time on the platform which gives business owners a great advantage for advertising.

You can set up a Facebook page for free to promote your business. It allows you to post updates about the business and introduce the products and services that you offer.

Utilize the Facebook page features for potential customers to reach you quickly. You can also join Facebook Groups to find new customers and see the new trends in your industry.

#10 Instagram Marketing

Instagram is a social media channel dedicated to brand awareness. It may not be great for driving website traffic because you can only add one link. However, it is perfect for visual presentation.

Instagram is a photo and video sharing app. It allows users to upload videos and images, interact with followers by being followed, commenting, and liking an Instagram post.

You can signup for free and start advertising your business to millions of users. Use the hashtag to drive traffic to your Instagram page.

#11 Promote your business at a local event.

It takes a lot of time to get noticed, especially when you're still building up your reputation. Fortunately, you can piggyback on local events to promote your business.

Your community is your best hope in promoting your business. Fairs, festivals, conferences, and other local events have a lot to offer.

It will help if you get the list of local events your customers attend to get the chance to promote your products and services face to face.

Final Say

There are many ways to advertise your business online for free. Free business advertising is offered all over the internet. All you need to do is find the right advertising platform that suits your business goals.

Free business advertising has its perks, but time investment is required to create an effective ad that delivers the best results. On the flip side, there are free marketing tools that can help you throughout the process.

It wouldn't hurt to consult professional help to guide you in finding the best marketing strategy for your business.