Most marketing experts recommend spending 2 to 5 percent of gross revenue for promotional needs. But if you are still in the business building stage, you may not have large funds for advertising, or you may be allocating your capital for other needs.. If so, you can also benefit from free ways to reach your potential customers and advertise your business.
Step
Method 1 of 1: Online Marketing
Step 1. Start creating a website
Leverage the power of the internet to attract people to your business. The internet network is full of free channels that have the potential to reach hundreds, if not thousands, of subscribers.
- You can create a free website to provide information about your business and market your products and services.
- A business email address is important. You can create an email address for free. In every email you send for your business, display 3-4 lines of information at the bottom (add this information in the “Settings” of the email). Include a link to your business website, Facebook page, Twitter account, or other profile on the internet.
Step 2. Use Twitter
Opening a Twitter account is free, and with Twitter you can interact with customers quickly and personally. See Twitter for Business (explanation in English) for more information.
- Choose a username that is similar to your business name and connect your business email to the account.
- Use your logo as an avatar. Your business logo on every “tweet” you publish can strengthen your business brand.
- Follow the accounts of customers, family members, friends and other businesses you admire or have products that your business uses.
- Promote your business in your “tweets” with fun words, and give gifts or compliments to your loyal customers. Give people a special appeal to make them want to follow your business.
Step 3.
Create a "Facebook page".
Creating a “Facebook page” is free and gives you the flexibility to interact with your customers and other businesses. See Facebook for Business (explanation in English) for more information.
- Give a limited gift, only to those who “like” your profile or share your “post”, or give a special offer that is valid only on the “Facebook page” via messages to customers who follow your activity.
- Many businesses do not have a website and use a “Facebook page” as their business website. Consider taking advantage of this if you want to grow your business.
Create a business Yelp account. Yelp is a website that serves as a place for customers to see reviews and recommendations for various businesses. Learn Yelp for Business Owners (explanation in English).
- You can use your “Yelp page” to post information and special offers, as well as to explore how well you serve your customers.
- Some business owners respond to bad reviews on Yelp by contacting Yelp users directly or posting replies to remedy the situation. This lets other potential customers know that you take their problem seriously.
List your business on Google Places. List your business on Google Places so that it appears in Google Maps searches, and so that people can share reviews and score your business. Make sure that you have a dedicated Gmail account for your business, then get started here. Yahoo! Local also has a similar service.
Create an account with a free online directory. Most online directories give you the freedom to upload unlimited products, businesses and services with detailed information about the product, as well as automatically providing a contact form for each product, so potential customers can contact the product owner personally.
- Make your list. This list contains the products, businesses or services that you or your company offer. A good online directory gives you the flexibility to upload as many lists as possible to expand the reach of your target market.
- Your product will be stored in the database and will be displayed on the front page. All uploaded products can also be searched via search engine, which will function optimally after 24 hours.
Join the appropriate online community. Many industries, especially those with a particular specialty, have online communities to discuss and share information with each other. Joining and contributing to this online community is a useful marketing tool.
- It is very important that you are actively involved in the online community in building relationships with other members. If you only participate occasionally, you may lose more customers instead of gaining many new ones.
- You are not advised to publicly advertise your business in these communities. Just make sure that your contribution is meaningful to the other members, but always include your business name, logo and website link or other online profile about your business in each of your e-signatures.
Using Local Media
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Write a press release. Have you recently opened your business? Do you support social activities during the holiday season? Are you creating a special project? Put your story in the local media and see if they are interested in writing your story.
Advertise Your Business for Free Step 8 - Try newspapers, newscasts and radio shows. By using multiple media sources, you can reach more potential customers.
- You can also write press releases about almost every event your business is hosting. However, if you send out too many unattractive press releases, the media will lose interest in your business.
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Get in touch with the columnists. It is good to build relationships with as many columnists as possible. Sometimes, they are looking for the right story and may be able to find you.
Advertise Your Business for Free Step 9 - Some newspapers have columnists who specialize in good deals and new businesses. These people can be the first people you contact.
- Look for columnists who reach customers in your field. For example, if you own a fishing tackle shop, contact your local newspaper columnist in outdoor activities.
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Do various social activities. Many newspapers will print special stories about people doing social activities, especially during the holiday season. These social events are often written about by local media.
Advertise Your Business for Free Step 10 - You can also host social activities, in the form of accepting canned food or donating second-hand goods to be given to people in need or to a charitable organization.
- Be sure to contact newspapers or other media about the event and mention that your business is sponsoring the event.
- Display your business logo as clearly as possible, without dominating the event. You can provide pictures, banners, or even shirts with your logo and business name.
- To create a better publicity, offer discounts to customers who bring items they want to donate. This will provide additional income for your social and business activities.
Networking
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Implement a referral program. Word of mouth can be a great way to grow your business, and you can improve this word of mouth by seeking referrals from your customers.
Advertise Your Business for Free Step 11 - Offer a discount or free item to your existing customers who refer your business. You can give them a special referral card, which can be given to new customers.
- Be sure to advertise your referral program, so that your current customers know about the program and the bonuses they can get from your referral program.
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Build partnerships and alliances. Join other businesses whose services complement each other so that this network can refer customers to each other. For example, if you sell an eco-friendly home, join a network of fertilizer companies and flower shops.
Advertise Your Business for Free Step 12 - Be sure to negotiate favorable forms of transactions for both organizations. This will increase sales for both parties and increase the success of the relationship within the network.
- You need to make a letter of cooperation agreement in your partnership and alliance. Seek legal advice if needed.
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Join community organizations. Chambers of commerce, service organizations, and other groups are great ways to network with other business owners and with potential customers.
Advertise Your Business for Free Step 13 - It is important to be an active member of the organization you belong to. Just being a member will not be as effective as if you participate. Attend meetings and events of these organizations and talk to as many people as possible.
- Be sure to establish mutually beneficial relationships. People will send customers to you if you also make a profit for them.
- Make sure that you don't overtly advertise your business. You can contribute things to these organizations, as well as share information about your business and your capabilities if possible.
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Organize seminars, workshops, and other educational events. If you have a venue that can accommodate a large number of people, consider hosting an event to introduce your product to the public. For example, your wine shop could host a wine test and a craft shop could host a short craft technique course.
Advertise Your Business for Free Step 14 Tips
- Offering good information and advice through social media, print media, or seminars, without constantly promoting your brand, is a great way to build trust among your customers. For example, if you sell flowers, offer a free explanation of the symbolic meaning of each flower choice for a particular holiday season, such as Valentine's Day.
- For those of you located in the US only: Contact your State's Statewide Classified Network (available in every state in the US). Enter an ad within this network. Your ad will appear in newspapers in some or all states in the US for free.
- Choose a phone number that is easy to remember. Even if you don't have a premium business-specific number (such as one that starts with "800" in the US), you can choose a simple seven-digit number that's easy to remember or that can be read into a word related to your business.
- https://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/feb2009/sb20090210_165498.htm
- https://www.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/columnist/abrams/2009-07-10-advertise-for-free_N.htm
- https://business.twitter.com
- https://biz.yelp.com/support
- https://www.google.com/local/add/g?hl=en-US&gl=US#phonelookup
- https://listings.local.yahoo.com/basic.php
- https://www.presentationmagazine.com/top-ways-advertise-business-for-free-16042.htm
- https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/marketing/2013/05/eight-easy-ways-to-promote-your-small.html?page=all
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https://www.sba.gov/content/ideas-growing-your-business
