Anybody who’s ever started a business, or at least been in on the ground floor, knows how difficult, confusing and time-consuming it can be to find and retail clients, not to mention expensive. Read on for free and almost-free ways to market your business.
1. Tap into your local news networks.
Many area newspapers, magazines, TV stations and radio stations will be happy to interview you, read your press release or write about you. Often, you won’t be charged a thing, especially if it will help the publication to promote your services. For example, if a radio station knows their audience will love your products, they benefit from having you on as a guest.
2. When you’re just starting out, e-mail marketing can be totally free.
Providers like MailChimp don’t begin charging until you have a couple of thousand addresses on your e-mail list. By the time you get to that point, you’ll hopefully be able to dedicate a little bit of money every month to newsletters! E-mail marketing is more effective than social media marketing and the cornerstone of any solid marketing strategy.
3. Use social media as best you can.
Instead of spreading yourself thing by setting up a profile on every single platform out there, pick the two platforms where your audience is most likely to be and focus your efforts. Don’t worry too much about the number of followers you attract. Instead, focus on the value of your followers. Social media is free to use and advertising options can be as little as $1 per day, or less.
4. Encourage your customers to spread the news!
When you turn your customers into megaphones for your business, you increase word-of-mouth marketing without doing any extra work or investing any money. Offer an incentive to people who share your social media posts, like a coupon code for their next purchase. Run competitions that encourage people to forward your newsletters to their friends.
5. Show people that you’re an expert in your field.
If you notice that people are asking questions that you know the answer to, chime in! It’s okay to give a bit of your expertise away for free if it means attracting a new customer. This is especially important if your a company that offers a service instead of a product.
Most entrepreneurs don’t have a lot of spare money that they can devote to advertising. This is when it’s most important to rely on free and cheap methods of marketing your business. The good news is that once your business is successful, you may be able to keep using these inexpensive advertising methods, rarely needing a huge advertising budget!