Here are 27 free or very inexpensive ways to market your small business online. The simple truth is that an email list is the single most effective way to market your business online, and it doesn’t require a lot of time or money to get set up. Start blogging There’s a reason that 70% of B2B businesses plan on increasing their content marketing in the next year, according to the Content Marketing Institute. Content marketing works. It has a special place in the world of B2B, since SlideShare has five times the traffic from business owners of any other site, according to Artillery Marketing. For a long-term content strategy, consider creating slides from other content, like blog posts, videos, or podcasts. This will help drive people to your site each time you answer a question. The answer is simple: You need to optimize your website for mobile traffic. If your site wasn’t prepared for mobile before, your online marketing campaigns will be exponentially more effective now that you can reach this huge market. For an even easier solution, just include screenshots from a private Facebook community or reviews left for your program, as on Alp Turan’s Fast50 sales page.
I love small businesses.
As a small business, there are many opportunities for growth with a smart marketing strategy.
But you’ve probably noticed a problem. Most of the marketing tactics out there are expensive!
A simple Facebook or Google ad campaign can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
So how can a small business use online marketing without the massive budgets of multinational corporations?
I’ve launched a few startups of my own, and I can tell you exactly what works. Here are 27 free or very inexpensive ways to market your small business online.
1. Set goals and plan
Before you can start developing an online marketing strategy, you need to decide what your goals are.
This will dictate where you focus your efforts, where you choose to spend money, and ultimately how you define success.
If you have a low budget, you need to spend most of your time driving sales. Traffic is helpful, but it will only help your business grow if it leads to sales.
Decide exactly what you want to achieve in the next three to six months with your online marketing plan and write it down.
Do you want to get 50 new leads? Sell $100,000 in inventory? Make it clear so you can reach your target.
2. Build an email list
If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times: The money is in the list.
The simple truth is that an email list is the single most effective way to market your business online, and it doesn’t require a lot of time or money to get set up.
If you want a free option, you can start with MailChimp. You won’t have to pay a dime for your first 2,000 subscribers.
Grab the code to embed a simple opt-in box for subscribers. Even if you don’t have email marketing in place right now, you should get started with a list right away.
It will return huge rewards months or years down the road.
3. Start blogging
There’s a reason that 70% of B2B businesses plan on increasing their content marketing in the next year, according to the Content Marketing Institute.
Content marketing works.
In years past, small businesses couldn’t compete with the million-dollar advertising budgets of major brands. But today, that’s changed.
There’s a race for the most helpful content. If you’re passionate and knowledgeable about a topic, you should start teaching what you know.
This is a long-term strategy, but it pays huge dividends once you begin. Two years from now, you’ll be glad you started when you did.
4. Promote your content on Reddit
Reddit is an odd community, but you can drive massive amounts of free traffic and conversions through the platform if you know how to use it.
To get started, sign up for a Reddit account.
Be sure to use an email address that you have easy access to.
You can verify your email for a special badge, which is Reddit’s way of proving that you’re not a spammer, troll, or electronic bot.
Go to SnoopSnoo and search for your general topic.
Find a few subreddits that are relevant to your industry.
Click on the title.
Review the next page for details on the subreddit. If it looks like a good fit, click on the title again to go to the subreddit page.
Scroll down the subreddit until you find a subscribe button on the right-hand side. This will update you on posts in the community.
For the first few weeks or months, visit the subreddit once a day or so. Be helpful and friendly.
After you’ve established a presence as a helpful resource, post one of your most popular pieces of content. Ensure that it isn’t promotional, and you can get a ton of traction.
5. List your business on Google
If you haven’t registered your local business with Google, you’re not on the map!
Solve this problem by going to Google Businesses and selecting Start Now. Follow the prompts and register.
Google uses these listings when it delivers local results, and the money that comes from those local results is no joke.
If you register your business, you will acquire dozens of new customers and start establishing a solid web presence.
6. Create a video channel
Video content is the fastest-growing form of content online right now.
If you haven’t started a YouTube channel yet, now is the time to work on it.
Most small business owners I know are reluctant to get started with video because they think the products need to be perfect. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Some of the most successful video campaigns by small businesses have been simple projects, like this one from animal trainer Catmantoo.
It’s simple footage of a cat on a skateboard, but it got millions of views!
Don’t worry about the videos looking homemade and authentic. It could be helpful!
According to Sprout Social, honesty is the #1 characteristic consumers want from brands on social media right now.
By posting candid videos of your business, you can build an audience of customers who believe in you and are interested in learning about what you’re doing.
7. Boost your best Facebook posts
If you’ve ever tried Facebook advertising, you know the major frustrations.
Facebook Ads tend to be difficult to predict. While they sometimes work well, they frequently fall flat and fail to generate new conversions or customers.
These failed campaigns can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars before you realize the money has been wasted.
So, what’s the solution?
Boost Facebook posts that you know have already done well. To do it, find the Boost Post button at the bottom of your page updates.
If you’ve posted a piece of content with a call to action, like a link to your e-commerce store or email signup page, these are even more effective.
For just $5, you can promote this post to people outside your existing circle of fans and get even more traffic.
8. StumbleUpon advertising
Even the world’s best blog post might need an extra push before it goes viral.
If you’ve written a piece of share-worthy content, you can get the initial momentum going with some cheap StumbleUpon advertising.
StumbleUpon lets users load random pages across the Internet, based on what they’ve liked in the past.
For just a few dollars, you can pay for StumbleUpon to send you hundreds or even thousands of visitors.
If these visitors enjoy your content, they can upvote it in StumbleUpon or even share it with friends, pushing it into StumbleUpon’s free recommendation pool.
This small spark may be all your content needs to go viral and reach thousands or millions of readers.
9. Start a podcast
Podcast listening is on the rise for both men and women, according to data published by Salesforce.
Those who jumped into blogging when it just started gained early traction and became industry leaders as blogging became more popular.
You have the same opportunity with podcasting. Many small business owners believe their podcasts, like their videos, need to be perfect.
But with a basic microphone and free audio editing software like Audacity, you can get set up quickly and easily. A simple podcast now is better than a professional one in a year.
If you struggle for content, consider answering your customers’ frequent questions. Give an in-depth answer to each question on your first few episodes.
If you already have a blog started, you can simply read your blog posts (or provide additional commentary on them) for a steady stream of content on different platforms.
10. DIY infographics
Infographics are one of the most compelling pieces of content you can create. They can generate lots of backlinks and build your brand’s reputation across the Internet.
As a small business, you have access to a lot of data that most people don’t know.
By spending a few minutes browsing company data, you can find out useful information that’s interesting to customers.
For example, what products tend to spike during the year, and why?
Many companies outsource the design and creation of the images to a design firm for hundreds or even thousands of dollars. But you don’t have to.
Just use Canva’s free tool to get started with your first infographic. Pull in a template and adjust it based on the numbers you have.
11. Slideshare
If you’re in the B2B space, you should be contributing to Slideshare as often as possible. Slideshare is a platform for distributing your slides and presentations.
It has a special place in the world of B2B, since SlideShare has five times the traffic from business owners of any other site, according to Artillery Marketing.
Unlike traditional article-based content, Slideshare contributions should be…
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