You’ve heard endless amounts of times just how important advertising is for your business, but unfortunately, it can come at a cost. And we don’t mean cost in the figurative sense.
Because of this, we have compiled a personalized list of easy and free ways to advertise your business (advertising is really less complicated than you think)!
Here are our simple and free advertising suggestions.
1. Promote and engage on social media
Social media is free, easily accessible and extremely popular.
You should be taking the time to set up a business page on as many social media platforms as possible. Being on many platforms makes finding your business even easier for potential customers, but having a presence does not stop there.
You should be promoting different offers you have going, blogs you have written, etc. to help inform your followers.
You must remain engaged with people who share your posts, follow you or put up posts you find interesting! Building a network through social media is another way for your business to stay visible.
2. Create YouTube content
Don’t limit your presence on the internet.
As we mentioned, you should be on as many prominent platforms as you can be, and YouTube is proving to be one of those.
As of late, video content has become one of the most popular forms of content on social media, so make sure to create and share your own videos.
3. Write blog content and become a guest blogger
Creating original content through a blog is a great way to give consumers a better understanding of your business through your own words. It also helps with SEO ranking by adding to your credibility online.
On top of making your own content, consider writing guest blogs for another website. Doing this will get your name out to new readers, and it can promote a relationship with another company as you are helping contribute to their business!
4. Use Google My Business
This should be a no-brainer and it’s free!
By using Google My Business and optimizing it with all the information that customers want to know, you can rank higher in local search listings. It can also make finding your business both online and in Google maps simple and quick.
5. Encourage customers to leave reviews
Reviews are another way to improve your SEO and build credibility to those who are researching your business.
When people visit your business or make an online order, encourage them to give their feedback online. When a customer has a good experience, they are willing to let others know, but sometimes they forget.
Asking for feedback is a helpful reminder for them to show their appreciation for your great service and products for others to see!
6. Create email updates
As you know by now, it’s crucial to stay at the forefront of people’s social media pages and, in this case, emails!
Consider putting together regularly scheduled emails for your customers. Something like a monthly newsletter can keep them up-to-date, and it can bring your business back to the customer’s attention.
7. Visit events and network
Don’t be scared to introduce and promote yourself to your business community!
Make sure to keep different networking events on your radar so you can meet people in your local area and connect. Inform them about your business and all that it has to offer.
There is never a downside to getting your name out there and putting a face to your business.
If you need help hosting an event, check out our tips in this blog.
8. Try live streaming and Twitter chats
These tie into our first point about social media use but consider taking that advertising tool a step further.
Whether it is through Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, live streaming and chats are becoming a new way to connect with followers. This is a valuable way to utilize social media in that it can promote direct and immediate communication with interested followers.
Live streaming and Twitter chats also help businesses receive individualized feedback from customers, and they create a dialogue for addressing questions.
But don't forget to optimize your Twitter page!
Final Thoughts
As you can see, advertising strategy, in a general sense, involves being visible to customers, open to connecting with other businesses and willing to address questions and new ideas, so don’t limit advertising opportunities because of your budget!
Have you tried these free options? Are you looking to invest even more than these tips into your advertising strategy? Click here to see how RevLocal can meet all your advertising needs.