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In this 5 minute read I will go over five ways that you market your business online today for zero dollars, though I disagree that you should only spend zero dollars on your online marketing. But, I understand that you gotta start somewhere and after my advice helps you get a couple new clients I expect I’ve earned your business along with 5 referrals (just joking… not really…?).
1. Social Media Marketing
Social media, whether we’re talking about Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. are all so predominant and relevant in all our lives, that they’ve changed the fabric of our society. Despite that, I speak with business owners regularly that refuse to see any value that social media has to offer. I completely believe without exaggeration that failure to adapt and embrace social media in your company’s marketing will eventually result in the failure of the company.
Each platform serves to a different audience so it’s your job to do some research and figure out which applies the best to your industry, product, or service.
Warning! The number one way to misuse social media is by spamming “Buy My Shit!”. This is universally ineffective and annoying across all social media platforms. It takes some finesse to be successful in marketing your business on social media and that’s a great topic for another blog post.
Quick Facts:
- Facebook has over 2 billion active monthly users and over 70% of which visit the platform daily.
- Instagram has over 1 billion active monthly users and over 60% of which are daily users.
- LinkedIn has over 260 million active monthly users and over 40% of which are accessing it daily.
- Twitter sucks, Donald Trump uses it to talk trash about building walls and whatever else.
2. Google My Business / Maps
Google My Business (and Google Maps) is one of the greatest resources out there. You can register your Google My Business account and post your hours of operation, contact info, your company logo, images, status updates, your company address (and confirm it to show up in Google Maps), as well as giving customers the opportunity to leave reviews. All of this shows up in a sidebar “block” in search results that stands out (except the analytics obviously – you gotta sign in for that). Also, you can monitor the views you get and other analytics.
Quick Fact:
- Google My Business contributes greatly to SEO. Matter fact, we include setting up Google My Business into all our website packages because it is such an important element.
3. Local Classifieds
Local classifieds websites such as Craigslist and Kijiji can also serve as a resource in marketing your products and services. These are not just for selling used cars, electronics, furniture you don’t want anymore, or some other junk you found cleaning out your garage. While this may not apply to all industries, most products and services that I can think of could be effectively marketed on local classifieds.
I’ve personally experienced a degree of success generating leads from posts I made on Kijiji, despite doubting its effectiveness in the beginning. Now, I take 10 minutes every morning (or every other morning when I get too busy) to repost my ads and make sure I’m on the first page.
4. Online Directories
Online directories such as Yellow Pages, Yelp, and TripAdvisor may also be useful to you depending on the industry you are in. You’ll have to put in a little research time to find out which directory applies the best to your industry. For example, TripAdvisor is focused on restaurants, hotels, and
other travel related businesses. People frequent TripAdvisor to read reviews on where they’re going to stay when travelling and where to eat.
While these directories don’t charge you anything to have your company listed, they will likely call you after registering to upsell you on some of their services such as ads.
5. Blogs / Videos
Content, whether it’s in the written form of a WordPress blog, videos on YouTube, or even podcasts, is a very strong marketing strategy that you can take advantage of. The only reason I left it for last is because this requires some finesse, just like social media marketing – you have to say more than just “Buy My Shit!”. It’s a strategy move. Typically, at this level, you got a website, promote your content on social media, and so on. It’s definitely not a stand-alone, but part of a larger strategy that involves several moving parts.
You can use content in so many ways, from displaying your expertise in your field, showcasing your product’s qualities or applications, using entertainment to draw your audience to your brand, I mean, the creativity that can be applied here is endless.
I hope you found some value in this blog post and that you’ll implement some of what I’ve mentioned.
Please share this with someone else that could benefit from this info and feel free to drop a comment.
Also, while you can get results using the free resources I mentioned, I recommend you get off the fence, stop making lame excuses and drop some paper on the following:
- Website
- SEO
- Email Marketing
- Social Media Marketing (Facebook, IG, LinkedIn Advertising)
- Search Engine Marketing (Google Ads)
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If you are considering investing some money into your business marketing, whether you’re only looking for a website, more than that, or don’t even know where to start or how any of this applies to your specific product or service – feel free to reach out for a quick chat.
I’d love to learn more about your business and leave you with some strategy ideas as well as some numbers if you wish to work together. Absolutely free – no obligations!
