Is there such a thing as free online advertising?
Lets face it when we are setting out or simply have a small business we do not have a big budget for advertising ,you may not have any budget so how can we get word out there about our products or services.
Social Media
The most obvious one is social media whilst you may not be a big fan of it you really cannot not afford to ignore it, big brands and even celebrities use this method of promoting. Do not try and do them all at once choose what is more comfortable to you and master using one before moving on to another.
I am a fan of twitter just because it is very simple to use and helps with further exposure I also use co-promote the free version if you get to a point that you feel you want to spend money to get more reaches then you can do that later.
Facebook is still the most popular and gets the biggest share of views, it does not take long to set up a simple business page you can get your family and friends to like your page and ask them share it good way to get going and again further a long the road you can try out a paid advertising campaign
Instagram is gaining momentum as well this is owned by face book so it is easy to get going on there it is more geared up for images as is Pinterest however they are growing in popularity so do not over look them.
Pinterest have also recently added sponsored pins for advertising campaigns if your in affiliate marketing you can add a link back to your website, they do not allow affiliate links, Facebook can be funny about this to after all they are a business to and want to attract paid advertising at some point.
Google My Business
Focus on one platform at a time, which one do you feel most comfortable with, if you are only looking for local business as well as setting up a facebook page, get set up with Google my business another free resource it gives your details and a map for directions with a connection to your website, so if people want to contact you or simply get more information it is all there for them.
Have your own website
If you are looking for global exposure then social media will cover this you can also have your own website and drive traffic to it, now to do this you do have to buy a domain name, or you can have a sub domain which is hosted with in another platform, what’s the difference it is kind of like owning your own shop or renting one is a shopping complex.
Forums
Join some forums of people who are interested in your type of products and interact with the community you can share offers or promote something, give some advice on a product.
Directories
Check out local directories there are many free listings out there, even a car with Sat Nav’s have listings in there such as places to eat or places of interest, get yourself on Yell or Thomson guide, do your research you will be surprised just how many directories are around, you can even create your own list. Make sure your information is current.
Network meeting’s
Word of mouth is always a great way to promote regardless of any type of business, if you are local focused and wanting to bring visitors to your website or business and do not have many contacts consider joining a networking group nearest to you a good place to check out is meetup.com this is certainly worth considering as there are many groups with a wide range of interests, I have tried it out and found it very useful.
Newspapers or local papers
Many of them now have online presence and offer some free advertising, local newspapers ” do you have story to launch such as just opening up” they will cover this for free invite them along. Online communities who have their own website or facebook communities these are all places to research.
Local radio stations, t.v. stations and Youtube
I often hear things like answer a question and get free lunch for your work colleague’s they ask your name and what company, is there a charity event were you can donate something ( yeah I know this is not free technically) however it is a low cost bit of advertising, tried that out and it works !!
Local t.v. might be a bit trickier however nothing to stop you giving it a try do something unique for a charity event is one way could be just helping out with a community project, wear a t-shirt with your company details later down the road you could perhaps have your own t.v. show to stream.
Youtube now this can be underestimated almost 5 billion video’s are viewed every day on here, so why not create your own channel there, make some video’s, you do not even have to be in it could be a power point presentation and you talk people through the message a great free resource and I am working on that one myself.
There are endless ways to create and promote from free to low cost methods, you need to know what it is you want to achieve, keep track of your advertising see which one is working best for you, I learned from some savvy mentors mainly Kyle at Wealthy Affiliate how to understand the online business world and develop a business, if you want to see what goes on there join me for the high’s and low’s of my journey.
Got any great tips you have tried out for either free or low cost advertising, drop me a comment and share with others!!
Hello and thanks for sharing, the times have change in the way that we do business, in this day and time we have so much opportunity to reach so many people because of the many social network that is out there. When you think of the thousands and millions that you can reach it is so amazing and the good part is that it is for free. You have written and awesome post, thanks again for sharing.
Thank you Norman every penny counts when you are setting out or your a small business just joining the throng of social networking no everyone is comfortable with social network however if we want to make progress we need to venture outside the comfort zone
This is a great post regarding free online advertising for small businesses.
I am an affiliate marketer, slowly building up my niche website to become firmly established. It’s all about gaining trust and authority with Search Engines and visitors.
Those who can effectively connect with people create conversions and there’s no better place to start than with Social Media platforms.
Everytime I write an article I share a link on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+
This way creates a presence for your business. The beauty of writing posts regularly is that you can share different links every day as the last thing you want to appear as is coming across spammy, sharing the same duplicate content day in, day out. I see this every day I enter onto Facebook.
Befriending Google and sharing links on the Google+ platform works wonders over time for rankings. Pinterest and Instagram are powerful Social Media platforms for visual posts. It all depends on what niche you’re in.
Personally my favourite is Pinterest but that’s purely down to the reason my niche works best with powerful imagery.
Do you share links on all the major Social Media Platforms?
Thanks for your article,
Simon.
thank you Simon for you input though I was never comfortable with social media it is a must these days if you want to get your brand or promotions out there, my favourite is twitter and I do love pinterest it is a very visual way to promote , however I do also add image to my twitter posts as well, the general feeling is that visual does better
Thanks for sharing this, Katie,
I’m always looking for ways to advertise for little to know cost. We always seem to be bombarded with dozens of ways to promote, it can become a little overwhelming. I really need to just focus on one thing at a time. I also think Guest posting on similar blogs is a great way to boost authenticity and subscribers.
Many thanks for the help!
Geoff
I agree Geoff there are so many ways to promote or advertise for free or low cost not everyone likes the same method I am focused on one method just now and when I master that will look at another thank you for your thoughts on the matter, thanks for taking the time to stop by. Katie
After two failed niche websites, I am thinking of starting a third and really attacking youtube, Pinterest, facebook, and twitter, maybe Instagram too. I think that If I can make quality content that is relatable, and inspiring, I will finally break through that glass ceiling. Out of all these options, what social media platforms do you prefer?
Thank you for your comment Jacob though Facebook gets the biggest share of the market, I would have to say I do like twitter however do not underestimate pinterest I do get a lot of traffic on there, sometimes it comes down to personal preference and what you feel more comfortable with, and quality is always going to be the aspect we all seek, I wish you every success in your new niche..