10 ways to advertise your business for FREE!
So you’ve just started your own business and you want to get ahead by getting some free advertising. We all know the importance of advertising because it helps you generate leads for your business ultimately increasing the chances of success! Check out some tips on how to advertise at no cost to your business!
1. Free Directories
There are plenty of online directories that allow you to submit your business absolutely free. These include, but are not limited to: Yell.com, Free Index and Free Xchange.
2. Social Networks
Twitter and Facebook might not be suitable for your business, but then again – they just might be. Today it’s not just online companies that are getting connected to their potential clients through social networks, businesses like restaurants and coffee shops are getting online offering discounts to people who follow you, or become an online fan. This entices customers to use your service or product and their friends can see they are following you, or have become a fan of you increasing awareness of your business.
3. Press Release
Local press might be interested in your business if you are doing something worth reporting about. Do some promotional activities that benefit local people, it will boost your reputation and local press are likely to be interested. You may also want to write a story about your business starting up and try sending it to the local press – smaller newspapers may print your article if they do not have time or finance to fund a reporter to write a story.
4. Mobile Advertising
If you have a method of transport, you can use that as a advertise your building. Many people use their cars for signage promoting their business, while there may be a cost in getting the printing done for the car – the space is yours and free.
5. Shop Windows
Ask the local shopkeeper if you can post an advertisement in the window – don’t just ask one, ask every shop in your area. If they agree, that’s a great way to reach people at no cost.
6. General reference material
If your business has a website, it might be worth putting some general reference material on it to increase traffic and therefore hopefully increase business. So for example, if you own a letting agency it might be worth putting some information and advice for potential new landlords regarding buy-to-let mortgages and insurance. If your information is useful, the potential landlord will have you in mind when choosing an agency to rent out his property.
7. Word of Mouth
Never under-estimate the importance of word of mouth. If you have good service from a company you’re likely to tell a few people, but if you have a bad experience – you’re likely to tell anyone who will listen. Ensure that your business is always friendly and people will recommend you to their friends and a personal recommendation is worth more than any paid for advertisement.
8. Gumtree
Go to the Gumtree website and post a free advert to your local community. This community site allows you to post adverts for just about anything, so make sure you check it out.
9. Back Scratching
I’ll scratch yours… you scratch mine! The proverb is old but true, think about who can help your business succeed and then think about how you can help that person. If you’re a painter, it’s probably good to become pals with other tradesmen like plumbers and builders. You can recommend them to your clients if they do the same to theirs, because quite often people will need more than one tradesman to do work especially if they are refurbishing. Did you know that members of the National Union of Journalists get 20% discount at Apple stores? Not a bad group of people to get onside.
10. Link swapping
This really only applies if you have a website, but then again who doesn’t these days? Ask other websites that are of a similar interest to your website to place your link on there site, you do the same – both of you are happy and both of you benefit from more traffic. More links to your website increases your listing priority on search engines such as Google.
So you’ve just started your own business and you want to get ahead by getting some free advertising. We all know the importance of advertising because it helps you generate leads for your business ultimately increasing the chances of success! Check out some tips on how to advertise at no cost to your business!
1. Free Directories
There are plenty of online directories that allow you to submit your business absolutely free. These include, but are not limited to: Yell.com, Free Index and Free Xchange.
2. Social Networks
Twitter and Facebook might not be suitable for your business, but then again – they just might be. Today it’s not just online companies that are getting connected to their potential clients through social networks, businesses like restaurants and coffee shops are getting online offering discounts to people who follow you, or become an online fan. This entices customers to use your service or product and their friends can see they are following you, or have become a fan of you increasing awareness of your business.
3. Press Release
Local press might be interested in your business if you are doing something worth reporting about. Do some promotional activities that benefit local people, it will boost your reputation and local press are likely to be interested. You may also want to write a story about your business starting up and try sending it to the local press – smaller newspapers may print your article if they do not have time or finance to fund a reporter to write a story.
4. Mobile Advertising
If you have a method of transport, you can use that as a advertise your building. Many people use their cars for signage promoting their business, while there may be a cost in getting the printing done for the car – the space is yours and free.
5. Shop Windows
Ask the local shopkeeper if you can post an advertisement in the window – don’t just ask one, ask every shop in your area. If they agree, that’s a great way to reach people at no cost.
6. General reference material
If your business has a website, it might be worth putting some general reference material on it to increase traffic and therefore hopefully increase business. So for example, if you own a letting agency it might be worth putting some information and advice for potential new landlords regarding buy-to-let mortgages and insurance. If your information is useful, the potential landlord will have you in mind when choosing an agency to rent out his property.
7. Word of Mouth
Never under-estimate the importance of word of mouth. If you have good service from a company you’re likely to tell a few people, but if you have a bad experience – you’re likely to tell anyone who will listen. Ensure that your business is always friendly and people will recommend you to their friends and a personal recommendation is worth more than any paid for advertisement.
8. Gumtree
Go to the Gumtree website and post a free advert to your local community. This community site allows you to post adverts for just about anything, so make sure you check it out.
9. Back Scratching
I’ll scratch yours… you scratch mine! The proverb is old but true, think about who can help your business succeed and then think about how you can help that person. If you’re a painter, it’s probably good to become pals with other tradesmen like plumbers and builders. You can recommend them to your clients if they do the same to theirs, because quite often people will need more than one tradesman to do work especially if they are refurbishing. Did you know that members of the National Union of Journalists get 20% discount at Apple stores? Not a bad group of people to get onside.
10. Link swapping
This really only applies if you have a website, but then again who doesn’t these days? Ask other websites that are of a similar interest to your website to place your link on there site, you do the same – both of you are happy and both of you benefit from more traffic. More links to your website increases your listing priority on search engines such as Google.
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