Guest post by Luca Barrera
Image credit by Sora Shimazaki
Starting a new business is expensive as it is, even before the advertising. It’s not in every entrepreneur’s budget to start an expensive ad campaign right away. But that doesn’t mean business can’t be promoted. Quite the contrary! The key is to network. In-person and digitally. Making connections with people in real-time has always been an effective method of advertising. And the best thing is, it can be done at no cost.
But you still want to leave a lasting impression, right? So you’ll need a bit of promotional collateral to get the job done. These materials, too, can be obtained for free. Which is exactly my next point - Let’s dig into the strategies and tools you can use to promote your business- for free.
But you still want to leave a lasting impression, right? So you’ll need a bit of promotional collateral to get the job done. These materials, too, can be obtained for free. Which is exactly my next point - Let’s dig into the strategies and tools you can use to promote your business- for free.
Start a Blog
Not just any blog, but a blog with SEO. SEO is what will help boost your website’s visibility in search engine results, or SERPs. It can take several months to work your way up the search engine ladder, so it’s imperative to start right away. Use SEO tools to start your keyword strategy. A couple of free SEO tools to you should have:
Although this method takes time, you can increase blog post visibility with a couple of methods- social media and guest posting. Let’s take a look at each:
Social Media
Being present on social media will build your audience and boost brand awareness. This is a place you can share not just blog posts, but also other promotional content. Which is a great way to encourage more traffic to your site. Create some attention-grabbing social media content with the use of graphic design. A free tool for creating eye-catching and branded material is Canva. Canva provides templates and design resources for customizing your content.
Guest Posting
Another way to bring more attention to your blog is to collaborate with other bloggers. Find bloggers who are in your niche and negotiate a deal with them. They get a guest posting on your blog, you get a guest posting on theirs. It’s important to include backlinks in your guest posts, linking to your website. Remember to always include your call of action, encouraging readers to check out your online business.
Build an Email List
With this method, you’ll work to build a list of Email subscribers. Emails are a powerful way to form personal, direct connections to your audience. To get this started:
It’s true that digital marketing is an extremely powerful tool. But no marketing strategy would be complete without good old fashioned, personal networking. Which brings me to my next point.
Print Marketing
Nothing gives a more personal touch to promoting business, than in-person networking. Showing the friendly, personable side to a brand is simply done best in person. Plus, it’s free!
Where to Network: Look for conferences or trade shows in your industry. Here you can find tons of people either in your industry, or interested in it. Show off your winning smile and make connections! Check out AllConferences for a directory of events being held in your industry and region.
What to Bring: The whole point of attending these events is to leave people with a lasting impression. Bring printed materials you can hand out, that provide people info about your product and contact information. Printed materials you could bring include:
Not just any blog, but a blog with SEO. SEO is what will help boost your website’s visibility in search engine results, or SERPs. It can take several months to work your way up the search engine ladder, so it’s imperative to start right away. Use SEO tools to start your keyword strategy. A couple of free SEO tools to you should have:
Although this method takes time, you can increase blog post visibility with a couple of methods- social media and guest posting. Let’s take a look at each:
Social Media
Being present on social media will build your audience and boost brand awareness. This is a place you can share not just blog posts, but also other promotional content. Which is a great way to encourage more traffic to your site. Create some attention-grabbing social media content with the use of graphic design. A free tool for creating eye-catching and branded material is Canva. Canva provides templates and design resources for customizing your content.
Guest Posting
Another way to bring more attention to your blog is to collaborate with other bloggers. Find bloggers who are in your niche and negotiate a deal with them. They get a guest posting on your blog, you get a guest posting on theirs. It’s important to include backlinks in your guest posts, linking to your website. Remember to always include your call of action, encouraging readers to check out your online business.
Build an Email List
With this method, you’ll work to build a list of Email subscribers. Emails are a powerful way to form personal, direct connections to your audience. To get this started:
- Display a sign-up option on your website
- On social media posts, include a call-to-action to subscribe to your Email newsletters.
- Make an Email signature for any Emails you send out. Your signature should include a link for subscription to your Email newsletter.
It’s true that digital marketing is an extremely powerful tool. But no marketing strategy would be complete without good old fashioned, personal networking. Which brings me to my next point.
Print Marketing
Nothing gives a more personal touch to promoting business, than in-person networking. Showing the friendly, personable side to a brand is simply done best in person. Plus, it’s free!
Where to Network: Look for conferences or trade shows in your industry. Here you can find tons of people either in your industry, or interested in it. Show off your winning smile and make connections! Check out AllConferences for a directory of events being held in your industry and region.
What to Bring: The whole point of attending these events is to leave people with a lasting impression. Bring printed materials you can hand out, that provide people info about your product and contact information. Printed materials you could bring include:
- Business Card: this should clearly list your different methods of connecting- social media, Email, website, etc. Create beautifully-branded business cards for free with Business Cards. There’s no login required. Just a quick and straight-forward design tool.
- Brochures: these pamphlets should be packed with information, clearing up any questions someone might have about your product or business. Design your brochures for free with Flipsnack. The templates make it easy to upload images and create brochures that are equally as unique as your product.
