For many people and many businesses, the word 'marketing' conveys the idea of expensive and overused marketing strategies. However, it does not have to be expensive: there are many free ways to market a business. In this post, we share 30 things you can do right now to market your online business for free.
1.Take email data
Make sure you have a way to enter email data for website visitors. Combine the email subscription option on your site and start building customer data details.
You can then use this data to get various marketing incentives, such as email marketing, or to create a custom audience on Facebook with targeted advertising. (Make sure you comply with GDPR…)
2. Email marketing
You have data; now you need to do something useful with it. Start by setting up a free account with Mailchimp, then start distributing those emails.
Avoid overconfidence and always offer something beneficial to the recipients. Keep regular emails but never attack; otherwise, people will hit you out of the list faster than you would say ‘digital marketing.
3. Video Marketing
You can go crazy if you ignore the increase in video over the past few years. Jump on the bandwagon and start engaging in video marketing.
Start by setting up a YouTube channel. You don’t need to create Hollywood-esque movies - a simple video blog will do. If you have something useful to say, then say it in the video. It also creates the most shared, marketable content - put it on your website, post it on social media, and add it to your emails.
4. Post to Facebook
There is no denying that social media is one of the most important marketing tools out there. And it's free. FREE. It is best not to sign up for any social networking site under the sun to focus on what works for your business.
Facebook is a viable option for almost all businesses. Unfortunately, recent algorithm updates have made it more difficult for businesses to get news feeds without pay. However, nothing is lost. Post regular updates - they are attractive and entertaining, don't promote too much, and have a genuine interest.
5. Collaborate with industry experts on Twitter
Twitter is not for everyone, but it carries many benefits. It’s a great platform to engage with industry experts and customers, as it’s a place where anyone can talk to anyone.
Respond to customer feedback, re-type the best user-generated content, and offer real input into industry conversations.
6. Create Instagram
A popular competitor among social media platforms, Instagram has a growing user base.
If your business will benefit from visible visibility, be sure to devote time to building a strong Instagram account. Remember that it is a visual platform; carefully selected content that looks amazing is key.
7. Generate website traffic with Pinterest
Pinterest is not suitable for most businesses, but it can work well for others. The platform has a very high conversion rate by converting browsers into consumers.
You can also download important website traffic and find out more about what your targeted users like.
8. Build your network on LinkedIn
If your business is a B2B company, make sure there is a strong presence on LinkedIn. The same rules apply to LinkedIn as other social platforms - they engage with the right people and provide real understanding.
And it's a great place to build your network.
9. Publish to Google Plus - yes, indeed!
Google Plus, that weird little platform that has never hit the big time. Yet, it continues to bend in the hope that one day, something, anything, will happen that enhances the dignity of communication (it is impossible).
However, despite the failure of Google Plus, you still have to get used to the practice of removing any new content with Google Plus. After all, it's a Google product, and if you want to get those positions, we suggest keeping Google fun.
10. Start using Google Posts
Plan to publish regular updates with Google Posts to make them more visible on search engine results pages. Posting to Google allows businesses to share content with people related to search queries. It's a great way to get some exposure.
11. Encourage UGC
User-generated content (UGC) is content created and published by unpaid fans of your business. When a person loves your product or service, they take it upon themselves to share information with friends and family, often using social media.
UGC just happens naturally, but there is nothing wrong with promoting it - if you don’t ask, you don’t get it! You can highlight the best posts every week on your social media channels and give awards to inclusion customers.
And I'm talking about awards…
12. Start giving communication
Initiating the provision of social media is a surefire way to increase engagement and produce new fans. Not only can it be a great way to say thank you for existing customers and fans, but it is also an easy way to reach potential new customers.
Okay, so it's not completely free, as you'll need to donate a product, but there's no need to spend more than that. Just make sure you follow all the good habits of using the giveaway.
13. Contact social media
Influential marketing is a big industry. The business pays or offers free products to a blogger or promoter with top followers on social media for those unfamiliar with how it all works. Frequently, the promoter shares your product on their social media channels. Overworked.
Well-known prosecutors may charge star prices, but those with fewer followers (sometimes called "micro-influencers") have higher levels of engagement and are often willing to post something for the benefit of a product or free trial.
14. Set up Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster tools
If you have not already done so, be sure to set up Google Search Console (and Bing Webmaster tools). Using these tools, you can view important information about search terms people use to find your website.
You can also point to new pages, which will instantly appear on search engine results pages. Also, make sure you submit an XML site map - it helps search engines crawl your site.
15. Update your Google My Business listing
Review your Google My Business listings and check that all details are correct. Reset images to ensure that only your best side is shown.
Do the same with your local Bing and Yahoo listing. It's also worth working on building your Google updates, as they will help increase your rankings.
16. Ask your customers for proof
In the case of reviews, be sure to produce as much evidence and reviews (as good) as possible.
Whether done with Google, TrustPilot, or a dedicated section of your website, people trust other people. You will need to ask your customers for this because people do not usually provide them naturally. Just a little speed will do the trick.
17. Google Analytics
Make sure you have Google Analytics linked to your site. It is a treasure trove of information and makes sure you spend some time getting your head around everything.
See how people interact with your site, point out pain points, and find the most popular pages. With this information, you can make thoughtful and informative changes and improve your site.
18. Update Google AdWords
Google AdWords is not free. In fact, it is incredibly expensive. But if you are already running a PPC campaign, you should take some time to review your strategy. Try writing some of the ads and improving your quality to produce better results.
Saving a little time reviewing your campaign can save you a lot of money. AdWords will cost a fortune for many of us, but if you are a charity, you can apply for a £ 10,000 Google Grant application for AdWords!
19. Use PR
PR is still the most powerful weapon in the merchant's arsenal. In addition to hiring a dedicated PR agency, there are some steps you can take to implement a specific PR. Following any major news or updates, it’s worth distributing media releases as you never know who might take them.
Sign up for platforms like HARO (help journalist) and check out hashtags like #journorequest on Twitter, as you can refute the claims. PR, however, goes hand in hand with building an SEO link.
20. Contribute to organizations, blogs, and discussions
Part of marketing your online business is making yourself a reliable industry expert with a voice of authority. To build this authority, take the time to contribute to relevant organizations, blogs, and social networks.
21. Speak at industry conferences
Another great way to build your authority and reputation as an expert in your industry is to commit to speaking at relevant industry conferences. It's a great way to get your personal and business name out there. If you are trusted to speak at conferences, you will be trusted to provide a good product or service.
22. Content creation
It does not mean that content creation should be at the center of any digital marketing strategy. If you haven't found a blog on your website, then don't wait a moment. Do it. Right now.
You will probably see that there are a disturbing number of blogs on the web. So don't do what everyone else does; be different, be helpful, and fit.
23. Guest posts
As well as creating content for your site, be sure to include guest blogging in your marketing strategy. Only look for relevant and high-quality sites, preferably with higher domain authority and a non-spam domain.
It's a great way to reduce product exposure and ensure links back to your website (hello, better SEO standards).
24. Use blogging platforms
It's as good as your website blog; it can be frustrating if your lovely content doesn't get the exposure you think it deserves. Especially when you are just starting, it can be stressful to spend hours working on stellar articles only two people can read (maybe your mom and your best partner).
This is where blogging platforms, like Medium, can help increase your exposure. Just make sure you follow the best practices for republishing content on these platforms.
25. Do keyword research
If you are doing a full-fledged SEO campaign, chances are you are paying someone to do it, or you are already an SEO whiz when you know (hopefully) what you are doing.
For newbies, keyword research is the first step of any SEO campaign and can help you identify the target audience and find out what your target audience is looking for. It can take several blog posts to cover this with enough detail, but it is a good place to start with this complete guide to SEO keyword research.
26. Configure your metadata
Practice writing the SEO title and meta description of each page and posting what you publish. This is the information displayed on search engine results pages, so you need to make it as attractive and relevant as possible.
27. Mark your website with built-in information for Schema.org
In short, a schema tag allows you to label content on your site for search engine optimization. Helps search engines provide detailed search engine results pages.
While there is no evidence that schema markup directly improves your standards, it will make your listing more attractive, so it encourages more clicks. And that would be just a good thing!
28. Make a list of your business in online directions
Make sure your business is listed in the appropriate online directions. There are some popular ones, such as Yell, Yelp, and Thomson Local, but there are many other industries or references specific to the area.
Make sure you add your business listing to your business-specific directions and make sure it is not spam.
29. Make sure your NAP is compliant
That sounds complicated but very simple. The NAP represents a name, address, and telephone number. NAP consistency means the process of ensuring that everything that is said about your business includes relevant information.
Search quickly and make sure your name, address, phone number, and other details about your online business are all accurately and consistently formatted.
30. Test your website with Google's
PageSpeed Insights and Mobile-Friendly Test
Lastly, if you want your website to be well-organized and provide a pleasant user experience, it needs to be fast and compatible with mobile. Use Google's free tools to check the speed of your website and whether it's usable or not. Any red flags should be resolved as soon as possible.
So you have it. There is enough detail here to keep you occupied for some time. It always helps to have a marketing budget, but these free steps are a better place to start. Good luck to you!
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