There are many free or low-budget advertising ideas available for small businesses to take advantage of if they put in the effort. We asked 12 small business professionals what they found to be the best free advertising tactic to get custom reviews and tips on making it work for them.
1) Email Marketing To Your Clients. The most effective way out there is when a client contacts you via email, you can’t help but wonder why they might not use one of your other marketing avenues, like social media. There are many reasons: it took me five years to start my own online business (and I don’t want to sound rude). Social Media is a great place to connect, but it’s also expensive, so it means you’ll need to invest heavily. It could cost up to 10% per day, which in this case is going to cost you hundreds of dollars per month to advertise through all of your social platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and several others. Another reason? You won’t know who the clients are. A simple email list in a spreadsheet is about all anyone will know, and it’s easily accessible. To make sure the emails go only to those interested, you must ensure that your email lists are set by experts or, even worse, someone else. Because nothing should ever get into your inbox that’s not “right away.”
2) Online Reviews As My Customers’ Favorite Place To Find Me. If you’re looking at any type of product or service, whether it’s food, clothing, services, etc., it always behooves you to look for reviews from customers rather than just the price tag, which isn’t helpful for businesses. Reviewing has two primary purposes: One, to make sure your customer is happy; Two, it lets you have an easy and quick look at the product or service. That’sToo many people hate reviews because of how easy it is or doesn’t seem to be to find. This isn’t something you can expect to get for free, it takes time and money, but you can reach thousands of potential new customers if done right. Many companies offer their products for review through an affiliate program, where others pay a commission to be included in the products. These types of studies might not be able to be found through regular search but are easily accessible online by doing keyword searches on your company and finding online reviews.
3) Giving Away Freebies. All of us are told to give away everything we’ve got. What if you said to them that instead? Take advantage of gift cards, giveaways, membership perks, or just give away things they need? Giveaways are an excellent, relatively cheap way for businesses to target specific populations (especially during the holiday season) because people love winning. Plus, they tend to spend more on items that give or give away something they love. Think back to Christmas and remember everyone gets a box of chocolates. Now think back to Thanksgiving and recall that we give away free meals and gifts. What would happen if restaurants gave away free lunch every day? Chances are, restaurants wouldn’t make much profit. However, giving away things your customers will appreciate is just one part of the puzzle.
4) Offer Gift Cards Or Cash Back Programs. When I shop or look for something, I often look for cashback programs for the item. Sometimes these discounts aren’t offered, and they might even make no sense. Don’t get me wrong, cashback systems work great on a shoestring budget, but they can lose all their effectiveness once the company stops making money. There are many ways to get cashback: Paypal. There are other credit card companies like Google Shopping (GSC), Zappos, Amazon, Walmart, and eBay. But those four companies alone account for less than 5% of total credit cards sold in the United States. Check out sites like Cardpool and Credit Karma for referral strategies to maximize your cash-back rewards. And some of the easiest ways to get cashback are through rewards programs such as the ones you already own—Ibotta and Rakuten. Even though that’s easier than paying total amounts for each dollar spent, you’ll still gain hundreds of dollars if you add more and more cashback items each year, like Amazon Prime members get 20% off on Kindle Unlimited.
5) Provide Payment Options. Just as you would buy car insurance in-store, you cannot afford a comprehensive plan, but at least I am provided with a bunch of different options. This is especially true when considering the cost of having a mortgage or other debt. While we all want the same coverage, it is a personal decision about how much we want to use the available money in our accounts. Many times, the option you think is better than a competitor’s program may not even exist for you. With this information, check out reviews and see what has worked best for other users before taking a risk. Remember, credit cards aren’t that popular, so the amount you’re buying them for is almost certainly enough, but it is essential to research your options thoroughly.
6) Buy Ads From Other Companies. Some companies allow us to buy ads on their site for free. Many companies out there will enable you to do so, but I’ve never bought ads from them myself. Most companies require you to buy a subscription plan before ever getting access to brand-new ad placements because it takes a lot of money to create them. When I started, I realized that I couldn’t afford to pay $10-12 for a single spot every month. So I looked into other companies and tried to buy ads for various companies I found online, but not nearly enough. Once I’ve decided that a specific company offered good value for money, I got past that hurdle, then I went on to try to buy ads for all sorts of different companies and finally decided that I was a fan of them and now purchased ads for all kinds of different companies that fit my needs. Going after what made others happy is the way to get results.
7) Create Content On YouTube. Many marketers look to Youtube for content to promote but often lack knowledge about what to post on youtube. They read articles on SEO and write blog posts that they claim to be useful, but they really have very little to say. Unfortunately, these websites lack actual content created by people. Inevitably, these creators end up making videos as they go and uploading them on youtube, or just copy and pasting from similar to others. The problem is, there’s not a big enough audience. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to generate and share your content online without spending an arm and leg on building it.
8) Use Blogging Sites. You probably know that you should start a blog about whatever topic you feel comfortable with. However, let’s face it. Blogging sucks! Not only does blogging take away from your ability to talk to other people, but the process itself is complex. People don’t know where to turn when their blogs run slow or become unread. I love writing, but sometimes I find my patience running dry. Luckily, bloggers are starting to learn how to publish. Thankfully these sites share the responsibility of producing quality blog posts that attract visitors.
9) Add An Ad On Top Of Everything Else. Want to increase your eCommerce sales? Well, add an ad to your website, right? Yes, yes, that’s what I did. When I decided to do this, I had two goals that I wanted to accomplish, one being converting web traffic to leads for my business. The second goal was to get a couple of thousand dollars per week in revenue from banner ads on top of what I typically drive in eCommerce sales. Getting paid would help with both of those goals.
10) Become A Freelancer/Paid Reseller. Becoming an expert freelancer and becoming self-employed as a freelance seller are incredible goals for anyone. Whether selling a service, delivering a package to a delivery person, or even helping others sell their crafts, knowing how to sell is an essential skill for all entrepreneurs. Especially when your business is relatively new and needs to raise money quickly.
11) Sell Services On Craigslist. Who knew starting up a successful Craigslist profile could make so much money from a few bids. Although Craigslist is highly competitive, it has proliferated over recent years. When I first began using Craigslist for business, I used Craigslist to sign up sellers and freelancers that I met with in real life, and I enjoyed seeing how these guys were selling their stuff for the most reasonable price. I made an average of 20 deals on Craigslist per week and quickly learned how to get more and more of my business from Craigslist.
12) Launch A Podcast. Are you tired of listening to podcasts? Then launch an ebook. Earphones are everywhere we go these days, and while Spotify makes it seem like we all have tons of portable listening devices, few people are obsessed with podcasts. Why not use your favorite podcast app, Apple Podcast? Here’s the bonus: It can be downloaded onto your phone, so there’s no need to plug your headphones in every time you travel.
