Is there such a thing as free promotion? Yes! While you will need to put in some time and effort, it’s possible to promote your small business without shelling out a single cent or rupee on ad spending. However, not all free promotion tactics are created equally.
Every small business owner wants to put their brand in front of the right customers at the right place. However, most traditional promotion or advertising costs money. Not every brand is able to buy TV ads, especially when they are just a start-up.
As a leading digital marketing agency in Mohali, we think all businesses should have the opportunity to promote their products or services. That’s why we have created this list of tactics to promote small businesses for free.
1. Get Listed on Directories
Google isn’t the only place to find businesses or customers online. Many people rely on trusted industry directories. For example, people use Justdial or Sulekha to find the best digital marketing companies in Mohali.
These are all some great examples of directories that will directly guide visitors to your business website. What else? They also rank high in search engines for local searches. Therefore, being on these directories is important for small businesses that want to discover more customers.
2. Start Blogging Regularly
It’s true that 77% of all internet users still read blog posts. With blogging, small businesses can reach everyone from their potential customers to influential bloggers. After all, blogging is for everyone, so why not give it a try? Consider guest blogging too.
According to our digital marketing agency in Mohali, you will need two key ingredients to write a successful business blog. First, you need to target topics that have high search traffic potential. You can look for these topics online. The second ingredient is business potential. The topic you choose must allow you to pitch your product/service. Use a free keyword research tool like Keyword Generator to find topics with high search traffic potential and business potential.
3. Invest Your Time in Social Media
Social media rules the modern world. From politics to economics, everything revolves around social media platforms. To start with, create business profiles on major platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Share your business updates or industry news. You can follow and monitor influencers or a digital marketing agency in Mohali. This approach will not only help you get more leads, but also get quality feedback from them about your products/services.
4. Consider Local Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
One of the easiest ways to be more visible in search engine result pages (SERP) is local SEO. You can do this by listing your business on major platforms like Bing, Google My Business, and Apple Maps. If you are wondering what’s so special with local SEO, we would like to highlight a key finding from a 2014 Google report.
4 out of 5 shoppers rely on search engines to find local businesses. Plus, they are more likely to buy after a local search than compared to non-local searches. So, whether you have a physical storefront or an online website, local SEO is a great way to boost your sales.
5. Create YouTube Shorts and Videos
Blogs aren’t the only type of content you can create to promote your small business for free. You can use video content too. Platforms like YouTube are full of video content that spark interest. You can reap the great benefits of these platforms to inform, entertain, and engage your audience.
For a successful video marketing strategy, follow the same content marketing strategy you created for blogging. Pick interesting video topics that have both search traffic and business potential. You can use a free keyword research tool like YouTube Keyword Tool to generate topics for your video
6. Run a Giveaway
When done right, giveaways generate sales. Promoting your small business via giveaways works well. It improves brand awareness and can help you build an email list. Why? Because people love freebies. For this, you will need a solid strategy that revolves around the whole giveaway program.
The goal of your program is not to operate the largest giveaway in the world, but to attract people who are relevant to your industry. This simply means that you need to offer something that your target audience can’t refuse. According to our digital marketing company in Mohali, the simplest way is to give away the product you’re actually selling. Take Gray-Nicolls for example.
7. Don’t Skip Email Marketing
In terms of ROI, nothing can beat email marketing. It outperforms almost any other marketing method. To get started, you will need to build an email list first. Then start sending newsletters, seasonal offers, and promotions. Make sure the emails you send are personalized, engaging, and attention-grabbing.
Final Thoughts on Free Promotion
The promotion or marketing tactics above are mostly free, simple, and fruitful. However, if you have the budget, it’s always better to buy paid traffic or hire digital marketing experts in Mohali. That’s usually the shortest route to get instant results.
Any tactics that we’ve missed out on? Comment below.
FAQs:
1. Why should I promote my business?
Business promotion is a short-term strategy designed to accelerate your sales, develop customer loyalty, motivate your sales staff, and gain a competitive edge. These are all benefits of promotion for businesses of all sizes.
2. How do I know my business needs promotion?
Promotion or advertising can be a good option if you want to reach a wider audience. You should know who your target customers are and which publications or media they view.
3. What are the steps in planning promotion?
The best time to promote or advertise is when your target audience is most likely to buy. Set out what you want to achieve from business promotion. This may include launching a new product or service, letting your customers know about an expansion, or targeting a new market segment.
