4 FREE WAYS TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS
We just spent a chapter working on word of mouth advertising. It is what people need to know and need to use as the foundation of their business success. However, every business needs to do more than that to get into the eyes of the customer. However, most businesses, especially the startups will find it hard to pay for these advertising methods.
If you could afford to hire a professional advertising company, you would still see some of these free methods for promoting your business. However, many people do not put in enough time to learn them.
The following are a few free ways to advertise your business. Some are offline while others are online methods. Use as many as makes sense for your business.
# 12: GOOGLE LOCAL
Google Local is a local listing service on the web for local businesses. You do not have to do much but contact Google Local and provide your company name, address, phone number and website address. You will need to verify this information through a postcard but it is easy and gets you listed on Google easily.
#13: GOOGLE COUPONS
Have you considered coupons? Why not mesh coupons with Google. If it sounds like something that is interesting to you, the good news is that it is easy to do. You are able to bring in new customers and bring the old customers back to you. All of this occurs through Google’s free coupon tool that you use to get your business on local searches that are relevant to your website.
#14: CHECK OUT YELLOW PAGES ONLINE
While it does cost a fee to get your website listed in the big Yellow Page book, it is free to do so on the web. Remember, people come to the web to learn about stuff long before they actually buy from a business. Therefore, being in the online Yellow Pages makes sense.
#15: GET ON YAHOO LOCAL
Just like Google Local, Yahoo Local offers the same type of benefit. Of course, it benefits those who are using the Yahoo search engine instead of those who use Google. Yahoo is the second largest web search engine and highly important to any online search. It is free to get listed on Yahoo Local, too.
#16: GET REVIEWS ON YAHOO LOCAL
One of the things that Yahoo local does that Google Local does not is to allow customers to review your service. It takes only a few minutes to set up this process, but encouraging your customers to visit the website and to write a review is an important step in advertising local businesses. It is free to do and takes moments, but it could mean the difference in a customer choosing your business over another company’s business.
#17: SEND OUT PRESS RELEASES
You can send a press release to a news organization. This is a better option than sitting around and waiting for them to come to you. Be sure that what you have to say is newsworthy, and it should not be a blatant advertisement of your business. For example, it could be a press release announcing your collection of food for a local charity. It could be your special fundraiser for a sit child. You can use online press releases in the same manner, but be sure they are newsworthy before you try to have them sent out.
#18: TRADE WITH OTHER BUSINESS OWNERS
Is there a business that will compliment your own? When you find one that is you should trade services with them. Alternatively, trade advertising with them. For example, perhaps your business is a spa. You know that those that come to your spa are concerned about their fitness. You collaborate with a local fitness club and trade advertisement flyers at your establishment for their business while they do the same for your own.
Now that this chapter has gotten you started with a few free ways to advertise your business, we will move on to methods that are more specific. However, many of the other activities within the rest of this book are low cost or even free. They are well worth your time investment!