For your business to survive and grow, you need customers. In order to gain customers, you will need to promote your business. Back in the good old days, promoting your business was a matter of deciding between having ads in the newspapers, brochures, postcards, or flyers. In today’s digital world, the possibilities are endless.
So if you’re stuck figuring out how to get your business back up after a tough year, struggling to find the best way to promote your business online on a very limited budget or even what your options are, you’re definitely not alone. Keep reading to learn about our favourite free and effective ideas on promoting your business online, whether you have no budget at all or some wiggle room. So grab yourself a cuppa and read on.
Promoting your local business online
Before getting into any new ideas, you need to take a step back to reflect on your target audience. Who are you trying to reach with your promotion online?
Maybe you own a brick and mortar store and would like to get customers through the door.
Or perhaps you change people’s lives through simple and fun products like phone cases online.
It doesn’t matter what kind of business you run, the best way to start is to identify your customers, and identify where they look for information about what you’re offering.
Google My Business
You’ve probably at one time needed the services of a tradie such as an electrician, and you typed ‘electrician near me’ in the Google search box. The search result then displayed a list of electrical businesses close to you with map listings – this is made possible thanks to Google Business Listing. Your listing is what tells Google to include your nearby business.
As a business owner, you want to make the best use of this tool as it offers an opportunity for your business to be displayed in search results and on Google Maps results. Your business information – including contact (website, phone, address), business hours and a lot more will be visible in search results. To use this tool to promote your business online for free, you will need to create a Google My Business Account. This account will also let you access helpful analytics like how many times your listing has been viewed.
Creating your Google Business profile comes with its perks:
- Customers can review your business. Other people will see these reviews when your business is displayed on the search result page. This can go a long way in promoting your business, because almost no one deals with a business without first checking out reviews.
- Creating a listing on Google enhances your SEO efforts which is great for your business.
Yahoo! also has a huge business database called Yahoo! Local which is free to set up. Microsoft’s Bing is another great option.
Step up your SEO efforts
When it comes to getting your business online, search engine optimisation cannot be overemphasised. The internet holds an endless sea of information, and people are constantly searching for content. So how do you single out your business to make sure it gets in front of potential customers without spending a dollar? The answer is SEO.
Search engine optimisation, or SEO, helps your website rank more highly on search engine result pages, meaning your website will show up to users that need your product or services as quickly as possible.
Optimising your website for search engines to boost your rankings takes some effort. Basic steps to optimise your website for SEO require you to research high traffic keywords, share high-quality content such as blogs, and improve navigation through your website.
Whatever kind of small business you own, incorporating and improving on your SEO strategies is an effective way to promote your business online for free.
Take advantage of blog posts
Once you have a functioning website, a great way to increase your business reach, improve your SEO, and connect with your audience is to set up a blog.
Sharing quality content shouldn’t be restricted to your website. Guest posts can also be a great way to promote your business online. Guest posts involve writing articles for other websites relevant to your business. This allows you to promote your business to that website’s audience, get backlinks to your website, improve your SEO ranking, and get your business in front of potential customers.
Remember, sharing blog posts isn’t just enough, you need to make sure your blog posts are SEO-friendly – you can achieve this by using keyword tools such as Google Keyword Planner to research relevant, high-value keywords for your business.
Leverage Social Media
Social media is another effective means to put your business out there for free! Facebook and Instagram are two popular social network sites in Australia. You can put your address, opening hours and other key information on your social media pages. Just like Google My Business, it’s free to set up social media accounts. Later down the track, you can reach your target audience through paid advertisements.
There are 15 million active Aussies on Facebook for you to reach. You can create a free Facebook business page that will drive traffic to your website, give users easy access to your contact information and leave reviews.
Consider other platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter. Lots and lots of tools are available out there today, so prioritise the ones that make sense for your business. Choose to focus on the platforms where your audience is most active.
Promoting your business both online and locally doesn’t have to be a daunting task. There are many methods you can use to show up online without spending anything, and still raise awareness on a local level. Pick one and get started today.
“The opinions expressed by BizWitty Contributors are their own, not those of BizCover and should not be relied upon in place of appropriate professional advice. Please read our full disclaimer."
