6 ways to promote your new business for free
You don’t need a huge marketing budget to promote a new business successfully. A lack of funds can be frustrating when trying to get your company off to the best possible start, but as long as your objectives are clear and you understand your target audience, there are numerous ways to do this without spending any money.
In this article, the UK’s top company formation agent, 1st Formations, highlights six ways that you can promote your new businesses for free.
Create a Google Business account
Advertising on Google, the world’s number one search engine, is one of the most powerful ways to promote your new business for free. Particularly useful for local, customer-facing companies, a Google Business profile helps boost your brand’s visibility on Google Search and Google Maps.
If you own a local beauty salon, your target audience is unlikely to look you up by your brand name, given that they don’t know who you are yet. Instead, they’ll search for ‘beauty salons near me.’ In this instance, an optimised Google Business profile collates all your essential business information (like address, opening hours, and contact details) and uses that relevant information to promote your business to the user.
Google Business is completely free to set up and incredibly simple to manage. You’ll also have access to your profile analytics, helping you understand how your business connects with customers and identify new opportunities to improve your advertising strategy.
Get set up on social media
A social media presence is essential if you’re looking for ways to promote your business for free. Each platform has paid advertising options, but there are also plenty of free techniques to benefit from.
For example, you can share posts about your products, services, and company culture. You can engage with your followers, join, and start meaningful conversations. You can also learn about your customer’s shopping behaviour and explore and leverage relevant trends in your promotional activity.
If you’re an e-commerce business, you can also sell your products directly via social media. And don’t be afraid to experiment with unique content like Instagram Reels or Facebook Stories. This is a great way to entertain your followers and tell your story in a fun and creative way.
The trick to using social media to promote your business is to post relevant, engaging content frequently (consistency is key). Don’t forget to actively engage with others on these platforms, too; reply to comments and messages and initiate discussions to reach a wider audience.
Use SEO
Search engine optimisation (SEO) involves enhancing your digital content to boost your website’s search rankings. It’s a somewhat complex process, but it is entirely free and, when done correctly, an incredibly powerful way to promote your new business.
Ideally, your website should appear in the top half of the first page to be discovered. According to research by Backlinko, only 9% of Google users scroll down to the bottom of page one, and a mere 0.44% click through to the second page.
The key step to effective SEO is keyword research and application. You’ll need to identify relevant search terms related to your products, services, or industry and apply them across your digital content. This will allow search engines (primarily Google) to pick up on them and suggest your website to relevant users.
If you’re completely new to SEO and have no idea where to begin with keyword research, don’t worry. Free tools like Google Keyword Planner and Semrush can give you valuable insights.
SEO can be a tricky process to master. It also takes time to see its effects, but stick with it and be patient, as you’ll surely soon reap the rewards of this free promotional technique.
Promote via influencers
When you think of social media influencers, you think of heavy price tags that only large companies can afford. But that’s not necessarily true. There are various levels of influencers:
- Nano: up to 10k followers
- Micro: 10k-100k followers
- Mid-tier: 100k-500k followers
- Macro: 500k-1m followers
- Mega: 1m+ followers
Influencers at the mid-tier level and beyond can be quite expensive due to their large following. However, there are many smaller, up-and-coming influencers (nano and micro) that promote brands in exchange for a free product with no service fees.
It’s crucial to choose the right influencer to work with, and this will take some research. In addition to the number of followers they have, take a look at the type of content they post, the hashtags they use, and other brands they’ve worked with.
Send them a message and maybe set up a quick call to gauge their personality, values, and work processes. It’s essential that both parties align on these important factors for a successful partnership.
Use free email marketing tools
Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to promote your brand. Luckily for small businesses, there are lots of free options available.
First, you’ll need to choose a platform. If you’re looking for a basic app and cost is your top priority, try Sender. You can send up to 15,000 emails a month to up to 2,500 subscribers and enjoy automation features and Google Analytics tracking completely free.
If you want a more sophisticated platform, Mailchimp is one of the top-rated and most popular apps for small businesses. Their free plan includes the following features:
- Subject line helper
- Basic email templates
- Up to 500 contacts
- Multichannel tools to schedule social media posts
- Design and content tools
- Access to their knowledge base
- Marketing calendar to organise your promotional campaigns
- AI creative assistant
Shop around and see which tool works best for you. You then need to build up a mailing list. You can do this by adding a newsletter subscription button to your website, asking customers to subscribe after they make a purchase, or encouraging your social media followers to sign up.
You can then promote your new business via free email marketing by sharing company news, exciting offers, and other perks that your customers might find useful.
Ask customers for reviews
Reviews are a powerful promotional tool, especially for a new business that has yet to be tried and tested. While reviews can be purchased, organic, honest, and free testimonials are undeniably more impactful and trustworthy.
In fact, a study by emplifi on consumer demands shows that 87% of people feel that real-life ratings and reviews have a greater impact on their purchasing decisions. A further 71% of people agree that authentic reviews make a difference in brand purchases.
There’s a significant need for reviews, so to promote your new business for free, ask your customers to engage. When someone makes a purchase, ask them to rate their experience (this can easily be integrated into their order confirmation email). Or share a social media post, asking your fans to let you know their thoughts on your brand.
There are numerous options for engaging your audience in reviews. And don’t be afraid of negative ones—there’s bound to be the odd one or two-star review.
When you do get one, be sure to respond to it, try to resolve the problem, and turn it into a positive experience. At the very least, a sprinkling of negative reviews makes your testimonials more authentic and credible.
Thanks for reading
If you’re thinking of starting a new business or you’re an existing business owner unsure how to promote your business for free, use this guide for simple and effective advertising techniques that will help get your brand noticed.
1st Formations is the UK’s leading company formation agent. Their quick and simple online registration process allows aspiring entrepreneurs to launch their limited companies in just a few hours. They also offer a range of compliance services and helpful resources to guide you through your company’s life.
Find the perfect incorporation package for you or contact their expert team by visiting the 1st Formations website.