Advertising For Small Business
If you are reading this it is probably the case that you are a start up company with a small budget and are looking for free advertising methods to help grow your small business.
When starting a business you can be the most skilled in your trade but a skill without a client base is no business at all! The most difficult task when starting up a business is to find new clients without forking out 1000’s of pounds on advertising.
Free advertising for small business can be found in a number of areas on and off line, the question you might be asking yourself is, where?
Whether or not you have a website for your business you can still make use of websites that offer free advertising for small business.
Benefit from the list below of different methods of free advertising for small business without the need of a website.
Classified ads sites
Classified ads are a great form of free advertising for small business to advertise online without a website. You can throw up as many ads as you like, as detailed or as basic as you want. Classified ads are very basic and you do not need any technical knowledge to advertise. Here are few examples to get you started:
Google plus business pages
Design your business profile with Google+ and reach out to people in your local areas searching for related products and services on the search engine. Optimise your Google plus business page to rank high in the map listings with in Google search results. You do not need a website. Check out google+business for more information
Facebook Business Page
Facebook also offer all businesses the option of designing a business page for free. Although Facebook offer paid advertising you can also reach potential customers by marketing your business page yourself. Try connecting with friends and family and build on your likes while also commenting on related posts. If you offer your services or products to local customers you can often find Facebook Groups where you can advertise your products/services in your local area. Go to Facebook Business Pages to get started.
Free Directory listings
There are lots of free directories online, for example Yell, Thomson Local, Scoot and the free uk business directory are all directories offering free advertising for small business. Check out our post on our favourite Free UK Local Directories.
Blog Post
Content is key in the online world. Develop articles focused on the interest of your potential consumers and try to stand out from the crowd. You can find many sites which you can share your posts with others. Remember the more valuable the content the more likely people will be willing to share your posts. Try to post weekly with a specific target it mind whether its to build email, likes, followers or sales.
Build a Website for Free
If you are a small start up business it is likely you are working with a small budget for advertising. Why not build a basic website your self? Remember you dont need a flashy site to generate traffic. There are lots of different platforms you can choose from when looking to build your website. My personal opinion would be to start with WordPress. Its free easy to use for beginners and is open source for the more experienced. You can find Free themes, plugins and widgets to help improve the look and functionality of your website. Take a look a our article Build a Website For Free to help you get started. If you struggle to customise your template take a look at our services at web design Manchester were all ways here to help. In the mean time why not take a look at this quick guide to using WordPress.
Word of mouth
Word of mouth is the most powerful form of free advertising for small business. If you offer business to business services pick up the phone and hit a free directory to find your leads. If you offer services or products to local residents go knock on a few doors and let people know you exist.
Generating business is never easy it is about trial and error, what works for some may not for other. Its about discovering what works best for you. Remember, when running a small business it is about networking in all forms on and off line. So get yourself out there, meet new people and find new opportunities for business.