I've been having a lot of discussions lately about no cost marketing. With so many small businesses and people trying to make it on their own, the idea of no-cost marketing is pretty appealing to me and I'm sure it is to you as well.
In this post, I'm going to provide you with 7 of my most effective strategies for promoting your business, website, or blog with little or no money. Here we go.
1. Guest Blog Post. If you have some expertise in a given field, I recommend reaching out to a number of different blogs in your niche and offering to write a guest post. Online marketers are busy and are always looking for good content. Do the research, find a blog that you can write for, and offer up a 100% original guest post. This will save the blog owner time, provide something of value to his audience, and give you exposure.
2. Focus on Organic Search Rankings. Get a good book on SEO (ex: SEO Made Simple) and learn how to optimize your website or blog. If your site comes up organically for a variety of different keyword searches, you'll start to receive quality traffic that can fill your funnel. Organic traffic costs little or nothing to generate - just sweat equity.
3. Leverage social media. Integrate social media icons on your website. I know this is simple but there are tons of direct to consumer and b-to-b sites who haven't taken the time to add TweeMeMe buttons, Google +1, or Facebook Likes. Each time someone redistributes your message, you access their network as well as your own.
4. Build a list. One of the most effective marketing practices is building a house list. There are many ways you can do this but one of the best is offering something of value in exchange for a valid email. Use an email form to capture email from website visitors in exchange for a free download. House lists are the most responsive and you can engage your audience on a regular basis.
5. Press releases. Distributing a press release is a fabulous way to spread the word about your company, product, service, or website. Writing a press release is easy to do and it can be about virtually anything new regarding your business. Once you have your release, search for free press release distribution sites instead of paying hundreds of dollars for PRweb or other established services.
6. Blog commenting. Where do you get your news? What blogs are influential in your niche? Start reading and commenting on blogs. Over time, as you build an online reputation through commenting, you can start to integrate information about resources you offer. This takes some time but can help divert traffic from well known sources.
7. Forums. Start visiting and contributing on forums. Whether you ask forum members for advice or feedback, building a reputation on forums can lead to valuable inbound links to your website as well traffic.Whether you have a large marketing budget or none at all, there are a number of options to promote your business that wont cost you a dime.
Think through the opportunities you have to leverage your current web assets and information you have to attract new users to your business or website. The key is to always try new lead generation methods and build on your successes.If you have additional no-cost or low-cost marketing tips, be sure to comment!