People do business with who they know, like, and trust. But they can’t do the latter two without first being aware of you. Awareness comes from marketing and advertising but those can be cost-prohibitive for small businesses.
Don’t worry.
We have several ways to get your name out there that won’t cost you a thing other than time and some that will barely cost anything.
10 Free Ways to Get Your Business Name Out There
Try the following marketing ideas to get more people talking about your business and interacting with you:
- Participate in social media by posting and conversing about subjects of interest to your ideal demographic.
- Answer questions on Quora or LinkedIn.
- Post an original thought leadership article to LinkedIn or Medium.
- Answer questions on LinkedIn or Facebook Groups.
- Participate in your local currency program (usually hosted by the chamber of commerce or Main Street organization. These programs list their participating merchants on print collateral and on their website giving your business additional exposure.
- Speak to a class (school, university, professional class, or community colleges can be a good start) about what you do.
- Get more involved in your community by volunteering. People will ask you what you do.
- Sponsor the PTA or a community event.
- Promote reviews. Ask for them when you send something by mail. Add a QR code to a package bought in store that directs people to one of the popular review sites. Use a table tent at your place to business. Add a page to your website that easily directs people to a review site. Remove the friction and ask for the review and you’ll get more of them. Since most people base buying decisions on reviews this is some of the best marketing you can get.
- When people leave a review, thank them even if it was less glowing than you expected. If it was disappointing try to make it more favorable by addressing their issue.
3 Inexpensive Ways to Promote Your Business
- Sponsor a chamber of commerce event. This one could cost you a couple of hundred dollars or you could simply donate an item to a silent auction. That item could entice someone into becoming a future customer.
- Join Toastmasters or your local chamber of commerce.
- Sponsor a local pee-wee or little league team or buy a banner at a local field.
There are a lot of free and inexpensive ways to get your name out there. But keep in mind, they are most effective when they target your ideal demographic. Also, one of the most effective and long-lasting ways is to get reviews and entice people to talk about your business by surprising and delighting them.
