5 Marketing Ideas that Cost $0
One complaint I often hear about marketing: it’s expensive. On the one hand, I truly believe that great marketing will pay off far more than any monetary investment you make but on the other hand, I completely understand that everything is expensive (especially right now!) and a lot of entrepreneurs and small business owners are constantly looking for ways to cut costs.
The good news is that good marketing does not have to mean big money, and since I regularly work within the constraints of a tight budget, I have learned a lot of free marketing ideas over the years. So if you need a few easy and free ways to marketing your business, here are my top 5:
1) Join a social group based around a hobby you love.
You have to be careful with this one - your goal should be to meet other people who love your hobby, not to sell your business to people with a shared interest. However, I can’t count the number of times I have been asked about what I do for a living at a non-work related event. Sometimes the person who asks becomes a client, and most of the time they don’t. But either way, I’m spreading my net a little farther and wider in a natural way that I truly enjoy, and I get practice talking about my business in a way that makes sense to people outside of marketing. Just make sure the question turns into a conversation and not a sales pitch!
2) Find YouTube videos of people who share marketing tips or in the same industry as you.
If there is another business you admire, it’s likely they have a strong marketing team or principles that you can apply to your own business. See if they have YouTube videos, a podcast, a blog, or some other form of content that you can learn from, then take what they share and make it unique to you. If you need a few ideas, here are some of my favorites.
3) Ask current customers for authentic reviews.
I wrote a whole blog about this (click here to read it), but it costs nothing to ask your customers for reviews. Write an email, send a text, pick up the phone, and ask your best customers for an honest review on the platform of your choice, whether Google My Business, Yelp, or something industry-specific. Not only will this bolster your credibility online, you’ll also remind them of how much they loved your work in the first place!
4) Create content that works for you.
This could literally be anything: Instagram reels or stories, Facebook live videos, a written blog, or anything in between. You don’t have to fit somebody else’s mold. Figure out what you like to do (write? record a video? sing a song?) and do it on the platform you feel most comfortable. You don’t have to commit to a daily piece of content to create something that people will enjoy.
5) Get on social media and leave comments on like-minded businesses or potential client posts.
Be authentic - don’t just leave a bunch of emojis or say something spammy. But finding other business owners and potential clients through hashtags can be a game changer (read more about it here). If you consistently show up in a real, valuable way on social media platforms, you can spread your net far while going deep. Trust me, it works - I use this tactic with a lot of my clients, including myself!
These are just five ideas - and there are hundreds! - that will give you a free marketing boost for your business. Have any other ideas to share with business owners? Leave a comment below and help us out!
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