Promote Your Business For Free

So you have created your new website and are very excited. The problem is you have used up most of your budget on setting up the website and now don’t have much money left to help you promote it. Here are some great ideas and tools you can use to promote your business for free.



Pinterest

Pinterest is a relatively new kid on the block. It allows you to collect, organise and share photos on pinboards. If people like your photos (pins), then can then share them with their followers and networks, thus spreading your message/photos virally. Find out more about Pinterest



Facebook

With over 1 billion of people using Facebook, this is definitely a social network you may want to tap into. It allows you to build relationships, reach new people, interact with them and then drive sales to your website. Find out more about how to make the most of Facebook for business.



Link Exchange

Link exchange is a very powerful marketing strategy to gain new customers by exchanging links with complementary businesses. First find websites who you would like to exchange links with, add them to your website – this is usually done on a “Links” page. Then contact the owners of those businesses and ask them to place a link from their websites to yours. An example would be a marriage celebrant, who exchanges links with wedding dress designers, florists, caterers etc.



Blog

A blog is basically a journal that is available online. Most bloggers post news from their industry, useful tips and tricks, special deals, media releases, articles, photos, case studies, employee profiles, problem resolutions, research findings etc.

A blog:
- allows you to keep in touch with your customers
- gives you an increased presence on major search engines
- is a great media and public relations tool
- is easy to set up and use

To get started, simply sign up with either Blogger.com or Wordpress.com. Both these blogging tools offer lots of information about how to make the most of your blog as well as tutorials.



Local Directories
Submit your website to local directories, such as True Local and also Google places. Each industry also has its own directories, so submit your website there. This will not only potentially bring you direct customers, but your listing will serve as a backlink to your website, which search engines love.



Email Signature

Set up an email signature in your email software such as Outlook, which includes your contact information, website address, testimonials etc. That way each time you send out a message, details of your business are included at the bottom of the email.

Once your signature is set up email all your friends, colleagues and customers, letting them know your website is live and to check it out. You can also ask them to forward the details of your online venture to their networks. Find out how to set up your signature in Outlook .

Article Marketing

Writing articles is an excellent way for you to get free publicity and to establish your credibility as an expert in your field. The publicity you receive by having your article published in online and offline publications can be worth thousands of dollars in equivalent advertising space. Well written articles bring much better results than advertisements and earn you respect from potential customers.

The best articles are “tips” or expert pieces. People are looking for help and guidance and will buy from experts who show them how to solve their problems.

There is no magic internet fairy that will bring visitors to your new website, the marketing is up to you. The good news is there are literally hundreds of ways you can promote your website for free, but it means initially doing some research and then testing our different strategies. If one technique doesn’t work well for you, try something else. What have you got to lose?

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