Free Marketing Ideas

Marketing need not be costly to be effective. Find below ten free (or almost free!) ideas to promote your business.

1. Attend as many local networking events as you can and hand out business cards to everyone you meet. Often it’s not what you know it’s who you know that counts and networking is a good first step to getting to know new business contacts.
2. Do your own PR: Send out a press release to obtain free editorial press coverage. Magazines and newspapers are always on the look out for stories to fill their pages with news.
3. Direct Mail – hand deliver an introductory letter and gift to ten people who you want to do business with. At the very least they will remember you and your company and you will have started to develop a database of contacts.
4. Offer to speak or do a short introductory presentation at a forthcoming business seminar. It will show your organisation is an expert in a particular topic area.
5. Ask ten friends to introduce your organisation to ten people/business associates they know and offer to do the same in return.
6. Write an article for your local newspaper or a trade magazine. As well as news stories newspapers and magazines like to fill their pages with informative advice.
7. Provide your services in return for sponsorship/advertising for a forthcoming event. This partnership approach can be a win-win situation for all concerned.
8. Place adverts on free internet directories – there are many and links to your website will boost your site’s search engine optimisation.
9. Place a free ad in the Yellow Pages – you are entitled to a free one line ad.
10. Develop alliances with complimentary businesses and offer to recommend their services if they reciprocate.

Click here for the simple DIY-PR tool kit.