As a small independent business it can be very difficult to find the money to be able to properly advertise your business. However there are a few free advertising methods that can be undertaken and will only take your time to implement.
Social Media
The easiest and probably the most often thought about is Social media, however it isn’t always used to the full by many businesses. A business page should be created for your business across as many social media platforms as you can allocate time to. The most popular are Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Your profile should contain as much information about your business as possible so that people can get an idea of what your business does. It is also important that contact information is readily available so customers can connect with you.
In addition to this though there are many places on social media that you can appeal to new customers. There are many group pages on Facebook for example that can be used to advertise your products or services.
The key is finding the right groups that are going to give you the greatest return. The typical groups to start with are local selling pages, then expanding out into something a bit more specific to your business for example I as a crafter have joined Craft groups.
Most business is usually acquired through word of mouth and this is possible to instigate in a sense through social media. By making regular posts on your social pages you can connect with current and future customers. Through likes or comments on your posts your posts will show up on feeds of a further audience as friends of posters or likers will be shown their activity.
Free advertising online using Directories
Online directories can direct a wealth of customers your way if you are willing to spend the time adding your details to their pages. By listing your business on some of these directories your details can be made available to customers in a range of places.
Here are a few great places to start:
- Google Business https://www.google.com/business/
- Yahoo local http://yahoo.infoservegroup.com/business-owner-form.html
- yell.com https://www.yell.com
By adding your details to online directories your business will appear in searches on search sites. This is a very simple and free method of creating some awareness of your business.
Shop Front
If your business has a physical shop front your windows are the biggest and best method of free advertising. As a retail outlet my shop has two huge windows that I spend time every week redecorating with a selection of products. The windows are often a casual way for browsers to interact with your business without having to actually come in.
Many sales are made as a result of the contents of the windows so they are really the most successful of all my advertising methods. This can also be done by the way that you set out a stall at a fair or event. Signage on your business vehicle can also be useful, although not free to initially to implement it is an on going advertising method.
If you are looking for a bit of guidance my blog post on window dressing would be a good place to get some pointers https://claireyatfairycrafters.com/window-dressing-how-to
Basically advertising should be seen as a challenge to think outside of the box to get your name and business known. This initially can be small scale in the local area where your first customers are most likely to be situated but can later be up scaled to appeal to customers further afield.
Let me know if there are any other free advertising methods that have worked particularly well for you. As we are always looking for new ideas to try and appeal to a different group of potential customers.
