When your business provides a valuable product or service, odds are you’re focused on making sure that value is consistent for your customers. But running a growing business often requires a great deal of promotion and many business owners don’t even know where to begin. Learn how to promote and advertise your business successfully using the tips below.

Establish the Basics

Promoting your website successfully starts way before you launch your product or service or open your doors. It begins by building an online presence that attracts interest, starting with your website and social media.

Business Website  

This is the first place people will go to learn more about what you do or sell. Strong visuals and clear calls to action make your brand memorable and can convert visitors into customers.

Social Media  

Start by creating social media accounts with your business name on social media platforms that resonate with your audience. Sharing your business information in high-traffic spaces online makes for great free promotion.

Experiment With No/Low-Cost Digital Marketing

A good online marketing plan can help you reach and promote your business to a wider audience without depleting your bank account. Here are a few budget-friendly digital marketing strategies:

  • Content marketing. You don’t need to launch a niche industry blog or host a podcast, which can get costly. Consider what types of content your customer base might be interested in and where and how you can provide it. Maybe they engage best with creative Instagram posts or prefer quarterly reports.
  • Email marketing. Newsletters and promotional emails are a great way to create an online community and build relationships with your customer base. Free resources, like downloadable ebooks or webinars, can help you grow your email list.
  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO ensures that your website is found by search engines and shows up in search results. Google now uses the mobile version of web pages to sort and rank information (mobile-first indexing) which means having a mobile-friendly website is crucial

Google also looks at factors like page loading speed, keywords, and internal and external links. Free tools like Web.Dev or PageSpeed Insights can test how well your website performs and suggest improvements. To capture local traffic, add location-based keywords to your website and set up a Google My Business (GMB) profile so Google can add you to local map listings.

Invest in Advertising

There are four main types of online advertising: mobile, native, display, and video. Native advertising refers to ads that blend into their environments such as sponsored articles or in-feed social media ads. Display ads are designed to stand out, like the banner ads or pop-ups you encounter on store websites.

If you’re new to advertising and have a small budget, try a small paid social media campaign or Google Ad to test the waters. And again, don’t neglect offline opportunities like radio, newspaper or magazine ads, and flyers. You can also take things a step further by showing up in person with a booth at your local farmer’s market or trade show.

Join Your Local Business Community

Plugging yourself into the local community is a great promotional step for new and established businesses. Consider signing up for your town’s Chamber of Commerce membership and attending their meetings so you can get to know fellow business owners.

Not only is this a great networking opportunity, but your membership also generally includes perks like a profile and social media spotlights. In many cases, you don’t even have to have a brick-and-mortar business to become a member. If you live in a big city, try the nearest coworking space or look for meetups for business owners in your industry.

Partner With Other Businesses

Never underestimate the power of collaboration. Partnerships can lead to a huge –and free– boost for your business, especially when they expose you to a larger audience. Whether you partner with businesses online or in your surrounding area, look for opportunities in your own or complementary industries to avoid direct competition.
 
Here are a few examples of opportunities that can benefit both parties:

  • Writing a guest blog or appearing on a business’s podcast 
  • Offering a shared discount
  • Creating a joint service or product package
  • Cross-promoting each other on social media
  • Hosting events together