Any business owner knows that getting your brand in the spotlight is central to marketing well. We all want our business to build awareness. But most channels that give exposure are expensive, aren’t they? Not all. If you are keen enough to look for them, there are many ways to get business exposure. And most of the time you can do so without spending a lot or even without spending a dime!
Getting on a local newspaper, on television or on billboards are mighty expensive. Most small business can only dream of the day they get to do that. Most small businesses should be giving up that pursuit. Because there are many other ways to get exposure that won’t hurt your pocket.
How can I get my business marketing exposure cheap or free? Here are five doable ways to get your business out there without breaking the bank.
Get featured on a local paper
Local paper ads can cost you. They aren’t that expensive, but they can hurt the pocket. But what your business should be doing is focusing on getting advertorials done. What are advertorials? They are feature articles put up on blogs, papers and magazines on your business. They cost nothing aside from your time but give you as much or even more exposure. So write yourself an article and submit it to the local paper.
If you are keen enough to look for them, there are many ways to get business exposure.
Start your own blog
If you’re not big enough to get featured on a paper or haven’t built the network or leverage yet, don’t wait to get featured. Build your own platform. There are various services where you can build a website or blog easy. Wix, WordPress and Medium are a few. You can also pay a minimal amount to get a .com address and a simple website theme. Remember to give value to your readers. They want your knowledge and expertise, that’s why they are reading. So share your best content and you’ll be sure to get re-shares on networks like Facebook and Twitter.
Appear on the News
This option is like option number one only this time in video. You can get featured on local TV channels by just submitting your story, or even online channels. The news is always looking for stories, so if you have something to share it never hurts to reach out. In fact, we have our own video series on local businesses where you can get featured. You can check it out here.
Join a Topical Debate as a Guest Speak
The radio stations are great for this one. They are often looking for different people in the community to come on and share their point of view for different topical issues. If it’s something that fits in with your field ask if you can come on and share your story.
Join an online community
On top of Facebook pages, there are also Facebook groups- communities on social media where you can interact with others. If you’re a flower designer, there are tons of wedding communities online to join. If you’re a photographer or creative, there are a lot of job boards online to get gigs from. This is a good place for you to share your best content and give value to the people who follow these groups. Remember spamming is only going to get you banned and it’s not going to lead to more sales.
Let me know if you have a good idea or proven method for getting cheap or free marketing below 🙂
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