Free tools to help promote your brand online

   

If you feel like you’re being left behind and haven’t got the budget to compete online, then the next ten minutes of your time will be well spent here.

You’ll find below a short list of free tools that can help you establish a stronger online presence for your brand. These tools can be used for both small and large businesses to help promote their company online.

1. Wordpress

This is open source software that you can use to create a blog or website. It is content managed, so once you have installed it, you can update the content yourself regularly without having to ask your developer every time something new crops up. Standard features include RSS, user comments, spam filter and the ability to add media such as images and video, but it’s also very extendable, and new plugins are being created all the time.

Unless you use the hosted service, you will need to pay for a domain name and hosting (The cost is minimal and well worth it for the professional touch of your own domain name). Visit Wordpress here.

2. Website Address

If you are sending an email, creating a newsletter, posting your invoice, placing an advert, sign-writing your van or giving an interview to the press, then make sure your website is mentioned. If you’ve not got a website, then refer to point 1.

3. Google Local

Add your business details to Google Local for a better chance of being found by people searching for your business locally. It’s easy to set up your listing, and if you have multiple outlets, you can add them too so you can be found in each location for the services you offer.

4. Forums

Are you an expert in a certain field? If so, you can help people while you’re promoting your business. Search for forums which talk about your field, register and add a signature line with your website address, and browse for unanswered questions that you can help with. This can generate direct traffic as well as help establish your website in search engines. If you can add value and give advice, you’re more likely to get a good response from people who use the forums. Stick to protocols – most forums have house rules, so make sure you have a read before you get started, otherwise you may get an icy reception. Don’t spam with generic comments or engage in slanging matches because it will reflect badly on your brand.

5. LinkedIn

With LinkedIn you can find potential sales leads and business partners based on recommendations from your contacts. The service is free to use, and will develop as your network grows, but there are some paid for features if you want to ‘turbo charge’ your business development.

6. Mailchimp

If you’re just getting started and have a small, growing list of subscribers, then Mailchimp is a good system that will grow with you. It’s free to use while you have 100 subscribers or less, there’s an easy to install form to add to your website which allows your visitors to subscribe. And you’re not tied in – if you want to move to another system, you can export your contacts.

7. Links

Ask for a link from your friends and business associates. If they have a blog, offer to create a guest post. This benefits both parties, because one side is getting unique, relevant content for their blog, and the other is getting a feature with a link back to their site.

8. Twitter

You can use Twitter to develop a network of people in your industry and people interested in the same things as you. This can be useful when you have articles to promote, when you need advice, if you want to encourage guest bloggers or become a guest blogger for someone else. You can also use it to publish offers, new product launches and competitions.

9. Podcast

Create a regular podcast based roughly around your products or services. If you can give hints and tips, or publish engaging commentary about your industry, then you could develop a following of potential customers, recommendations and mentions in the press. You can use Audacity to record and edit your audio file, and publish it with a tool like Podbean.

10. YouTube

Another way to get your brand into relevant search results is to create useful video content based around the products or services you offer – for example, if you are a butcher, you could produce a video explaining uses for the different cuts of meat. You may have noticed changes in search with results that include images, video, news, local listings, etc. This is Google Universal Search, and it’s creating opportunities for people who are willing to experiment with different media and put in some time and effort into their online offering. Visit YouTube here.

And Finally...

Make sure you are engaging, providing value and maintaining your online assets. People are more likely to recommend and link to content that is useful, interesting, shocking or funny, than simple self promotion. However, if you are creating generic content or pestering people then you are likely to damage your brand.

One thing to remember is that if you’re not planning on investing money into your online presence, then you do need to invest your time. It’s not just a case of ticking the boxes, setting things up and leaving them to fester. It’s a good idea to get a schedule together and to set reminders to update your blog, send your newsletter, etc. to help you get the best results.

About the Author

PushON is an Online Marketing agency dedicated to promoting and improving the website visibility of Northwest companies. For more information visit www.PushON.co.uk | B: Blog.PushON.co.uk, or call 0844 967 0565.

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