20 ways to market your new business online for free (with links)

Starting a new business can be exciting, but it also comes with its own set of challenges. One of the biggest challenges is how to reach new customers and grow your business without breaking the bank.

Fortunately, there are numerous online marketing strategies that you can implement to achieve this goal, and many of them are completely free.

In this list, you’ll find 20 ways to market your new business online for free. From harnessing the power of social media to hosting webinars, these strategies can help you reach new customers and grow your business on a shoestring budget.

Understandably, most of the links we’ve included are US-based. If you have any useful UK-based links worth adding to the list, we will happily include them. Just get in touch.

20 ways to publicise your new business online – for free (or nearly free)!

1. Use Social Media:

Create business pages on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to reach a large audience for free.

Facebook for Business: https://www.facebook.com/business

Instagram for Business: https://business.instagram.com/

Twitter for Business: https://business.twitter.com/

2. Content Marketing:

Start a blog or create content that provides value to your target audience and drive traffic to your website.

Hubspot’s Blog Ideas Generator: https://www.hubspot.com/blog-topic-generator

Canva: https://www.canva.com/

3. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO):

Optimise your website’s content and structure to rank higher on search engines like Google. This is a crucial step for many online businesses. Just, whatever you do, don’t be tempted to take any short cuts. From our own experience at Bytestart over the past nearly 20 years, nothing beats good quality content, plus strong backlinks from relevant sites.

Moz: https://moz.com/

Google’s Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide: https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/www.google.com/en//webmasters/docs/search-engine-optimization-starter-guide.pdf

4. Email Marketing:

Collect email addresses from customers and prospects and send newsletters or promotional emails to keep them engaged with your business. Make sure you abide by the rules of the GDPR though.

Mailchimp: https://mailchimp.com/

Constant Contact: https://www.constantcontact.com/

5. Referral Marketing:

Encourage your existing customers to refer new customers to your business by offering incentives or discounts.

ReferralCandy: https://www.referralcandy.com/

Growsurf: https://www.growsurf.com/

6. Influencer Marketing:

Partner with influencers in your niche to reach a new audience and promote your business.

AspireIQ: https://www.aspireiq.com/

Influencer.co: https://influencer.co/

7. Video Marketing:

Create and share videos that showcase your business and what makes it unique on platforms like YouTube and Instagram.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/

Animoto: https://animoto.com/

8. Local SEO:

Optimise your website for local search terms and make sure your business is listed in local directories like Google My Business.

Google My Business: https://www.google.com/business/

Yell: https://www.yell.com/

9. Community Outreach:

Offer free workshops, seminars, or other educational events to help build your brand and engage with your local community.

Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/

Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/

10. Public Relations:

Reach out to local media outlets to secure press coverage and raise awareness of your business.

Help a Reporter Out (HARO): https://www.helpareporter.com/

PR Newswire: https://www.prnewswire.com/

11. Customer Testimonials:

Encourage your satisfied customers to leave positive reviews and testimonials on your website and social media profiles.

Trustpilot: https://uk.trustpilot.com/

ReviewBuzz: https://www.reviewbuzz.com/

12. Giveaways and Contests:

Run a giveaway or contest to encourage people to engage with your business and spread the word about it.

Wishpond: https://www.wishpond.com/

13. Collaborations:

Partner with complementary businesses to reach new audiences and cross-promote each other’s products or services.

Fiverr: https://www.fiverr.com/

Upwork: https://www.upwork.com/

14. Affiliate Marketing:

Partner with affiliates who can promote your business and earn a commission for any sales they generate. CJ has been around for many years, and we’ve used it ourselves at Bytestart.

Commission Junction: https://www.cj.com/

15. Online Advertising:

Try free advertising options like Google AdWords or social media ads to reach a larger audience. There is an art to using these programmes successfully, however. It’s easy to spend budget with poor returns if you’re not familiar with the systems.

Google AdWords: https://adwords.google.com/home/

Facebook Ads: https://www.facebook.com/business/ads

16. Online Directories:

List your business in online directories like Yell or Yelp to increase visibility and reach new customers. We’d recommend researching niche, local UK-based directories, as well as the large famous names.

Yell: https://www.yell.com/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/

17. Free Trials:

Offer free trials of your products or services to entice people to try them out and become paying customers.

Zoho CRM: https://www.zoho.com/crm/

Hubspot CRM: https://www.hubspot.com/products/crm

18. User-Generated Content:

Encourage customers to share their own photos, videos, or reviews of your products or services on social media.

UserVoice: https://www.uservoice.com/

Tint: https://www.tintup.com/

19. Chatbots:

Implement a chatbot on your website or social media pages to provide instant customer support and drive sales. From our experience at Bytestart, more and more people prefer to use a ‘chat’ option rather than hanging around for hours on the phone.

ManyChat: https://manychat.com/

MobileMonkey: https://mobilemonkey.com/

20. Webinars:

Host webinars to educate your target audience and build relationships with potential customers.

GoToWebinar: https://www.gotomeeting.com/webinar

Zoom: https://zoom.us/webinars

Some final thoughts

It has never been easier to publicise your business online. However, competition has also increased at the same speed as the tech innovations listed here.

So, as always, the same rules of business still apply in the digital age.

Nothing will ever beat a great idea, hard work, and good service.

If you are able to use some of these ideas to your advantage, you could have a head start on your competitors!