101 Ways to Get Free Advertising for Your Small Business

We talk to a lot of small business owners, and a common theme we find…

All of them need cheap, easy ways to promote their business.

Wouldn’t you love to know easy (and FREE) ways to promote your business to attract more customers? 

Of course you would. 

With that in mind, we collected a list of 101 ways to get free advertising for your business.

You don’t need a Super Bowl ad or a banner behind a plane to get customers to visit your business.

Any SMB can get free advertising and more customers by following this list!

So, time to get started!

Try one of these (mostly) free ideas.

1.    Use Google My Business to show up in local search results.

2.    List your company on Yelp.

3.    Post images of your products to Instagram.

4.    Become an active member of your industry in Quora.

5.    Start an email campaign.

6.    Load content on YouTube.

7.    Write guest posts for other blogs.

8.    Register your business on Citysearch.

9.    Hand out fliers at the mall.

10.     Hire writers to create valuable content.

11.     Answer questions on Q&A sites like Quora and Reddit.

12.     Hire writers to create industry-specific content on LinkedIn.

13.    Email newsletters to your customer list.

14.    Encourage customer reviews with a discount or prize.

15.    Create a Facebook business  page and interact with customers on it.

16.    Ask your customers to tell others about your business.

17.    Create an attractive photo backdrop with your company’s information displayed.

18.    Send out press releases to the local newspaper.

19.    Ask vendors for referrals.

20.    Attend community Chamber of Commerce meetings.

21.    Send birthday greetings to your customers through email.

22.    Do interviews on other people’s podcasts.

23.    Promote a contest.

24.    Hang flyers on local business’ bulletin boards.

25.    Speak at community events.

26.    Change your email signature, so there is a link to your website.

27.    Update the content on your website regularly.

28.    Reach out to website creators who write top-10 lists. Ask to be included on their list, and then link their list on your website.

29.    Share your new content on all your social media account.

30.    Use consistent branding.

31.    Volunteer at local charities.

32.    Reach out to bloggers in your area.

33.    Reach out to local celebrities.

34.    Cold call.

35.    Participate in other Facebook groups.

36.    Pass out business cards.

37.    Use your POS system receipt printer to thank people for their business.

38.    Register with Manta, “Where Small Business Grows.”

39.    Subscribe with online Yellow Pages.

40.    Sign up for Bing Places for Business.

41.    Sign up for Best of the Web.

42.    Ask your staff to share your business information on their social media accounts.

43.    Wear a T-shirt with your company’s name on it.

44.    Create an advisory board for your business and pick their brains for advice.

45.    Pay attention to your competitor’s advertisements.

46.    Pay attention to customers with disabilities.

47.    Read one new business book a month.

48.    Join local professional organizations, like Alignable. 

49.    Create a business Instagram account and post content several times a week.

50.    Ask a friend or family member to take professional-looking photos of you and your business.

51.    Send as many Tweets as the President.

52.    Become an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau.

53.    Do product giveaways.

54.    Make sure your website answers customer’s questions.

55.    Ask one of your employees to wear a gorilla suit outside or pass out samples.

56.    Attend local networking events.

57.    Pass out fliers at local ballparks, skating rinks, volleyball courts, etc.

58.    Pass out coupons.

59.    Sign up for a free pos system.

60.    Fly a kite with your company’s name on it.

61.    Pass out fliers at apartment complexes.

62.    Put your company flier in Welcome to the Neighborhood packages.

63.    Set up a booth at a local fair.

64.    Register your business at Find Us Here.

65.    Register your service on Thumbtack.

66.    Sign up your business with Local.com.

67.    Sign your business up at Foresquare.

68.    Hire a writer to create SEO content for your webpage.

69.    Send cold emails.

70.    Reach out to your business’ neighbors.

71.    Share your good reviews.

72.    Talk with people in elevators – this is a great chance to promote your business. They’re trapped with you!

73.    Make sure the content you share on social media is valuable. The better the content, the more likely to be shared by others. 

74.    Create how-to videos.

75.    Host events, like book clubs or lectures, related to your industry.

76.    Mimic national sales campaigns.

77.    Send out a SurveyMonkey to customers.

78.    Team up with another local business.

79.    Create a sign with daily, humorous sayings and create a social media page to share it with customers.

80.    Sell cool looking t-shirts or stickers with your company name or logo.

81.    Get sales leads from your suppliers.

82.    Treat your customers like kings and queens.

83.    Register your business with MerchantCircle.

 

84.    Put fliers on doors.

85.    Put fliers on driveways in bags with small rocks.

86.    Create a Kudzu business listing.

87.    Register your company with Hotfrog.

88.    Advertise your business on Craig’s List.

89.    Invite local bloggers to visit your business.

90.    Share PowerPoints regarding your business on SlideShare.

91.    Register your business with Cylex.

92.    Use the NextDoor app to advertise special events.

93.    Sell your products door to door.

94.    Have a flash mob perform at your business.

95.    Get to know your neighbors and promote your business through them.

96.    Pass out suckers to kids.

97.    Give out dog treats to customers with dogs.

98.    Pass out water bottles with your company’s logo on it during an outside event on a hot day.

99.    Do a weekly radio show to share info about your industry.

100.    Walk in your customers’ shoes to try to see your business as they see it.

101.    Create a product or provide a service that people can’t live without.

Sure, promoting your business is hard work.

You probably feel overwhelmed at the idea of creating content for social media accounts and attending public meetings.

Know that you are not alone.

Some experts will advise you every step of the way.

Even though you are armed with this list of free advertising ideas, having an integrated POS system like eHopper is the next step.

 Test drive eHopper POS to market your business today!