Top 10 FREE startup marketing ideas

Don’t have a lot of money to spend on your business? No problem – here at ISQ we have come up with 10 tactics that you can use completely free to spread the word about your new venture.

1. Write great content for your blog and use it to drive visitors to your website. Try top 10 lists, tip collections, best practices for your industry, etc. – these type of blog posts are most likely to go viral – people love sharing and bookmarking useful lists.

2. Create short videos and post on YouTube. Videos have amazing engagement rates and are a top digital marketing tool right now. Try creating a webinar or an instructional video and position yourself as an expert in your specialist area.

3. Free promo ads credits. There are often discounts and coupons floating around for paid Facebook ads or Google ads. Some web hosting services offer advertising discount codes as part of their membership offerings. Check and see if yours does.

4. Be a savvy online networker. Linkedin and Facebook are great places to network for your business. Both networks offer a plentiful of interest groups, which you can join, engage and offer advice once the opportunity strikes. Networking in online groups can result in finding keen clients who will want to buy from you.

5. Recycle your content. If you have lots of great content already, re-use it as part of your digital marketing strategy. It takes so much time to create quality content, don’t let it just sit there and be forgotten.

6. Create a referral program. Do you have customers who were very satisfied with your product? Drop them an email and offer a free service or a discount in exchange for every referral they make for you.

7. Partnership. Find people in your industry and run a co-branded workshop or contest to extend your marketing reach. Partnering with another business means twice as much notice. If you’re partnering with an industry-relevant business, you’re getting introduced to a whole new audience related to your niche. People pay big money for that kind of access!

8. Apply Online for Business Awards. Most industries have business awards you can win, providing you with an online badge you can place on your website. Badges like these can boost credibility, and as a result, increase sales. Not to mention all the free publicity for your business.

9. Offline Networking. Invest in good quality business cards and attend local networking events. They are often lots of free events to attend almost every night that are full of business people keen to exchange business cards and chat.

10. Guerrilla Marketing. Guerrilla marketing emphasizes creativity over budget, and strategies are often cheap and easy to implement, especially when localized. Get your creative juices flowing and come up with an awesome idea that will get you noticed!

Want more tips on how to make your idea successful? Check out our other blogs.