Many entrepreneurs believe that you are unable to market your business with no money. But with a little investment in time and effort, you will be able to get your brand noticed by your target audience.
STEP 1: Create brand assets
Before you start your marketing journey, you need to make sure you have the following brand assets: a logo, fonts, and a colour palette for your brand. You should make sure you use the same font, logo, and colours across the various platforms which you will use to expand your business on. Here are some tools to create the assets you will need.
- Canva is a great tool to use to create designs for different promotional materials for your business.
- You can use a free online logo maker to help create a logo for your business.
- Google fonts has a wide array of free fonts which you can use for your business.
- You can find royalty-free images on Unsplash or Pexels. You should make a collection of images which you use on your different digital channels. This will also give your future designers an idea of what imagery you like to use.
STEP 2: Create an elevator pitch
This is a short message which describes what your business does. It should highlight who your target audience is, what value you bring to the target audience, and how.
Here is a template you can use to create your elevator pitch:
Hi, my name is (your name). I am (your job description). I help (target audience) to (what your business does) so that (your value).
For example: Hi, my name is Joe Soap. I am a printer. I help photographers to print their photos so that they can share their passion with their clients.
STEP 3: Market your business
There are many platforms and ways in which you can market your business for free. Here are seven ways to get the word out about your business.
1. Register on Google Your Business:
You can register your business on Google Your Business and it will pop up whenever someone uses certain keywords to find your type of business.
2. Create a website
It is important to create a basic website which highlights what you do and how your customer can contact you. There are many free online website builders to choose from.
3. Create a Facebook page
Many people will search for your business on Facebook. It is important to have a Facebook page which has all your company’s details on it. You can learn more about Facebook pages here.
4. Join Facebook groups or forums
It is important to go on to forums or Facebook groups and talk to your target audience. You can see what the conversations are and offer to help where you see fit.
5. Go to network events
It is important to visit various networking events. When you go to these events ensure you are dressed well as this will send out a message about your brand. You should also ensure that you attend networking meetings which have your target audience or where you can meet fellow business owners who have complementary businesses to you.
6. Cross-promote with a complementary business
Do you know someone who has a complementary business? Why don’t you offer to cross promote with them? By doing this you will both be exposed to different client lists.
7. Offer a free service
Some people like to give a service a test run before they commit to using them permanently. You could offer to give an introductory service to your client to show them what the benefits would be if they went into business with you.
By following these three steps you will be well on your way in marketing your business for free.
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