A proper marketing strategy is very important for a small business. This is especially true when it comes to local marketing ideas. However, what if you have very little money to spend on local business marketing strategies? Let’s take a look at some free local marketing ideas you need to try.
There are so many different types of marketing strategies for businesses these days that sometimes it can be difficult to know where to start. And while many of them are excellent, most of those are not cheap. Add to that the fact that you are trying to find marketing methods that are free, and things can get tough fast.
Free Local Marketing Ideas You Need to Try
When you think of how to market your business online you think of things like customer retention strategies and other ways to grab the attention of potential clients. You have to put those same thoughts into place when you are coming up with local marketing ideas for a small business.
Grabbing a foothold with your local client base should probably be first and foremost on your list. This is because if you can gain traction and popularity with local customers, chances are that word of mouth will help you nationally. So, to help you along here are 16 free local marketing ideas that you need to try.
1. Google My Business
A Google My Business listing has become one of the best and most important free local marketing strategies available. While there are plenty of free local business marketing strategies you can do, the sheer reach that Google has is hard to pass up.
This free listing will allow your business to show up on Google Maps, the local section of Google Search, and the side Knowledge panel of Google Search. Be sure to fill your profile out completely and perform proper SEO tactics for it as well.
2. Content Marketing
If you take away anything from this article, remember this; content is king. Actually, good content is king, so keep that in mind. Not only that, but you can create effective content for free.
Good content includes blogging and having a solid about us, services, and products page written on your website. Get all this in place and help drive traffic to your business.
Make sure to tailor your content enough for the local area. This way, it is relevant for nearby shoppers as well as those abroad.
3. Video Marketing
It is estimated that by the year 2021 that video content will account for 82% of all Internet traffic . So video marketing is definitely something you want to cover.
Part of learning how to market your business online is knowing what tools to use and when to use them. As long as you have an effective video marketing strategy in place, reaching your local clients can be done for free.
Thanks to platforms like Facebook and YouTube, you can easily target consumers in your specific area.
4. Develop a solid customer referral program
Nielsen, the stats and ratings service, tell us that roughly 92% of consumers believe recommendations from friends and family are more important than other forms of advertising. So when you are thinking of free local marketing ideas, make sure that building a solid referral program is on your list of things to do.
You can use a customer referral program as part of your local business marketing strategy. Though you might need to give a free sample or hold a free course, the overall cost of actually building the program can be done for nothing.
5. Sell themed gift cards
Gift cards improve cash flow. You get the money upfront without immediately needing to fork out fees to produce or ship the product to a customer.
Offer them through your online store and prioritize marketing them in peak gift-giving seasons, such as:
- Mother’s or Father’s Day
- Black Friday and Cyber Monday
- Christmas
Starbucks, for example, sells gift cards year-round. But the retailer keeps an ear to the ground and creates customized gift card designs based on trending topics. Lyrics from Taylor Swift’s new song appeared on a Starbucks gift card just four days after it was released.
6. Build an email list
You should be building an email list no matter what type of marketing you are using to promote your business. Getting clients and potential clients on a business email list is a sure-fire way for you to be able to keep in touch and make them aware of everything you are doing.
There are a lot of really excellent email services available for you to use as part of how to market the business online. Try some of these out and begin to build an email list that can benefit your small business down the road.
7. Attend local events
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking all of your marketing tactics need to be online. Granted, building an online presence is crucial. But get away from the computer and meet potential customers in the flesh by attending local offline events, such as:
- Craft fairs
- Sunday markets
- Networking events
Check with your local council, many of which have a list of events to support small businesses in the area. Sites like Meetup and Eventbrite also round up business events in your local city.
Can’t find any? Host your own. Find a free space to host an event (like the public library), bring your inventory along, and hand out flyers to build brand awareness. Just remember to take your business card. Anyone interested in your products but not ready to buy can have information to visit your website later.
8. Social Media Marketing and Promotion
Managing social media marketing properly will give you a direct outlet to potential local clients. When you are thinking of good ways to market your business online for free, social media marketing should definitely be a part of your list.
Of course, you can run ads on all of the most popular social media platforms. But you can also market to local customers for free.
Just create posts and content from your business pages on social media and blast them on sites like Facebook and Twitter. Share and have others share the content.
Facebook is particularly excellent at reaching a very targeted, local market.
9. Industry Partnerships
One of the key benefits of developing industry partnerships is that you will be able to double your marketing efforts without extra work. You will also gain access to extra resources such as tools, technologies and a broader audience.
An industry partnership allows both businesses to grow in a way that they could not accomplish alone. Of course, you have to have a solid and trusting relationship with the partners. However, doing so allows you to grow even faster.
Peer-to-peer business relationships are very valuable.
10. Host an event or class
As far as local marketing ideas go, you will be hard-pressed to find a better one than hosting an event or a class. Hosting a class and letting potential clients know what you are all about and what you offer is a great idea. Plus, the only thing you are really giving is your time.
There are a few ways to target your local market better than having people come directly to you and talking to them. Setup a free class and teach people something that is related to your business.
For example, a computer repair shop could hold classes showing novice users how to care for their machines.
11. Host a webinar
You could also choose to host a webinar as part of your list of how to market your business online. Webinars are even easier to put together than classes or events.
All you need is some webinar software and the ability to get the word out to your community. You can make a presentation, answer questions and pitch services.
Use the platform to connect locally and watch the business flow in.
12. Jump on trending topics
Social media is fueled by trends. Think about it: TikTok is credited for making songs go viral; artists see record-breaking streams when a dancing trend emerges. Everyone posts videos of themselves dancing to the same song.
How do you uncover trending topics before your small business’ social media content gets lumped in with the others jumping on trends? Spot them before the crowd does by:
- Asking your customers
- Reading discussions happening in forums
- Running a competitive analysis
- Celebrating annual events
Partake Foods, for example, posted this tweet that replicated Spotify Unwrapped—the music platform’s annual round-up of music a user listened to throughout the year. Only in this case, Partake Foods switched most-listened-to music out in favor of top products:
13. Partner with other small businesses
Here’s a great marketing idea if you’re working with zero budget: collaborate with other small businesses whose target market overlaps with yours (provided the products you sell don’t compete against theirs).
Let’s say you had an online store selling handmade crockery. Partner with another small business owner that sold handmade vases and lean on each other’s audience and run a co-marketing campaign, such as:
- Co-hosting a webinar
- Giving discounts to each other’s email list
- Shouting each other out on social media
- Becoming a guest on each other’s podcasts
- Going halves on fees to host a pop-up shop
The beauty of co-marketing is not only that you support fellow small business owners, but you get to tap into an existing audience for free, unlike the influencer marketing route—many of whom charge to publish sponsored posts.
14. Give quirky product recommendations
Shoppers have various things running through their mind when they’re visiting a new ecommerce store. At the forefront are questions like: How do I know this is the right product for me?
Take the pain out of comparing new products with quirky recommendations. These don’t require hours of time to go into product development. Just go beyond “you viewed this, so you might be interested in this” categories that grab people’s attention.
Digital consultant Kayleigh Töyrä recommends product recommendation lists for:
- People who already have everything
- Gifts you may keep for yourself instead
- Things you don’t need, but may want
Kayleigh adds that with clever copy to increase sales, new businesses can “up- and cross-sell in a more fun way.”
15. Create graphics and infographics in-house
There are some very obvious reasons why having a professional graphic designer is very beneficial for your business. However, you can also create graphics and infographics in-house using a number of free design tools .
Using these tools to create and design for free gives you the upper hand when it comes to free local marketing ideas and how to put them in motion. Once you get to a more ideal situation in your marketing efforts, you can hire a professional designer or design team.
But in the beginning, a lot of design and graphic work can be done for free.
16. Create a referral program
Granted, the goal of marketing is to drive more revenue. But that revenue doesn’t always come from new customers. Many ecommerce business owners forget about one marketing strategy with a low barrier to entry and high success rate: word-of-mouth marketing.
- “Getting customers to refer other customers is a great way to get more out of your marketing dollars. You can make this easier by using an app like Smile to incentivize customers to refer their friends to buy from you.” —Jason Wong, founder of Doe Lashes
A customer loyalty program encourages your existing customer base to recommend your products to their family and friends. Incentives can be:
- Discount codes
- Priority access to new products
- Points to redeem on future orders
Use Shopify Apps like Referral Candy or LoyaltyLion to power the program for you. From there, the only investment you’ll make is a small incentive for people to join through your referral program. Choose rewards like priority access to make it even cheaper.
Final Thoughts
Marketing your brand the right way is of utmost importance in the online world we live in. Make sure you are backed by a hosting platform that provides you everything you need to be successful online as well.
Local marketing ideas will come and go. No matter which ideas you choose to run with, make sure you are reaching out to the local community first. The expansion will come from there.
