The Free Marketing Most Business Owners Are Still Ignoring

Let’s be real, most business owners are overwhelmed. They are running operations, managing staff, handling customers, and trying to keep revenue steady. Because of that, marketing can easily become an afterthought. 

A lot of people have the idea that you can only market for your business if you have a huge budget, but that’s not the case, there is free marketing. Not every business needs a huge rebrand, campaign, or paid ads to get their name out there. For most local businesses nowadays, what is the first thing people see of yours? Your Google profile! Sometimes, you don’t even need to familiarize yourself with anything new to get started. Why not start where people are already looking?

Now let me ask you, are you positive that your Google Business Profile is optimized and performing to the best of its ability? Did you even know about it? Although it seems basic, if it isn’t set up correctly, you could be missing out on customers. All it takes is a little bit of time and intentionality; Make sure all your images are high quality, make sure all your amenities and accessibility features are listed, verify your hours are correct on holidays, stay consistent on your Google postings. This is just a fraction of some of the things that can directly benefit your business.

Keeping your presence fresh and present doesn’t just apply to Google. There are many other things between all you're platforms and outlets that you can be doing for free. Every business owner should know what consumers in their industry are looking for, they should know what's popular, what’s being searched for. If you don’t, that research is very important! All these keywords being tied into your website, social media, and Google profile all propel further visibility at no cost. 

Social media is a prime example of this. A large percentage of business owners think they don't have time to run a robust social media, and they don’t have the budget to hire someone else to do it. Let me be the one to tell you, a little effort can go a long way with social media. Most times, you don’t even need to stop what you’re doing. People want to see personality, they want to see humanism. They want to see what is going on behind the scenes, so show them. Post a few quick stories as you're unloading coffee beans, or taking a new shipment of fish, maybe as you're pouring a drink for your favorite customer. Make a post about a cool milestone, a new menu item or product. These are things that can grow and maintain your social presence without spending any extra time, or money on it. 

I know that having consistency can be easier said than done, and, as a fellow business owner myself, I know how hectic life can get. It’s important to slow down and make sure the basics are taken care of. Think of it as refiling your gas every time you make a social media post, and it may not seem so hard. If you ever want to chat some more about this stuff or learn some more tips, please feel free to reach out to our team.