Promoting your business effectively can be expensive but you can get started from where you are and use what you already have at your disposal.

So in this post, I will share some small business free advertising ideas you can deploy that won’t cost you money.

So the first on my list is…

1. Whatsapp Broadcast Lists

If you are not active on Whatsapp, now is a good time to start being active. Do you know that apart from Facebook, people spend more time on Whatsapp? Not tapping into this huge market is like leaving money on the table.

…so back to business.

Whatsapp Broadcast list feature allows you to add your Whatsapp contacts to a list and send them marketing messages all at once in just one click.

Please note that I didn’t say Whatsapp group; use Whatsapp Broadcast list instead. Using Whatsapp Broadcast list instead of groups makes your messaging personal and free of distraction as opposed to when you add people into a group and post your messages there.

Also, using the group option instead of the broadcast list feature exposes you to the risk of other group members hijacking the conversation and posting irrelevant content which will defeat the aim you created the group for. So don’t go for groups, use the broadcast list option.

2. Your Facebook Profile

With a friend request limit of 5000 people and an unlimited number of people who can follow you, you should be maximizing your facebook account to position yourself as a professional in your industry…this also goes for other social media platforms.

Also counting on the new algorithm facebook just rolled out giving preference for person to person interaction, it means more people will see your posts on your timeline than when you post it from your brand’s page which of course will require advertising for you to have more of your fans see your content.

So even if you have a brand page, it is a good practice to always post regularly from your facebook profile as people feel more comfortable buying from brands with a human face.

3. Advertise Your Service On Classified Ads Sites

Classified ad sites allow you to post your adverts in the right category of the site; making it easy for the site visitors to see your ads.

Examples of free classified ad sites are www.adcenta.com(highly recommended), www.jiji.ng, locanto.com.ng and a whole lot more.

Placing your ads on most classified sites is free and creates the opportunity to have your business displayed in the results when people search for keywords related to the products or service you have listed. A final note on posting on classified sites is that it doesn’t require rocket science to put up your listing; it’s quite easy to do.

4. Post In Online Forums

Online Forums are another great place to talk about what you do. For forums that support signatures, you should carefully craft your writeup that will consistently show on every post you make in the forum. One of such forums is www.nairaland.com 

The key here is to contribute positively to the community; that way, you will stand out as someone worth listening to.

5. Partner With Complementary Services

Just like Ebuka shared in his post – Partnerships – Marketing Lessons From Street Hawkers And Chefs, collaborating with services that are complementary (not competitive) is a great way to promote your business for free. As you already might know, complementary partnerships can be done both online and offline; don’t limit yourself in any way.

Life was not designed to be lived in isolation; so always be on the lookout for complementary partnerships and collaborations you can engage in that will help your business move forward. Join professional groups related to your business and always be in the know of what is going on in your industry.

Partnering with a complementary business allows you both to access your customer-base without having a conflict of interest. In fact, introducing complementary services to your clients will prove to them that you care deeply about their welfare and shows your confidence that you are not afraid to lose them to another service provider.

So there you have it; these are some ways how to advertise online for free. Do you know of any other way one can advertise his/her business for free? Be kind to share it in the comment section below and I might just as well update this list with your contribution.

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