28 Free Internet Marketing Techniques for Your Small Business

Big companies could simply hire SEM and SEO experts, social media specialists, and other professional Internet marketers to promote their business online and reach their target market. But for small businesses that lack financial marketing budget, they have to rely on spending their precious time and utilizing their own talent to do online marketing. If you own a small business, and you want to promote your business to the online audience without spending money, you can try the following 28 free Internet marketing techniques for your small business.

1. Build a blog within your website and publish useful and interesting blog posts for your target audience. If you already have a hosted company website, you can install WordPress for your blog on that host without buying another hosting account.

2. Submit your website or blog to Google Webmaster Tool and Google Analytics to analyze how you can grow your search traffic. Use geo-targeting when necessary.

3. Place an email subscription widget on your website and blog, and invite your visitors to subscribe their email to receive your updates. You can use your list of clients’ emails to send important messages about your business.

4. Create a Facebook Page and promote your small business on Facebook.

5. Analyze your Facebook Page insights to get more clues on how to increase your Facebook Business Page likes and reach.

6. Create a Facebook group which discusses topics that are relevant to your business.

7. Use Facebook events to invite current and potential customers to your business events.

8. Create a Twitter account and promote your small business on Twitter through tweets.

9. Create a YouTube Channel and upload interesting videos with credits to your business.

10. Build a Google+ page for your business and promote your business on Google+.

11. Create a Pinterest account and promote your business and products to Pinterest users.

12. Promote your small business on Linkedin.

13. Add your business on Google Place and Google Map.

14. Add your physical business location and promote it on Foursquare.

15. Use free social media tools online, like Topsy.com and Google Analytics (social media metrics) to analyze and monitor your social media signals and metrics.

16. Create useful and informational presentations, and share them on Slideshare.net with credits to your business or brand.

17. Make useful documents and share them on Scribd.com and Google Docs with credits to your business.

18. Write an educational eBook related to your business with credits to your company or business, and make it downloadable for free to the public.

19. Be a contributor or write guest posts for other blogs that are relevant to your business, and place your website or business on your author bio.

20. Make engaging comments on others relevant blogs using your real name and business website.

21. Join online contests where winners or participants receive Internet exposure.

22. Nominate your business or website on Internet-published awards.

23. Join online forums and communities, help other members, and promote your business there in accordance with the forum rules and regulations.

24. Attend free blogging and social media events, and exchange business cards with other participants.

25. Be a resource speaker on blogging and social media events.

26. Be available online (e.g. through your Facebook page, Twitter or Google+ hangout) for free consultation.

27. Encourage word-of-mouth marketing by ensuring quality on your product and by ensuring to wow your customers.

28. Read free Internet marketing resources (SEO blogs, social media marketing blogs, etc.) to continue learning and making yourself a better Internet marketer.

Conclusion

The online world is fast revolving. The effective online marketing techniques today could become obsolete anytime in the future. Search engines are constantly updating their algorithms and new social media websites are emerging. Thus, you have to consistently find ways and solutions on how to reach your target online market to grow your business. Furthermore, you have to remember that online marketing techniques will not suffice alone – you have to support them with long-term Internet marketing strategies and short-term tactics to be more effective and efficient.