People tend to think that if the money comes first, they’ll all of a sudden stop procrastinating and start taking action. In reality, many successful entrepreneurs, I’m talking 7 figure earners and up, started their businesses with no money.
They bootstrapped their businesses until they started seeing their profits grow. Just to be clear, as I’ve said before, what you don’t invest in money, you’ll have to invest in time, but using the lack of money as an excuse for why you can’t start some type of business, doesn’t really fly these days.
I could go into a whole spill about that, but I won’t. The point of this article is to help you in case you need to start your business without much of a cash investment upfront.
In the How to Start Your Online Business with Virtually No Money episode of my podcast, I talked about how you can start your business with little to no upfront investment, but today I want to talk to you about marketing with no money. So I’m going to share with you, 7 ways you can market your product or service for free.
1. Social Media
Social media has become an absolute must as a part of any company’s marketing plan. It’s free, it’s where the majority of adults in this country spend their time, and it gives you the opportunity to interact DIRECTLY with your audience. Really, there isn’t anything else like it, in terms of speaking directly to your customers and creating a strong bond with them. Wherever your customers are on social media is exactly where you need to be.
2. Forums & Message Boards
Forums and message boards may seem like they’re from the dinosaur age, but they are still poppin like hot fish grease. The most famous of “message boards” or discussion sites at the moment has to be Reddit. In fact, Reddit is one of the most popular sites — in general — on the interwebs, ranking in at the number 5 most visited website in the world. If your customers are on Reddit, then you know what you gotta do. Get your ass on Reddit too!
3. Networking
Tried and true, networking — or getting out and meeting people — is a great way to market your business. If your business is B2B or you provide a service to professionals, going to networking events is a great way to pick up new clients. And you don’t have to limit yourself to only networking events to actually network. Whenever you get the opportunity, you should be telling people about your business. Even if they can’t use your product or service, they may know someone else who can.
4. Word of Mouth
That brings me to word of mouth. Word of mouth is one of the absolute best forms of free marketing. Why? Think about this. If you were shopping for a new cell phone and your best friend told you about the great deal and excellent customer service they got at the new cell phone shop in the mall, would you go check them out? Word of mouth works so great because people trust recommendations from friends and family. And sometimes even total strangers!
5. Freebies
Giving something, that costs you nothing, away for free is another great way to market your business. If you have a website, this should be easy. You can create a training video or a downloadable eBook and give it away. Don’t let the word eBook intimidate you either. It doesn’t have to be Shakespearean. Even a checklist that helps your ideal customer solve part of their problem would be a great freebie to give away. Get creative and start giving stuff away!
6. Write a Blog
Writing a blog is a lot easier than you may think. The great thing about a blog is that you can really educate readers and potential customers about your business. You can easily set up a free blog — just do a quick Google search for free blogging platforms (Medium.com is one…hint, hint). You can then choose to write a blog post daily, weekly or whatever your schedule permits. Just don’t neglect your blog. Once you have readers, they’ll want to hear from you regularly.
7. Host a Podcast
You probably already know how I feel about you starting your very own podcast. I think if you have half the chops to do it, you should do it. With my podcast, Master Your Mission, I’m able to speak directly to my customers every day. I can tell them whatever it is that I need to tell them, and it has helped me to establish myself as an expert in my field. My podcast has listeners all over the world, and although I pay for my hosting, I only do because I need the storage. You can very easily sign up for a free plan with a podcast host and record your podcast without ever spending a dime.