Your firm requires consumers if it is to thrive and expand. You must advertise your business if you want to attract clients. In the good old days, the choice would be between a flyer, a brochure, a postcard, or an advertisement in the neighborhood paper.

But the options are unlimited in today’s digital environment (read: overwhelming).

As a result, you are (a) not alone and (b) at the ideal spot if you’re having trouble deciding how to advertise your company or even simply what your options are.

I’m going to go through the 30 best ways to advertise your company in this post, whether you have a big budget, a little budget, or some extra cash. We’ll discuss how to spread the word about:

• Search engines (namely, Google Search and Maps).
• Social media channels (including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, and Pinterest).
• Online directory listings (there’s more to them than you may think!)
• Your local community (events, sponsorships, and press).

To stand out from your rivals and reach your clients, you must market your business. Let’s start with the most popular platform: Google.

Best Ways to Promote Your Business On Google

It makes perfect sense to market your company via Google. With more than 90% of the market share, it’s one of the finest methods to reach customers who are looking for answers right now. The following are the most effective methods for promoting yourself on Google:

Create and verify your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile (Google’s word for your Google listing) is what enables your company to appear in Google Maps results, the local portion of Google Search results, as well as the right-side Knowledge Panel in Search results when someone types in your business name and location.

This free listing has to take precedence since Google is getting better and better at tailoring its results to the searcher’s location.

Verifying ownership of your listing using your free Google My Business account is essential if you want to effectively market your company utilizing your business profile.

Once you take ownership, you may improve your listing’s visibility so that it appears higher in search results and for more pertinent queries.

Your business is essentially marketing itself 24/7 if you rank on Google Maps or appear in the Local Pack (as seen above) on normal results pages.

Even better, you may post straight to your Google listing, displaying appealing promos to your audience when they are most receptive to them.

Visit 13 Google My Business Optimizations for a closer look at this incredibly cost-effective way of business promotion.

Get a Website

No matter how out-of-date your customers or business may be, a website is a need for marketing collateral. Customers both existing and potential visit your website first.

They will want to visit your website even if they find you on social media or Google since, like your Google listing, it works round-the-clock to advertise your company.

In addition to acting as a promotional tool in and of itself by providing contact information, telling the story of your company and what it offers, and reflecting your brand’s personality and distinctive qualities, a strong business website is crucial for assessing and enhancing the effectiveness of your other promotional strategies.

For instance, landing pages that are part of your website are necessary when you run advertisements. You should connect to your website when you provide useful content on social media.

You can use analytics to determine which tactics are most effective and gain priceless information about your audience because all of your marketing channels are directing traffic to your website.

Although there are totally free ways to set up a website for your company, if you are serious about marketing your business, you almost certainly need to migrate to some type of a paid website. Growth requires having your own domain name, a polished appearance, and the flexibility to scale and add features as necessary.

Implement Search Engine Optimization

You promoting your company is one thing, but Google promoting your company is quite another. A collection of procedures known as SEO helps your company comply with Google’s ranking formula.

The truth is that optimizing for search engines is actually simply optimizing for searchers, especially those looking for what you have to offer because this algorithm has developed to employ machine learning and user behavior to create the most accurate and high-quality results for searchers.

SEO is a broad category of strategies that all work together to raise your ranking.

Additionally, you have the same possibility of appearing on Google’s first page as major merchants do because to its excellent location-based results—and all without investing a dollar! (With the obvious exception of the price of acquiring a website.)

SEO tactics to promote your business include:

• Adding relevant (industry- and location-based) keywords to specific places on your website.
• Producing original, high-quality content regularly, with tagged images.
• Maintaining high page load speeds and security.

When your company appears higher in search results, Google is essentially advertising your company on your behalf—and not just to anybody, but to those who are specifically looking for what you have to offer. There are few things better than that.

Create a Business Blog

We briefly touched on this in the preceding marketing plan, but the content is such a crucial SEO driver that it merits its own category. For companies, a blog is not LiveJournal.

A successful company blog is one that delivers instructional material in your brand voice around queries and phrases your target clients are searching for on Google. You may certainly write some pieces about milestones and events.

• How-tos and instructional posts
• Lists of strategies and resources (top 10, 5 best, 3 crucial, etc.)
• Q&A or interview writeup with an industry expert
• Thought leadership posts
• Example/template posts
• Guest posts
• Customer testimonials or case studies
• Seasonal posts (such as this one)

Share your Content

A blog is the ideal marketing tool for a business since it demonstrates your knowledge, approachability, and genuine desire to assist your audience.

So instead of just posting them, advertise them! You may share them on social media, through email newsletters, or even create downloadable guides to aid with lead generation.

Even better, if you create material with shareability in mind, other reputable websites will probably take note of your blog entries and mention and link back to your site on their websites or social media feeds, marketing your business for you.

Just keep in mind that it is crucial to ensure your content loads swiftly the more visitors you have to your website. For websites that are huge and/or expanding, a CDN may guarantee that your content is delivered swiftly. There are several choices available.

Run Google Ads

Although SEO is one of the finest marketing techniques, it is a long-term plan and benefits may not be seen for weeks or even months. If you have the money and want quick visibility, use Google Ads.

Above organic and local rankings at the top of search engine results pages are Google Ads. And among the search engines accessible, Google is by far the most well-liked due to its high degree of flexibility, ad-creating options, and specific performance measures, in addition to the fact that it accounts for the lion’s share of search engine traffic.

An optimized campaign is definitely worth the cost, even though understanding Google Ads takes some time and plenty of trial and error.

On Google, you may advertise using branded banner advertising on the Display Network or text advertisements on the Search Network. If you’re prepared to get started, refer to our detailed guide on how to manage Google Ads.

Best Ways to Promote Your Business Using Online Directories

Customers frequently use internet directories to find and evaluate companies that meet their unique demands.

It’s not unusual for your profile page or your company name to appear on the first page of Google through one of these domains because they tend to be popular, established websites with high domain authority.

Online listings are quick to produce and may help you improve your online presence by showcasing your company to high-intent local clients.

Create listings on the Major Directories

Lesser directory sites draw their information from bigger ones, so if you create listings on the main sites, you’ll probably start appearing on smaller directories as well. The key directories to start with are listed below. All of them offer free basic services, but there are frequently premium choices as well.

• Google
• Yelp
• Facebook
• Applicable niche directories like TripAdvisor, Angie’s List, etc.
• Better Business Bureau
• Glassdoor
• Foursquare (Even though it’s dead as a social platform, its data is used by thousands of platforms.)
• Yellow/White Pages
• Bing

Optimize your Listings

Making a listing is one thing; optimizing it is quite another. You may increase the appeal of your company and outrank rivals in searches by filling out every section in your profiles, uploading images, and gathering reviews. Additionally, it’s crucial to check that the information on your website and all of your listings are accurate and consistent.

The Goog may question your credibility if there are any inconsistencies. Finally, because listings are auto-populated, make sure you keep an eye on them and correct any mistakes. Use the same page I linked to above for further suggestions on how to improve your listings (although I’ll link to it here just for kicks).

Get online Customer Reviews

Although we just started gathering reviews, they merit their own section due to how crucial they are for small and local businesses.

One of the most effective ways to market your company to the appropriate people is through word of mouth.

Reviews on reputable websites like Google, Facebook, and Yelp are superior than testimonials on your own website.

Because these websites contain safeguards against fraudulent or spam reviews, consumers are more likely to believe the reviews posted here than on any other website.

These websites can boost your exposure. Reviews are also a significant ranking element for local search results. Check out these posts to learn more about reviews:

Monitor and Respond to Reviews

Anyone can add a listing to many web directories, so even if you didn’t advertise your business, it could still be there, gathering ratings.

Wherever you can, make sure to claim your listings, and keep an eye on these websites periodically. You may react to reviews in this manner, which is yet another excellent method of promoting your company.

Bad reviews may not only be addressed (and sometimes even reversed), but your brand’s values can also be revealed by the way you respond to both good and negative reviews, giving prospective clients a sense of what it’s like to do business with you.

How to Promote Your Business on Social Media

Another cost-free option to promote your small business is via social media. The most widely used social media platforms for businesses include Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. However, you should also think about using other platforms that may be more relevant to your industry, such as Pinterest or Reddit.

Prioritize Facebook

The biggest social network on the internet, Facebook, may be a terrific method to connect with current consumers and attract new ones. Depending on your sector, there are many different ways to advertise your company on Facebook. However, here are some fundamentals:

• Create a Facebook business page with your contact information and a CTA.
• Use Facebook events to promote and maximize attendance to your events.
• Run Facebook live sessions, tutorials, or behind-the-scenes sneak, peeks.

Remember to use Facebook advertisements as well!

Because you can target based on user profile data like marital status, employment, interests, and more, Facebook advertising enables you to reach very targeted audiences. Check out our article on The 8 Best (and Free!) Facebook Ads to get started with or even enhance your Facebook advertising.

Connect and contribute on LinkedIn

LinkedIn has evolved into more than simply a place to submit your online résumé; you can now participate in group conversations, connect with clients, create new collaborations, or just conduct general online networking on the platform.

Before doing business with you, prospective clients can research you or your firm to learn how many employees you have and more about the qualifications of the staff.

By contributing opinions to group conversations and/or sharing links to pertinent information on your website, you may also indirectly advertise your company on LinkedIn.

Just be careful not to constantly promote your own material.

Upload videos to YouTube

You can advertise your company for free on YouTube by using video marketing! Using YouTube to promote your business is a powerful tool for connecting with potential consumers and prospects. Making a brief overview video of your company and submitting it on YouTube provides you a fantastic sales tool that you can share with potential customers through email or display on the homepage of your website.

In order to be found by individuals seeking for what your business offers, you may also add instructional films, tutorials, or how-tos on your YouTube channel. Check out our page on DIY at-home films to see some of the many economical solutions available for generating videos.

Advertise on YouTube

If done correctly, YouTube advertising can be an investment that pays off, just like the other paid techniques mentioned in this post. You can use text ads that show up in search results or video ads that play before videos in relevant categories to advertise on YouTube.

Engage your audience on Instagram

Instagram is currently the third most popular social networking site, despite being one of the more recent additions. Instagram offers a range of publishing options (permanent photographs, fleeting Stories, IGTV series, live sessions, Story Highlights, and more), so you can utilize it in a number of different ways to engage your audience and market your company. One can:

• Promote your sales and deals with hashtags to expand your reach.
• Run contests with a free or discounted product/service to generate positive buzz (and obtain a list of leads to reach out to).
• Offer advice and tutorials to stand out as a go-to resource.

Share on Twitter

Another free option for internet company promotion is Twitter, particularly if your target market is between the ages of 18 and 24. Building an audience usually takes a little more work, but if you stay active on a regular basis, you may grasp the platform and benefit from its features.

Give Pinterest a Shot

While sharing photographs is at the heart of Pinterest, the ability for your images to connect back to your website offers a chance to advertise your brand and increase traffic to your website.

Pinterest is particularly effective for e-commerce companies trying to attract female customers (Pinterest users are heavily skewed towards the female demographic). If this describes your profile, you might want to consider being involved in the Pinterest community.

Utilize TikTok

Even though TikTok was only introduced in 2016, it now has more active users than Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and Pinterest combined. It’s a fantastic video marketing tool for everyone, not just millennials, thanks to how simple it is to generate engaging films with special effects.

You can immediately start posting how-to, tutorial, or behind-the-scenes videos on the platform, but you might wish to advertise your new Tik Tok channel on other platforms.

Join online communities

Giving people a hand up is one of the finest ways to advance. Join networks and groups on LinkedIn, Reddit, and Facebook that are pertinent to your company or sector, and provide individuals helpful tips and recommendations when they have issues or queries. (Of course, make sure the information on your own profile links back to your company.)

This is a fantastic method to establish a sincere reputation and solid relationships with people that are important to your line of work.

In most cases, what goes around, comes around. And keep in mind that while you are assisting one person with their inquiry, a thousand quiet others are watching you and will see your name and what you are doing.

Try an Influencer Marketing Collaboration

Influencers are well-known figures in your area that may be a member of networks that are both geographically and niche-focused for your brand.

They don’t walk the red carpet or host their own talk shows, but they are highly esteemed, enormously well-liked, and completely dependable authorities in your field. Influencers have a sizable social media and/or blog following, so having your company recognized or highlighted by one of them can expose it to a wide range of interested customers.

However, using influencers strategically is important. Before contacting an influencer, spend some time getting to know their accounts on all social media platforms; comment on, like, and share their material; and make sure you have a clear request and something of comparable worth to offer in return.

For instance, you might give them a free month of courses in return for a blog review and social media mentions.

Alternatively, you might offer to produce a valuable guest article for their blog that will benefit their readers and include a link to your website.

Invest in Social Media Advertising

One of the most innovative, widely used, and successful types of digital advertising today is social media advertising.

It is used by more than 3.6 BILLION people and is always being improved to provide excellent usability and value for your advertising spend. Paid social advertising effectively exposes your company to a niche market and offers the following benefits:

• Familiarity: Meet people on the channels they use most.
• Cost-effectiveness: Advanced targeting ensures your ads are shown to only the most relevant audience.
• Supporting content: Your organic posts serve to support your sponsored posts.
• Brand loyalty: Attracting more followers to your accounts helps to build community and loyalty around your business.
• Analytics: Know what’s working so you can allot your budget accordingly.

Conclusion

No of your budget, there are several methods for marketing your business. The techniques in this post will pay off if you put them into practice, especially if you keep your plan under constant evaluation and revision.

This article covers a lot, so let’s review how to market and advance your company: