15 Best Free Advertising Sites for Business Owners & Marketers

 

Whether your business is new or well-established, large or small, you need advertising.

But that doesn’t mean you need a Super Bowl-sized budget to get the word out. There are plenty of free advertising ideas that work for companies of all sizes and are especially useful if you’re starting a new business.

Just look at brands like Rolls-Royce, Kiehls, or Huy Fong Foods (the makers of Sriracha) — all brands that don’t bother with paid advertising. Instead, they use free tactics like social media and word-of-mouth campaigns to raise brand awareness

And you can too.

But first, make a free advertising video with Biteable

Speaking of free…Biteable offers a free, 7-day trial of its easy-to-use video maker. It’s the best-kept secret in the advertising biz.

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Making an advertising video is a powerful way to reach people with an engaging and relevant message. And with Biteable’s editable video templates and brandable scenes, you can make your first ad in a matter of minutes.

The best free ad ideas

To get you started, we rounded up 40 of the best free advertising ideas for businesses — many of which you should be taking advantage of even if you do have a big advertising budget.

1. Claim any existing profiles or listings

There are hundreds of online directories, lists, and review sites out there. Make sure you’ve claimed your business’s listing on sites like Yelp and ensure that any information is up to date.

2. Find other opportunities to get listed

Look for opportunities to list your business on any directories or review sites that you’re not already using. There may be business directories related to your industry or niche, and neighborhood, city, and state listings for local businesses with physical locations.

3. Google your business

Make sure your Google business listing is up to date. This is likely the first thing someone will see when they search for your business, so make sure your profile is fully completed and optimized. Upload some photos (or better yet, videos!) and don’t forget to add your operating hours and contact information.

If you have a local business with a physical bricks-and-mortar location, this is especially important, since it helps ensure your business appears on Google Maps.

4. Join the conversation

Look for discussions and forums related to your business or industry — your customers may even already be discussing your business online!

Remember that you don’t want to just push in with a link and an obvious advertisement. Instead, try to add value by answering questions, sharing your expertise, or, in cases where a customer is unhappy, making a good faith effort to help. Forum threads tend to remain searchable for years, so a single post can generate passive income for a long time.

5. Comment on blogs and articles

Likewise, look for blog posts and articles by thought leaders or businesses that are related to yours, but not direct competitors. Leave thoughtful comments (avoid appearing spammy!) sharing your perspective on the topic.

6. Start blogging

If you’re not already blogging, you should be! Sharing relevant content consistently has a significant impact on where your website appears in search results. The higher up the page you are, the more likely customers are to find you.

Blogging is a tried and true ad idea that helps customers find you through organic search.

7. Host and/or participate in Twitter chats

Twitter chats are an easy way get your name out there. If you don’t have the bandwidth to host your own, there are plenty of opportunities to share your perspective in existing chats. Find chats related to your industry in this list from TweetReports.

8. Start an email newsletter

Email is one of the best advertising tools available. Here’s why: the people on your email list have opted in to receiving advertisements and other messaging from you. They’ve handed over something of value (their email address) in exchange for offers or information from you. Make sure to use it wisely!

9. Speak at an event

Look for opportunities to share your expertise by speaking at a conference or event or participating on a panel. By choosing an event that’s closely aligned with your business or industry, you’re positioning yourself as a thought leader and getting in front of an audience that’s (hopefully) a good fit for your business or product.

Position yourself (and your business) as a thought leader through speaking engagements.

10. Meet the press

You don’t need an expensive PR firm to write and submit press releases to your local or industry news. Write up press releases for your big announcements and use a free submission service to get the word out — check out this list for free distribution services to try.

11. Post on Reddit

There are subreddits for every topic under the sun. The key to posting on Reddit as a business is to avoid being salesy and to be transparent about the fact that you’re representing a business. Make an effort to participate in the community and be genuine and helpful.

12. Offer to guest blog

Look for opportunities to contribute a guest post on sites or blogs related to your industry. This tactic can help drive traffic to your website and build your name as a thought leader in your niche. Check out Kissmetric’s guide for tips on getting started.

13. Repurpose your content

Repurposing existing content is a great way to get more mileage out of content you already have — for free. Whether it’s polishing up an outdated blog post, turning an existing Ebook into an email course, or transforming a listicle into an engaging video, repurposing gives you more opportunities for exposure to whole new audiences.