There are a number of ways to advertise your business for free, especially when you’re just starting out. Here are three simple ways to get 100% FREE advertising:

1. Social Media. It’s still true that the best advertising is word-of-mouth. And social media is a great way to spread the word about your products or services for free — assuming that you’re willing to invest time in doing so. AlaKart Design Co can build social media assets for you, too. Just give us a buzz.

   The key is knowing what works best for each platform and then tailoring your posts accordingly. For example, Instagram works best when showing off beautiful images (that can include people using your product or service), while Facebook works best with funny memes or videos — plus photos of people using your product or service when appropriate. Research each platform and you’ll soon become an expert in marketing yourself and/or your business. (keep in mind there are paid ads you can utilize on social media, too.)

2. Local Businesses. Another easy way is to visit your local businesses (coffee shops, cafes, etc.) to see if you can put up fliers, business cards, or brochures on their bulletin boards. Now this idea may seem a little old school, but rest assured, locals love to look for other local businesses to work with when they can find them. When you advertise within your local community you introduce yourself in a way that validates your presence in the area without feeling bothersome like cold-calling or stopping by local businesses. We like to call this type of free advertising the ‘gentle nudge’ advertising.
3. Word-of-Mouth. If you can take advantage of any type of free advertising, let it be word-of-mouth. Encourage those that have used your products or services to post reviews about you on Google, Yelp, and social media. 72% of consumers will hire you based off of good reviews over your competition and that’s powerful free advertising. People love to talk right? So if someone likes your product or service, they will tell others about it naturally without even thinking about it as an advertisement. Word-of-mouth is one of the best ways to market your business because people tend to trust each other more than they trust advertisements or content coming from a company trying to make money off them.

There are honestly so many ways to advertise your business for free, however, these are three ways that we’ve personally found very helpful with our business.