This article highlights more organic Online Marketing Strategies that Require No Money. There are so many things that you can do yourself, before shelling out money, if you are willing to put in the required time and then stay on top of the various avenues for marketing. Once you get in the groove, things fall into place and become a way of life as you train yourself to recognize a useful resource when you see it and build up your marketing tools and strategies to suit your needs. There might still be some things for which you may have to call a professional, but you will be impressed with all that you can do before that day.
Many of the tried-and-true free methods and platforms are still vital tools and can contribute to a well-rounded marketing campaign, however, keeping up with trends has proven to be a valuable step in the ever-evolving world of online marketing. For instance, world situations, supply chain issues, and inflation have affected online marketing and so many industries and fields, requiring companies of all sizes to up their online presence and interaction. Online marketing has become more important than ever in the last couple of years, as shopping and work patterns shifted from in-person to remote access via computers. The field of online marketing and communication reflected the shift with new levels of activity sophistication and interactivity.
Setting up a system to manage your resources can be invaluable on many levels. As mentioned in earlier articles, Excel spreadsheets for links, quotes, resources, admin stuff, notes, contacts, etc. come in handy. A Word document would work as well and either one will be useful when keeping track and monitoring the various social media, as far as scheduling, dates, URLs, passwords, etc. You can get much accomplished using the free resources out there before upgrading to paid services on various social media platforms if you just keep building. The thing to do seems to be to diversify your use of the many free platforms available and cover a wide swash. If you can get your platforms to talk to each other, all the better.
Keep those vital meta descriptions up to date and full of key search words to encompass multiple facets of that which you are presenting. Remember if you are not creating specific meta descriptions through the use of Yoast SEO or the like, make the first 150 characters of each page super effective with the use of key search words and identifiers of who you are, your service, what is going on, etc. as the first line tends to be the focus of search engines more than others.
Employ carefully selected Key Search Words, as they remain at the core of good online marketing strategies and it is worth the effort to discern the best words to attract your target audience and employ the words as an ongoing, evolving resource that reflects changes in technology, projects, trends, jargon, and more. It is always advantageous to keep abreast of industry updates for word and phrase searches, images, and content worth sharing. Just because you are not prepared to buy certain search words for the search engines to find, doesn’t mean you can’t use them.
Give credit where credit is due, plain and simple. Not only does providing citations, images, and author credits keep you out of trouble, but it could also lead to some helpful reciprocal linking and networking and somehow attract search engines. Displaying proper online etiquette also lends credence to you and your media.
Using Contact Forms to capture information is still an old and reliable standby for online marketing. Just don’t abuse the right to privacy, and follow all rules, lest you alienate your potential or standing customer base instead of expanding both. It is recommended to provide an email address as an alternative to the contact form because some don’t care to use it.
Stay on top of the quality, efficiency, and hygiene of your website and other social media platforms by continually monitoring, analyzing, double-checking, editing, updating news and calendars, removing broken links and irrelevant content about past events, etc. Keeping it clean and relevant makes you look more professional as well as ensuring a smooth and interesting experience for users through content monitoring and regular manual upkeep and installing a myriad of performance-driven software to up your game on many levels. You can learn to use the analytical components of online platforms to keep you abreast of what is and is not working through online tutorials. A second monitor will make any tutorial go more smoothly.
Many marketers are using both free and paid platforms to create a more interactive experience for the interested, students, and/or potential clients and clients. As so many are using their mobile phones, take steps to ensure a responsive them is providing optimized performance.
Revisit old blog content by linking to it for one and using it as source material and updating with news on developments, decisions, etc. on more popular offerings. As blogging is still an effective way to attract and engage, always be on the lookout for source material, ideas, and visuals. Word of mouth is still one of the best ways to grow so give them something good to talk about or share.
A system of rewards for joining or sharing information is always an effective way to attract and engage an audience or customer base and create loyalty. Rewards can encompass anything a free sample or product, a download of a PDF full of useful information, an invitation to free tickets for a podcast, tutorial, or demonstration, and so on. People are almost expecting something if they refer you, so be creative and offer something of value and use that has the advantage for you of continuing the marketing stream while portraying you as a credible and interesting source. Partnering with other companies to provide rewards while reciprocally promoting them is a great idea. Partnerships in marketing are standard for many and can prove to be advantageous and only cost the time to set them up and deliver an online product if handled creatively and frugally.
Content marketing platforms are still a viable stream amongst online marketing strategies, as long as they are done well and right. Newsletters often get opened, so don’t disappoint. They are a golden opportunity to share words, images, videos, and links in an aesthetically pleasing, contained format. This continues to be a great vehicle to create a nice strong brand identity and again that precious credibility. The best part is unless you upgrade, many platforms such as Mailchimp and Constant Contact are free to use for the basics levels, before upgrading.
Create great podcasts or short video clips with care. Your audience will most likely choose to not engage with hard-sell content and images, so make it worth their while to give you their time. Take it seriously and put some time, research, and effort into your presentations, whatever they are. It will pay off in the end, with respect and deeper engagements. Don’t be afraid to link outside your platforms. If you are linking to something very useful and important, people will appreciate that and view you as a resource to a greater degree, especially with content marketing. Objective comparisons and recommendations can go a long way in that vein. Credibility is a sought-after commodity in online communications. Create it and own it.
Take great care in providing an intriguing description for all videos and online channels, once again, full of search words. Online Video Channels should be near the top of your list of free online marketing strategies whether you have your own videos to share or not. If you have no content, you can still upload relevant and interesting videos made by others, to take advantage of the search engines finding the intriguing description of your online channel by loading it with key search words and enticing phrases.
Often just having an event pays off by being able to talk about it online, promote it in print, show pictures after the event, etc. Work it! Don’t be shy about self-promotion and be creative about announcing deals, activities, events, etc., just do it with integrity and ingenuity.
Maybe rethink the cookie thing, if you are involved in any way regarding asking people to accept cookies. Many people view them as an invasion of privacy and a risk to their security and choose to immediately opt out of the website or other platforms, frankly thinking less of the company for denying them the privilege of viewing their site unless they succumb and accept the cookies and wondering what they are up to beyond the obvious. Some just keep the box or bar asking one to accept cookies there and you can at least use the site while scrolling past it. Either way, online businesses have to realize that although they have advantages, cookies are also quite off-putting and can cost them much attention and business.
Online tutorials for online marketing are an excellent investment of your time and energy and could pay off handsomely, so arm yourself with practical knowledge before relying on a paid professional or program, or do what you can before turning to professional help. Once again, monitor trends that appear to be working for others and keep employing them under different circumstances. It would be great if your online training could also include research and analysis to know and understand your audience and demographic, ad words, etc. to determine the best steps for marketing.
So if you can do any of the above creative and grunt work to make the most of free Online Marketing Strategies before you spend money on hiring someone for next-level skills, or purchasing programs, services, ad words, etc., you will not only save a bundle, but when you do decide to invest in paid online marketing strategies, you will be better informed as to what you need and want.