9 free online advertising ideas for your business

Consumers are constantly turning to online sources to find trustworthy business information. From Facebook to Yelp to Google Maps, users are searching online to discover and seek out information about local businesses.

So if potential customers are already searching online for products and services like yours, all you have to do is make sure your business shows up wherever customers are looking. And many of the sites they’re browsing offer free online business advertising options.

Especially if you’re a startup or small business owner with a limited marketing budget, there are plenty of free ways to increase your company’s online visibility. Keep reading for nine free online advertising options and decide which platforms are best for your business.

Before you use free business advertising online

You might be tempted to sign up for all of the advertising opportunities listed below because—well—they’re free. But while free advertising platforms might not cost any money, they do take time. And at the risk of sounding cliché, time is money.

For most entrepreneurs, time is at a premium, so you should be just as picky about free platforms as you would be about paid advertising opportunities. To start, think about your ideal customer and then look for free advertising sites that your target audience uses regularly.

For example, imagine you run a pressure washing business and the majority of your customers are homeowners between the ages of 40 and 75. It probably won’t make sense to advertise on TikTok where most of the audience is 18–29. You’d reach more potential customers by dedicating your time to online business platforms and directories.

But if you run a local surf shop and most of your customers are ages 18–35, then TikTok could be a great platform for your business.

Before you start using any of the advertising platforms below, consider how much time you’ll have to dedicate to it and how it will fit into your overall digital marketing strategy.

9 free online business advertising ideas

These nine free advertising options will help you start promoting your business online. You don’t need to use all of them to start seeing results. Choose a few ideas that sound like a good fit for your business. Once you’ve mastered those, you can add more of these free online business advertising ideas into your marketing strategy.

1. Set up social media accounts

Social media is not only a free way to reach potential customers, it’s also an essential part of any digital marketing strategy that helps you:

• Build brand awareness
• Broaden your online presence to improve your search engine rankings
• Promote your products or services
• Connect with existing and new customers
• Provide customer service
• Build a community

There are a lot of social media platforms you can use, but you don’t need to use them all. Choose social media channels that your target audience uses and that allow you to show your products or services in the best light.

For example, a hair salon might want to use Instagram because they have a visual product, and this platform will allow them to post pictures of their customers’ haircuts. An accounting firm, on the other hand, doesn’t have a very visual product, so Instagram might not be the best platform for them, but LinkedIn could be more effective since they could target other business owners.

You can use the Pew Research Center’s report on Americans’ Social Media Use to understand the demographics that each social media platform attracts. This will help you determine where you can most easily reach your target audience so you can decide which platforms are right for your business.

Here’s a look at some of the most popular social media sites and use cases for each:

• Facebook: With a Facebook Business Page, you can create a community and post updates about your business, products, or services. It’s also a good place to list your business information, like your address and opening hours. And it can help your company show up in search results.
• Instagram: A great marketing tool for businesses with a visual product—like restaurants, clothing stores, salons, remodeling businesses, real estate agents, auto body shops, and more—Instagram can help you show off your product. You can use hashtags to reach a wider audience and help your posts show up in Instagram searches.
• YouTube: This is the most used social media site, according to the Pew Research Center. It can take some equipment and experience to make long-form video content, but this is a good option for businesses that want to establish themselves as experts. You can post tutorials, how-to videos, webinars, and product demos.
• TikTok: For companies that want to reach a younger audience, TikTok allows you to post short-form videos that don’t require high-quality production. It’s another good platform for product demos as well as quick tips and cute or funny videos.
• Twitter: If you don’t have a visual product, Twitter allows you to provide quick tips and short commentary in writing. It’s a good option in industries that are affected by current events, like law firms and accounting practices. This platform also allows you to reach a wider audience with hashtags.
• LinkedIn: For business-to-business industries or for companies whose clients are professionals, LinkedIn can help you reach decision-makers at different businesses. You can post short tips or long-form articles to share your expertise.
• Nextdoor: For local businesses, Nextdoor helps you reach people in your surrounding neighborhood. This platform is full of neighbors sharing recommendations for local services, and it’s a great option for cleaning services, landscapers, pool services, and more. You can set up alerts and reply to people’s posts when they ask questions related to your industry.

Best practices for setting up your social media accounts

To make your social media marketing more successful, keep these tips in mind:

• Use the same username and logo on every platform so your customers know it’s you.
• Add your business information, including your name, address or service area, and contact information, to your portfolio to help this info come up in search engine results.
• Post a variety of content—like product demos, memes, polls, and more—to find out what resonates most with your audience.
• Post on a regular schedule—whether it’s daily, weekly, or monthly—to show social media algorithms that your account is active, which helps your posts come up in social media search results.

2. Participate in online forums

Online forums, like Quora and Reddit, are full of people discussing niche topics. Once you find a niche related to your industry, you’ll be able to participate in the conversation, show off your expertise, and build good will within the community. All of this can lead forum members to choose your business when they need it.

However, most online forums would object to being referred to as free advertising sites. These sites often have rules that prohibit you from promoting your products in a heavy-handed way. If you break the rules, your account could get flagged as spam, and your posting privileges could be temporarily or permanently revoked.

To avoid this fate, think of yourself as a genuine participant who’s there to help other users rather than thinking of yourself as an advertiser.

Best practices for participating in online forums

Following these best practices will ensure your business is allowed to participate in forums and doesn’t get red-flagged as spam:

• Use the same username and logo as you do on your social media accounts. This helps potential customers recognize you wherever you appear online.
• Establish your expertise when you answer questions. For example, if you’re answering a question about home repairs, it’s OK to say that you’re a general contractor located in Jacksonville, Florida. It’s a subtle way to mention your business without it feeling like a promo.
• Be helpful by answering people’s questions rather than telling them to call a professional or sharing a link to your website. Sharing your knowledge will make potential customers trust you so they’re more likely to call you when they decide they need professional help.

3. Claim your Yelp Business Page

Online business platforms like Yelp allow you to add or claim your business page for free so you can take control of the information on your page—from posting pictures to responding to customer reviews.

After you’ve claimed your business, add or update your business information. You can include important business information, like your address or service area, phone number, and opening hours. In addition to helping you promote your business on Yelp, it also can help with your search engine optimization efforts.

Yelp has free features, like Request a Quote and Request a Call, that allow potential customers to reach out to you:

• Request a Quote: Shoppers who tap on the Request a Quote option will be prompted to fill out an industry-specific questionnaire so you can learn more about their needs. Then you can communicate with them directly through Yelp to set up next steps.
• Request a Call: If customers prefer to chat with you over the phone, they can ask you to call them at a specific time. It ensures the customers get the answers they need, and your business doesn’t lose leads from missed calls.

Both request options are free for customers and businesses.

Eighty-three percent of Yelp users hire or buy from a business they found on Yelp, and 57% of customers contact a business they found on Yelp within one day, so it can be an effective strategy for free business advertising online.

Best practices for managing your Yelp Business Page

It’s easy to claim your Yelp Business Page. And once you do, these strategies will help you get the most out of the platform:

• Fill out your business information with as much detail as possible, including the “From this business” section that houses info about your history and specialities. If any of your information changes—like your address or opening hours—update your Yelp Business Page just as you would your website.
• Post pictures of your place of business, products, or services to show potential customers what to expect.
• Provide exceptional customer service so that your current customers will feel inspired to leave a review.
• Respond to all of your customer reviews, both positive and critical, to build trust with current and potential customers.

4. Create business profiles on search engines

Many people use Bing and Google search to find businesses and services near them. If you want to come up in search engine results, you don’t need to pay for Bing or Google Ads. You can simply create a business listing.

You’ll create your Google My Business or Bing for Business listing by filling out your company’s name, address, phone number, website, and opening hours. After you set up your Bing or Google Business Profile, your business will be able to appear in the Local Pack—the part of the search results that shows a map with nearby businesses on it.

These listings ensure the correct information displays if someone searches for your business specifically, and they help your business show up in search results if someone looks up a term related to your business, like “hair salons near me” or “auto body shops in Phoenix, AZ.”

Best practices for creating search engine business listings

Make your Bing or Google business profile more effective by following these best practices:

• Fill out your business information completely and accurately. Then update your listing if any of your business information changes.
• Post pictures so potential customers know what to expect from your location, products, or services.
• Respond to your customer reviews to show that you prioritize customer service.

5. Add your company to other online directories

In addition to search engines, there are a variety of more niche business directories that are specific to different industries. For example, a real estate agent might create a profile on Zillow, Trulia, or Realtor.com, and a dog sitter might post on Rover.

Local chambers of commerce often keep directories of businesses in the area. And the Better Business Bureau can help you build trust with customers by responding to customer concerns.

Best practices for using niche online directories

• Make sure the directory fits your niche perfectly. You want to be sure your skill set matches the types and sizes of jobs typically requested on those sites.
• Check and respond to messages regularly. These directories are primarily used by people who are looking to contact professionals in their area. Set up alerts so you can be responsive when potential customers reach out to you.

6. Use classified ad sites

Many of us think of classified ad websites as places to buy second-hand goods, but these can be good platforms to advertise products of all types. It’s a good option for e-commerce businesses that are looking for creative ways to increase their sales or for small businesses that sell homemade products.

Here are a few websites where you can post free classified ads:

• Craigslist
• eBay
• Etsy
• Amazon Handmade
• Poshmark
• Mercari
• Gumtree
• Facebook Marketplace
• Locanto
• Oodle
• Geebo
• OLX
• Adpost
• Hoobly

Best practices for using classified ad websites

It’s easy to set up product listings with online classified sites. Following these tips can help your product listings stand out:

• Use keywords in your product listing title to ensure it comes up in search results. There’s a reason many product lists have very long names. Those listings are using as many relevant keywords as possible to ensure the product comes up in search.
• Be careful about posting on multiple sites if you only have one of each product. If you’re selling secondhand goods or one-of-a-kind handmade products, and you post on multiple sites, you’ll need to take down all of your postings as soon as an item sells.
• Ship items promptly to provide good customer service and ensure you get prompt payment. Some online classified sites won’t release payment for your sale until it’s been delivered to the customer.

7. Send press releases to your local paper

If your company releases a new product, opens a new location, or hosts a local event, send a press release to your local paper. Local newspapers are often looking for stories to cover, so if you reach out, you may be able to get your business featured in an upcoming article.

You can also reach out to your local paper if there are any newsworthy events related to your industry. For example, a real estate agent might volunteer to be a source in an article about rising home prices. A roofing company might offer to be interviewed for stories about how to prepare for the upcoming storm season.

Most local papers publish online, so this can get your business free publicity in an online article.

Best practices for sending press releases

Local papers are always looking for information to fill their pages (and web pages). You can help make the newspaper editor’s life easier and get some free online business advertising with these tips:

• Write your press release like a news story so your local newspaper editors can publish it with minimal editing.
• Explain the importance of the accomplishments you mention in your press release and connect it to the impact it will have on the local community. Local impact will be a key takeaway for the publication.
• Pitch stories related to your industry and offer to write the article or to serve as an expert source that the paper’s journalists can interview.

8. Optimize your website

Hosting a website comes with a small cost. But since most businesses already have a website, you can turn yours into a better advertisement for your business by using search engine optimization, or SEO—which is free to do.

If you’ve set up social media and created business listings on Yelp, Google, and Bing, then you’ve already taken steps to make your business come up in search engine results.

You can help your website show up higher in search results by ensuring you have enough webpages (one for each of the products or services you offer) and that each of your webpages includes keywords related to your product or service.

Best practices for using SEO on your website

Search engine optimization can be complicated, but the basics are easy for any business owner to master. Start by doing these things to your website:

• Include your business name, address, and contact information in the header or footer of your website so that it appears on every webpage.
• Add landing pages for every product or service you offer and describe that service in detail.
• Use a keyword research tool, like Moz, to find keywords related to your business for free. Then incorporate those keywords into your product and service descriptions wherever it makes sense.

9. Start creating content

Another way to add keywords to your site is to start content marketing. By writing a blog or even creating videos or podcasts, you can address keywords related to your industry, establish yourself as an expert, and answer questions customers have about your products or services.

Adding a blog section to your website allows you to address even more SEO keywords and helps your website rank higher in search engine results, which can help potential customers discover your business. But for it to help you rank in search results, you’ll need to write and post new blogs on a regular schedule.

If you don’t have time to create content regularly, you can create guest content instead. Reach out to an existing blog, content creator, or influencer in your industry and propose a topic you want to address. Then offer to create the content for free or to share your expertise if they want to create it. Make sure any guest content you create mentions your business and links back to your website.

Best practices for creating content

When you create content, you’ll give away information for free. But in addition to giving something away for free, you get free business advertising online. If you get it right, it’s a win-win scenario for you and your customers as you help them understand your process and why it’s beneficial to hire a professional. Here’s how to make content marketing work for you:

• Use a keyword research tool, like Moz, to find questions people are asking about your industry for free.
• Create high-quality content that clearly and thoroughly answers their questions. Provide as much helpful information as possible.
• Include a call-to-action that tells customers how to reach out to your company for more help.

Make your advertising count, even when it’s free

It’s an old truism that nothing is free. Even free business advertising online comes at a cost. Often the cost is spending a lot of time on a less effective marketing strategy. But that doesn’t have to be the case.

Many of the free advertising tactics above can be just as effective as paid advertising—as long as you’re just as picky as you would be with paid ads. Ensure every free online advertising platform you use helps you reach your target audience.

Look for platforms that are specific to your industry and service area. And focus your energy on widely used platforms—like Yelp and search engine profiles—or on niche platforms that help you target very specific demographics.

To discover more strategies to increase your online visibility and reach your target audience, check out this local SEO guide.