VentureMom.com is a website devoted to encouraging moms to start their own businesses and giving them free exposure. Founder Holly Hurd knows all about entrepreneurism and has helped many moms by featuring them on her website and by showcasing their products in the VentureMom Shop. For moms who are looking for ways to market their products, Hurd shares these 10 ways to market your business for free:
1. List your business in free online directories and shops. There are hundreds of business directories online where you can list your business for free such as People’s Guide and Yahoo! Local. You simply sign up for an account, add a business logo and description and you’re good to go. Some directories are more customizable so you can add even more information about your business. The VentureMom Shop is a great online store that will feature your mom-made products so other moms can shop your brand and you can support fellow mompreneurs.
2. Reach out to be covered by bloggers. Befriending bloggers who have the same target audience as your target customers is beneficial for you and the blogger. Start a partnership where you agree to feature or link to their blog on your website in return for them featuring your website or products on their blog. VentureMom has a Featured VendorMom each month that gets a great spot right on the site’s homepage as well as featuring other venturemoms’ products in the site’s collage blogs.
3. Write guest blogs. Guest blogging is a great marketing strategy that has many good advantages. When your blog post gets featured on another blog, if your post has good content then the readers of the blog will most likely click the link to your website and may potentially become your next clients. You can get back links to your website from other blogs and increase traffic for your own website. VentureMom.com posts guest blogs on her site from time to time which give moms ideas on how to make their way in the world of entrepreneurism.
4. Use Facebook to tell the world about your product. Anyone can create a free Facebook page for their business which allows you to have a big cover image, icon image, and customized tab pages. Make sure to post updates often and schedule posts in advance to save time. Whenever you have a new product or special promotion, post it on Facebook to keep your fans updated.
5. Start a Twitter page to Tweet your info. Setting up an online Twitter profile is so easy that every business should have one. Follow other businesses that have similar target customers and see who their followers are and who they are following. If you follow these users, chances are that they will follow you back because they will have the same interest in your business. You should use Twitter to interact with your followers and get their feedback.
6. Build your email list. Include a simple email sign-up form on your website to gather emails from all of the people who visit your site and shop your products. It’s a good idea to give users an incentive for signing up to your list such as sending them a free eBook to download or some helpful tips. Having a substantial email list will help you with the next step.
7. Send out a free email newsletter. Create an account with a free email marketing company like MailChimp to help you create your own newsletter from a template to send to your customers. The newsletter can include short articles, feature new products, include promotions or contests, or just keep your customers updated on what’s going on with your business.
8. Create online YouTube videos. This is a great way to use your creativity and have fun making videos that feature your products or services and show your business in action. You might want to create a “behind the scenes” video to show all the work that goes into running your business. You can even create a “meet the team” video so your customers get to know the faces behind your brand. You can add links to your website in your video descriptions so more people can click to your site.
9. Make sure your website is search engine optimized. You want your website to show up on the first page of search results on Google and the higher up your website appears, the better. Include commonly searched for keywords (but not too many!) relating to your business within the text of your site. Try to get other trusted websites to link back to your site and offer to do a link exchange. Optimize the images on your website by adding a title, description, and alt text. It takes time to optimize your website but the results are worth it.
10. Start your own thread on a forum. There are so many online forums for all different interests and audiences. Find a forum community that would be interested in your products or services and actively post on the forum to get to know other users and promote your business. Forums are also great for sharing ideas with people and getting feedback.