50 Ways to get Free Advertising for Your Startup

50 Ways to get Free Advertising for Your Startup

This year, Apple generated $400 million in free publicity with the iPhone. How did they do it? By creating a newsworthy product and putting on a show for the media. With a little ingenuity, you can get this kind of free advertising, too. Read on for 50 free advertising ideas that will work for your startup.

Small efforts, large responses…

1. Send out press releases: Press releases are a highly effective method for getting your business mentioned by mainstream media. Write about newsworthy events and developments in your business, then submit your release to newspapers, radio stations and TV outlets. This is a great way to get free, credible publicity.

2. Host a contest: Get media attention and encourage customers to visit you by holding a contest. Do you have a music store? Host a battle of the bands. Bookstores can host a competitive poetry slam. Create a fun event that will generate buzz for your business and get people in the door. Charge an entry fee to those who plan to compete so it won’t cost you a dime.706250_noticeboard

3. Use public places: People like to read the Starbucks community bulletin board while waiting for their drink. Put up posters in public places like post offices, libraries and coffee shops. You’ll have a high-traffic ad hanging up for free.

4. Enlist the help of friends and relatives: Pass your business cards and samples out to everyone you know. If you’re a photographer, for example, give prints and photo albums to friends and family and ask that they tell people about you whenever they share the photos. You’ll get free word of mouth marketing from excellent sources.

5. Gain a bit of notoriety: Do things with a splash to make headlines. I’ve you’re opening an Italian restaurant, proclaim that you have the best lasagna in town, then put out a challenge to others. This sort of newsworthy event will have media outlets giving you tons of free publicity.

6. Write a letter to the editor: Has your local paper published a news story that is related to your business? Write a letter to the editor for a free and effective way to get your company in the paper. For example, dog walkers can respond to an article about new leash laws. Use this opportunity to highlight the ways that the story affects your business in positive ways.

7. Get on the radio: Do you have a remarkable or controversial product that people want to talk about? Contact local radio stations and offer to be a guest on their show. You’ll get free air time access to thousands of listeners and get to tell people about your product in your own words.

8. Announce your publicity: When you get an article in the paper or a spot on a radio show, let other media outlets know about it. They won’t want to miss out on your story if they know other publications are interested in it. This way, you’ll get free publicity with a ripple effect.

9. Do charity work: Gather your employees and do some charity work in your community. Get visibility for your business at a trash cleanup event, Christmas tree recycling drive or a walk to cure breast cancer. Keep your ear to the ground for opportunities to get a group out there and be visible doing positive things. Be sure to get t-shirts with your company name and logo on them so you’ll have free ads walking around for the entire event.

10. Silent auctions: School and church groups usually have fairs and field days during spring and summer months. Look in your community to see if there are opportunities at these events to put your product or service in the silent auction. The group will benefit from the profits of your item, and you’ll have free publicity sitting on the auction block.472253_champ

11. Create an award: Give an award to someone in your community that you admire. This will offer lots of opportunity for publicity: you can send out a newsletter and press release to announce the award. Additionally, the award recipient will provide excellent word of mouth marketing for your business each time they tell someone about what they’ve won.

12. Offer your product to high-profile individuals: Give your product away to people who can spread the word about it. Do you make jewelry? Send a necklace to a female newscaster and ask her to wear it during a broadcast. Your product will get excellent air time for free. Be sure to send a quality item that will receive compliments so they’ll have an opportunity to tell people where they got it from.

13. Use what you already have to promote your business: Paint your delivery vans with your company name, logo and slogan. Your ad will be driving around town all day exposed to thousands of people.

14. Offer free services: Offer your services for free to newspapers in return for ad space. For example, a photographer could trade free photos for a credit and small ad in the paper. Get creative and think of how your product or service could be traded with the media for free publicity.

15. Get a team to sport your logo: Do you know someone who plays in a sports league? Ask them to put your name on the back of their team’s uniforms. Anyone watching the game is bound to notice your ad running up and down the field.

16. Teach a class: Can you teach a skill that others would like to learn? Hairdressers can hold a flat iron and blow drying class. A new restaurant could host a wine tasting. Get people interested in your product or service by giving them the opportunity to learn how they can utilize it better.

17. Seek out speaking engagements: Are there groups that might benefit from your knowledge? Search for seminars, neighborhood meetings and conventions in your area that can provide an opportunity for you to show off your expertise in your field. Bring business cards and product samples to maximize thi free publicity opportunity.

18. Utilize space effectively: Paint your shopping bags, napkins, and other paraphernalia with with your logo and brand name. Anyone who walks around with your shopping bag will provide a free mobile ad for your business.

19. Form strong business partnerships: Enlist the help of companies who offer products that are complementary to yours. Offer to exchange ads and refer business to each other. You’ll both benefit from attracting each others’ customers.

20. Join the chamber of commerce: Local chambers of commerce offer numerous advertising opportunities for members. Get your ad in their newsletter, relocation flyers and more for free.

21. Step up your networking efforts: Join your industry trade associations and community groups. Introduce yourself to new people that may be interested in becoming a customer or forming an advertising partnership with you. Create free word of mouth marketing that starts with you.

(Inter)Netting profits…

22. Set up a website: Customers are looking for your business online. Will you be there? Set up a free and easy website with Yahoo! Geocities or Bravenet. Make it easy to navigate and user-friendly. Having a website will attract new customers that might not have found you otherwise.

23. Get ranked on search engines: Your website will not get much attention if it’s on page 5 of search results. Make sure your website is designed in a way that will attract search engines. Include lots of content, like company information, product descriptions and articles. Be sure that your content is full of keywords. Avoid using excessive Flash, as popular search engines won’t read this format. Read tutorials to get an in-depth look at the many things you can do to get search engines to advertise for you.

24. Get links to your site: Exchange links with a few highly respected sites in your niche. It’s good for search engine rankings and it’s a signal to readers that your site is respected by peers. Each link is a free mini ad for your site and business.

25. Start your own blog: Blogs are a great forum to use for promoting your business. Build your own and write about your business, products and recent developments. An engaging blog can attract new customers by getting them interested in your business philosophy and what you have to offer. Be sure to link back to your website. There are numerous sites that offer free blog hosting services, like Blogger and Word Press.745711_quer

26. Enable comments on your blog: Get your readers involved in what you have to say. Allow them to leave comments on your blog posts. Be sure to leave responses: this will create a vibrant environment to get people talking about your company.

27. Leave comments on other blogs: Visit industry blogs and leave helpful, insightful comments. Encourage the reader to visit your website by capturing their attention. Leaving good comments will generate interest in your website and products.

28. Use an email signature: How many emails do you send out per day? Each of those can work for you as a free advertisement for your business. Add your company’s contact information and information about your product to your email signatures. You won’t see a huge jump in sales through this technique, but it’s a good way to make your brandname more familiar to the customer, which can lead to trust and more sales in the long run.

29. Participate in online forums: Search online forums for users that might benefit from your products or expertise. Try question and answer forums like Yahoo! Answers or Google Groups. Customers appreciate a company that provides good customer service and knowledge. You can exhibit both and get great free advertising for your company when you help out in an online forum.

30. Write articles: Write articles about your business and products. Be sure to include a link to your website and a few words about yourself at the end. Publishing informative articles shows the customer you’re an expert in your field and thus make them want to go to you for business. Post them on your website and send them agencies like EzineArticles for great exposure.

31. Submit articles to voting sites: Take the articles you’ve written and submit them to social networking sites like Digg. You’ll generate loads of comments and create a buzz for your website and products.

32. Send out newsletters: If someone told you they had a list of 1000 people who were interested in your product, how much would you pay for that list? When you fail to create a newsletter to keep in regular contact with your customers, you not only fail to buy that list, you’re throwing it away. Make sure that you keep a spreadsheet of all your email contacts and put a signup form on your website to compile interested names for a newsletter. Remember to provide an opt-out link so you don’t end up on a spam list.

33. Provide a tell a friend link on your site: Word of mouth marketing is free and very powerful. Get the Internet version of this great marketing: allow your web page visitors to easily tell their friends if they enjoyed your site. Provide a tell a friend link or form on your website to take advantage of your customer’s social circle.

34. Use email as a marketing tool: Send out an email for every occasion possible. Let customers know when you’re having a sale, have found a new headquarters, or hire someone new. Don’t forget to send an e-card for birthdays and thank yous as well. Remember, each email you send out is a free advertisement for your business.

35. Make your website visible: Does your in-store customer aware of your website? Don’t forget to include your web address on receipts, business cards and letterheads. Letting your customers know about additional ways to buy from you only makes it easier for them to do so.

36. Swap advertisements: Graphic banner ads are a great way to get visibility for your business. Unfortunately, they can be expensive; but you don’t always have to pay for them. Swap ad space with other companies and get free publicity on the web.P2

37. Place free ads in your articles: Put your banner ad in your ezine articles. This is a great place for them because the reader is already thinking about your business and their eyes have to pass over the ad to continue reading. Best of all, it’s free.

38. Search for free ads: Some websites offer free ad space for new businesses. Currently, Center Networks is offering a free sidebar ad to startups that are unfunded or angel funded. Use this and other opportunities that you may find to put up a free graphic ad for your business online.

39. Register with online directories: Directories are like search engines, but a little more exclusive. They rely on submissions and human editors to find sites to include in their search results. Register with online directories like dmoz and get access to the vast publicity they offer.

40. Post free classified ads: Use free classified services like Craigslist to post advertisements. You’ll have to make your ad stand out to get noticed, so be sure to use attention-getting techniques for the best exposure.

41. Join online communities: Many consumers turn to the Internet when shopping for services. Businesses in fields like real estate, general contracting and landscaping can greatly benefit from the promotion online groups provide. Join and fill out a profile to attract the best customers.

42. Offer free downloads: Create You Tube videos and host them on your site. Product demonstrations, facility tours and employee interviews are all fun ways to get consumers involved and thinking about your business.

43. Let visitors send e-cards: Help customers send birthday, thank you and holiday cards to their friends and family by setting up an e-card program on your website. Add your logo and incorporate your business into the greeting. Something as simple as "brought to you by (your business)" or "Happy Birthday from: (customer) and (your business)!" should be effective. Each card is a fun way to spread the word and get free exposure for your business and website.

44. Give away free coupons: Offer free coupons on your site and in your email newsletter. Coupons are a great way to turn new customers on to your products. Make them valid in-store and online. Your customers will be compelled to find ways to use them and pass them onto friends and family.

Customers today, publicity agents tomorrow…

45. Offer rewards for referrals: Give customers a discount or a small gift when they refer your product or service to someone. This will provide great incentive for them to give you free word of mouth publicity.

46. Offer perks: Give your customers something that the competition doesn’t. Whether it’s online ordering, free shipping or a play area for kids, customers appreciate it when you go the extra mile. They’ll be sure to let others know about your thoughtfulness.

47. Offer free stuff: There’s nothing as effective as the word “FREE” to create a buzz. Offer your customers small freebies with their purchases and watch them spread the word to their friends and family.

48. Provide more than you promise: Impress your customers by providing them with more than you’ve promised. They’ll value this unexpected surprise and give you free advertising by telling others about their great experience.717896_postcards

49. Mail greeting cards: Show your customer that you care by sending them a card for their birthday and during the holiday season. You’ll have a free advertisement sitting on their fireplace mantle as well as a happy customer who will mention your thoughtfulness to others.

50. Treat your customers well: Consumers are opinionated. They know when they like something and when they don’t. If they feel strongly about it, they’re going to let it be known. Make sure that you give your customers a reason to say nice things about your business to their friends and family. This is the best kind of free publicity. Concentrate on wowing your regulars so that they tell others how much they like your business.