If your advertising budget is low, there are still plenty of things to try! Take a look at some of the free online tools below so that you can put your business on the map, both literally and figuratively.
We’ll tell you how to build visibility and notoriety, how to engage with your customers, and how to get more endorsements. The result will be more conversions and increased cash flow.
1. Google My Business
Google My Business is the cornerstone of online advertising in Malaysia and across the globe because this free tool makes your business visible for the locals. So if someone types “best shoe stores near me,” they can see your business on the map.
And that’s most of your target market; you want your business to appear on Google’s first results and the map for the people in your area. This way, you have more chances of people visiting your store than your competitor’s.
Another reason is that Google My Business builds legitimacy. When people see your name appear among the top results, they know your company is relevant. The higher you rank on Google searches, the more customers you’ll get, which, in turn, will bump up your ranking.
This upwards spiral will help increase your revenues in the long-term.
2. Personal Blog
You can start a free blog to promote your business if you can’t invest in building a professional website or blog. Websites like WordPress or Blogger allow you to start your page and attract more customers.
Remember you’ll have to learn how intuitive designs and customer-oriented content define the user experience. You want to keep your designs simple and your topics oriented on your customers’ needs so that you can remain relevant.
As you publish relevant content, more people will be interested in your business so that you can obtain more conversions.
Here are some things you can include:
- Tutorials on how to use a few of your products
- Infographics that explain why people need your products and services
- Personal history content, such as what’s life behind the scene
If you have the time, start writing some guest posts for other websites. That way, you can link back to your website so that you gain even more notoriety. Remember that notoriety helps you build your authority in a certain area, which in turn keeps you relevant. And relevancy ranks you higher on Google so that you can funnel more paying customers.
3. Partner Podcasts
You probably heard about podcasts, which are online interviews that break the standards of TV or newspaper interviews. As such, podcasts don’t have as much structure and allow more freedom of speech. Podcasts are less rigid so that you can create a better bond with your potential customers, as well as the people you’re interviewing with.
So, you have two options here:
- Create your podcasts and invite people who you think are relevant for your target audience, depending on your business area. For instance, if you have a shoe store, you can invite designers, stylists, and fitness experts. That way, your audience will learn how to choose the right shoes according to their health needs, their work environment, as well as their preferences.
- Take part in podcasts organized by someone else. That way, people will learn more about your company so that they can start buying your products.
4. Use An Email Signature
Creating a personalized e-mail signature takes a few seconds, it’s completely free, and it will bring you more conversions than you expected.
Here’s why you should do it:
- An e-mail signature that features your name and website increases your chances of people visiting your website. Even if you’re sending an e-mail to someone at your kids’ school or your dentist, you still have two more people who will potentially click on your website.
- Your e-mail signature reminds people who already know about your business that they can use your products and services.
- You can use your e-mail signature to inform people of your events, something new on your blog, or one of your contests.
- You can include your social media accounts so that people get in touch with you more easily.
Therefore, e-mail signatures help build visibility, which is the first step towards notoriety and trust.
5. E-mail Newsletters
When most people hear about e-mail newsletters, they cringe involuntarily. That’s why some businesses don’t even include them in their advertising strategies.
Newsletters get a bad rep from a few years ago when they were spammy. A company would include your e-mail on their newsletter list without you ever consenting to that, and they would bombard you with useless info.
However, if you play it smart, newsletters can be your best ally. Here’s what you do:
- Only send newsletters to people who gave their consent.
- Attract more people to submit their e-mails with an easygoing call to action. You can also include a special offer, such as a free infographic or a discount, for people who subscribe to your newsletters.
- Use a free newsletter creation tool to ensure your newsletter has a persuasive design. Besides, these tools offer you relevant feedback so that you can improve your newsletters in the future.
- Send newsletters just once per week or twice per month so that people don’t feel overwhelmed by your messages.
- Include only information that helps your customers solve their problems. Put yourself into the customers’ shoes and answer this question through your content: “how is this product useful to me?”
6. Offline Networking
Research the events in Malaysia where you can mingle with people from your industry. Although some of these events are invite-based, others offer you the option of buying tickets. If you’re already friends with someone from your industry, you can ask them to bring you as a plus-one to some meetings.
You should also search on social media for local communities of people who work in your area. These groups organize regular gatherings, which help you get in touch with other professionals like you.
You can also go back to your alma mater and keep in touch with your mates at University.
Networking is useful because it helps you build professional connections. These people are your potential customers, endorsers, or business partners, which means they’ll help your business grow.
7. YouTube Videos
YouTube offers you a free market where you can let more people know about your business, especially if you consider YouTube’s reach. As such, this channel has one million+ active users and over half of influencers do their research o YouTube.
Here are other reasons to post your videos here:
- More people will watch your free content from more places, whether they’re home, taking a work break, or commuting.
- More people can share your videos on social media or recommend you to their friends.
- You have more chances of becoming viral.
- You can get valuable feedback from the comments and views so that you can improve your content.
Remember to follow the rules of content, though. Your videos should be relevant so they should answer people’s needs. You also have to entertain, engage, and motivate viewers so that they’ll prefer your brand over the competitions.
8. Social Media And Forums
Employ your social media accounts as much as possible to connect with your customers and build more notoriety. You should also search for some popular forums from your industry and engage with people there.
Here’s why that’s useful:
- You can share your views and products with more people.
- You can post/ comment a few times per day so that you can stay on top of your customers’ minds.
- You can attract different audiences. For instance, young people use Instagram and Tik-Tok, while educated Millennials are mostly on Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit. You can also use LinkedIn to keep in touch with your professional contacts. Remember that each of these media requires different messages, considering they address various audiences.
- You can actively engage with your audience so that you can understand their opinions and needs better. Remember not to start fights with people. You have to keep a detached mentality and understand that it’s ok for some people not to like your business, products, or personal style.
- You can follow influencers from your industry so that you can learn more about current trends and build your visibility.
9. Online Reviews
Encourage people to leave you online reviews. Word of mouth may not be something you can control, but it’s free and it will be useful because potential customers want to read the opinions of people who’ve bought your products.
So, offer customers an online badge that shows their purchase is verified. Next, encourage them to review your product with enticing discounts, points, or free research material.
After you have a loyal brand community, people won’t need these external catalysts to review your products.
10. Classified Ads
Classified ads are a useful free tool in Malaysia. Online classifieds ads are free or very cheap, so they’re a convenient way of increasing your business visibility. Besides, as you’re on the internet, you have the chances of reaching a bigger market than you would with the newspaper classifieds.
Remember to:
- Add a photo with a good resolution that represents your business.
- Pay extra attention to the title because that’s what most people will read.
- Include an effective call to action in the description section. Remember not to brag too much about your business. Focus on answering your potential customers’ needs.
Conclusion
Remember that potential customers aren’t attracted by self-praise. They want to know what benefits your products bring, and they want to feel included in your brand community. If you don’t know much about advertising, that can be difficult to do without an agency.
We at Intime Advance are always available to help you with a personal loan if you need to boost your company’s visibility. Give us a call or send us an application to get the right advertising budget for your needs.
