A 3-month zero-cost beginner’s guide to promote your business online 

Have you recently launched your first product or service? Navigating your marketing strategy can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re just starting out. It often takes weeks of research and months of consultations to develop a solid plan. Things might be more challenging if you’re tight on budget.

While you’re seeking expert advice on how to steer your marketing in the right direction, there are a few key rules you can follow to get started right away almost for free. All you need to do is put some daily effort into your marketing activities. 

If you’re a small business looking to promote your brand on a minimal budget, we’re here to guide you on what to do and how to do it.

In this guide, we’ll detail a zero-cost 3-month growth strategy, focusing on utilizing free platforms and tools to maximize your outreach and business development. We’ll also explore how to leverage digital platforms like social media, content marketing, and partnerships, providing a realistic schedule and the minimum daily effort required.

Here’s our step-by-step guide: 

Step 1. Foundation and community building

Foundation and community building are crucial first steps in establishing a strong online presence for your business. This phase involves setting up the necessary digital infrastructure and beginning to engage with your target audience. Here’s 

Creating a Strong Digital Foundation

Develop your business website 

The website acts as the central hub for your business online. It should provide comprehensive information about your services, contact details, and ideally, a blog for sharing insightful content and solving your target audience’s problems. Here are the steps you can take. 

• If budget permits, build a business website via website builders like Wix, Weebly, or WordPress.com. Most of these builders provide free website options also.
• Ensure the website is mobile-friendly and SEO-optimized to enhance visibility on search engines.

Setup Social Media

Social media platforms are vital for direct engagement with your potential customers, brand promotion, and content distribution.

• Select platforms relevant to your audience. Create your business accounts on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn. YouTube is optional; it can be an excellent platform to grow a sustainable audience over the years. 
• Create professional profiles with a consistent name, logo, and bio that clearly explains what your business offers.
• Link back to your business website where possible.

Use Google My Business

Google My Business is a free tool from Google. It helps your business appear in local search results and on Google Maps, which is essential for attracting local clientele.

Here’s how to use Google My Business: 

• Claim or create your listing.
• Accurately fill in your business details, ensuring your operating hours, phone number, and address are up-to-date.
• Regularly update the listing with new photos and respond to customer reviews to enhance engagement and trust.

Once you have set up the infrastructure, it’s time to build your community. 

Community Building and Engagement

Here are the activities that help you reach your target audience and engage with them. 

Content Creation

Content is what draws people to your website and social media profiles. Generally, good content should solve potential customer’s problems. This is crucial in gaining customer’s trust. It also helps establish authority.

Here’s what you can do:

• Develop a content calendar to plan posts that are timely and relevant to your target audience.
• Include a mix of content types such as images, videos, and articles. For instance, how-to videos on YouTube, care tips on blogs, or customer stories in posts.

Social Media Engagement

Regular interaction on social media helps build relationships with your audience and other businesses. It’s not just about posting content, but also about being part of the conversation. Social media algorithms are designed to promote posts from accounts that publish more consistently. Therefore, posting consistently is crucial.  

Here are some useful tips:

• Actively engage with followers through comments, likes, and shares.
• Participate in relevant groups or forums on Facebook or LinkedIn to increase visibility.
• Use hashtags strategically to reach wider audiences on platforms like Instagram and Twitter.

Email List Building

An email list is a direct line to your most interested customers. Email marketing is still one of the most effective marketing strategies since you can directly share personalized content and promotions. You can build your email list through your website and social media. Add a sign-up form on your website with an incentive, like a discount or free ebook, to encourage sign-ups. 

The foundation and community-building phase is about laying down the groundwork for future marketing activities and starting to cultivate a relationship with your audience. It requires a mix of technical setup, content creation, and active engagement. 

This phase demands approximately 1-2 hours of work each day, focusing on setting up the necessary tools and beginning to interact with the community. 

2. Content Marketing and Email Engagement

Content marketing and email engagement are vital components of a digital marketing strategy. After setting up your digital marketing infrastructure, you can shift your focus to nurture leads and build deeper connections with your audience. Here’s how you can effectively implement these strategies:

Content Marketing

Content marketing involves creating and sharing valuable content to attract, engage, and retain an audience. This strategy establishes your expertise, improves brand awareness, and keeps your business relevant in the eyes of potential customers. Here’s a list of platforms and tasks you want to consider: 

Blogging: 

Platforms: Your website (preferably on a WordPress platform), Blogger, or Medium

• Content Ideas: Write how-to guides, industry analyses, case studies, or customer success stories relevant to your business. For instance, a landscaping business might post articles like “5 Tips for Sustainable Gardening” or “Before and After A Landscape Transformation.”
• Frequency: Aim to publish at least two posts per month. Consistency is key to keeping your audience engaged and improving your SEO.

Video Content:

Platforms: TikTok, YouTube, or even Instagram and Facebook for shorter clips.

• Content Ideas: Create tutorials, behind-the-scenes tours of projects, or Q&A sessions to answer common customer questions.
• Frequency: Depending on the complexity, try to release a video bi-weekly or monthly on Youtube. Posting short videos daily is recommended. 

Infographics and Visual Content

Platforms: Social media and Website 

• Use tools like Canva to create visually appealing infographics that summarize key information 
• Share the content on platforms like Pinterest, Instagram, or Facebook. You can alternatively create an article based on the infographics.

Engagement Strategies

SEO Optimization: Ensure all content is optimized for search engines with relevant keywords, meta descriptions, and titles.

Social Media Sharing: Share all content across your social media platforms to increase reach and direct traffic back to your website.

Interactive Elements: Include calls-to-action in every piece of content, asking readers to comment, share, or read related articles.

Email Engagement

Email marketing allows you to directly communicate with your customers and prospects in a personalized way, promoting offers, sharing news, and driving traffic to your website and social media.

You can use free tools like Mailchimp, Sender, or Benchmark Email to manage your email lists and campaigns.

Set Up: Create a free account and integrate the signup form on your website and social media pages.

List Building Strategy: Offer an incentive for sign-ups, such as a discount code, free consultation, or downloadable resources (e.g., a gardening guide for new subscribers).

Content Creation for Emails:

Newsletters: Send regular updates that may include blog post recaps, new service announcements, seasonal promotions, or upcoming events. The key is to add value, not just sell.

Personalized Emails: Segment your list to send more targeted communications based on user behavior, such as follow-up emails for service inquiries or special offers on services they’ve shown interest in.

Engagement Strategies

Consistency and Frequency: Plan to send bi-weekly newsletters; however, you can adjust the frequency based on audience engagement and content availability.

Analytics: Monitor open rates, click rates, and conversions to understand what types of content and which offers resonate best with your audience. Adjust strategies accordingly.

In the second step, focus on creating high-quality, engaging content that provides value to your audience and encourages them to interact more deeply with your brand. 

Simultaneously, use email marketing to start building personal connections and driving repeat traffic to your site. The time investment for content creation can vary but typically involves around 4-6 hours per week, depending on the depth and frequency of the content produced. 

Email marketing might require an additional 1-2 hours bi-weekly to manage campaigns and analyze performance. Together, these strategies can significantly enhance your digital presence and customer engagement.

3. Partnerships and Community Engagement

As you have a grasp of your initial digital marketing strategy, you should now focus on partnerships and community engagement. These elements help expand your reach, build brand credibility, and engage with your audience on a deeper level. Here’s how to effectively implement these strategies:

Partnerships

Forming partnerships with other businesses, influencers, or community organizations can help leverage each other’s audiences, share resources, and co-create value-added content or services that benefit all parties involved.

Types and Tasks

• Local Business Collaborations: Team up with non-competing businesses in your area to offer bundled services, joint promotions, or co-hosted events.
  • Example: A landscaping business could partner with a local nursery to offer discounts when customers purchase both design services and plants.
• Influencer Partnerships: Connect with local or niche influencers who can authentically promote your services to their followers.
  • Example: Collaborate with home improvement or DIY influencers to feature your landscaping work in their project reveals.
• Community Organizations: Engage with local community groups or charities that align with your business values for sponsorship opportunities or community service events.
  • Example: Sponsor a local environmental fair or volunteer your services for a community beautification project.

Engagement Strategies

• Mutually Beneficial Agreements: Ensure that any partnership agreement provides clear value to both parties, whether through shared exposure, revenue, or content.
• Regular Communication: Maintain open lines of communication to manage collaborative projects effectively and align on goals and expectations.
• Promotion Across Channels: Use all available channels, like your website, social media, email newsletters, and even physical locations, to promote partnership activities.

Community Engagement

Engaging with the community helps humanize your brand, build customer loyalty, and increase local support. It’s about creating meaningful interactions and giving back to the community that supports your business.

Platforms and Tasks

• Social Media Interactions: Regularly engage with followers by responding to comments, participating in local groups, and sharing local news or events.
  • Example: Use Instagram or Facebook Live to host Q&A sessions, share helpful tips, or showcase community events you’re involved in.
• Forums and Online Communities: Participate in relevant online forums like Reddit, local Facebook groups, or Nextdoor, where you can contribute to discussions, offer expertise, and promote community events.
  • Example: Join landscaping or home improvement discussions to provide advice, increasing your visibility as an expert in the field.
• Webinars and Workshops: Host free or low-cost workshops for the community to teach skills related to your business.
  • Example: Offer a free workshop on sustainable gardening techniques or seasonal lawn care tips.

Engagement Strategies

• Consistent Community Presence: Regularly participate in community activities and online discussions to keep your business actively engaged with local customers.
• Event Hosting and Sponsorship: Host or sponsor events that align with your business’s niche and community interests, providing a platform for direct interaction with potential customers.
• Leverage Local Media: Reach out to local newspapers, radio stations, or TV channels to cover your community involvement or offer your expertise on relevant topics.

In the final step, your digital marketing strategy should focus on establishing strong local and online partnerships and deepening community ties. This approach not only boosts your business’s profile but also enriches your brand’s connection with customers and the local area. 

Depending on the scope of the activities, you might spend 3-5 hours per week on these initiatives. This time is well-spent, as it fosters relationships that can lead to both immediate benefits and long-term loyalty and support.

Conclusion

You can reach an amazing number of audience and build a community for your small business for free by putting 3 to 6 hours of effort into your business daily. While there are paid promotion options, the organic way is more sustainable. It plays a significant role in building your brand for the long term. 

Therefore, although you have a budget for paid promotions, you should still put effort into building your brand organically. Organic marketing efforts should be a regular part of your operational activities.