PromoteIf you think you don’t have the budget to leverage blogs, social media sites, online communities or even Google services for your business – think again!

These days there are plenty of ways to promote your business online without investing huge amounts of money. Of course, you will have to invest a bit of time but the results for your business will make it totally worth your while.

Use these four tips to promote your business online without spending…

Join Facebook Groups

Look for Facebook groups that are relevant to your business and where there could potentially be plenty of prospective customers. If you’re a dog grooming business, look for dog lover communities in your city or if you’re a motor mechanic, why not look for all the car lover groups out there.

Use Pinterest and Instagram

Of all the social media sites out there, these two offer an easy and colourful way to build an audience. Both Pinterest and Instagram users are fanatical about wonderful images about almost anything. If you have something to sell – the audiences on these sites are crying out for great photos of your products.

Submit Articles on Blog Sites

Everyone loves a blog article that contains the information they’ve been searching for.  But if you don’t have the capacity on your business website to create regular blog posts, look for a blog relevant to your business and ask the owner of the site if you could be a guest contributor.

Take Part in Online Forums

There are plenty of online forums out there, so take the time to find the ones that will have followers that you’re trying to target. Join the community, look at how they work and wait for opportunities to talk about your business as subtly as you can. It’s not the place for a ‘hard sell’ but the occasional casual mention won’t do you any harm.

Remember, at the end of the day it’s all about trying to add value to any target audience you form a connection with online – to build credibility and awareness of your business. Another quick tip is to plot your co-ordinates on Google Maps because once people know who you are – you want them to be able to find you!