The phone isn’t ringing. Your email box has dried up. Your bank account is dwindling…
It’s a sad cycle. You need more clients, but you don’t have any money to sink into marketing. So you’re stuck in this dry spell, with no way out. Right?
Actually, there are tons of free marketing tools that will allow you to target your niche. And while free doesn’t equal easy, you can make a solid niche marketing strategy based on all free tools. Then work like hell to capture your niche’s attention.
1. Create an Online Platform with a Professional Website
Did you know that 53% of small businesses don’t have a website? This is insane, considering the number of free resources available to build a website.
You can use your website as the platform for your new marketing strategy. Consider it your online home base. You can create a sales page, write blog posts, add pictures, video, testimonials, articles, and any other relevant information that conveys your new message. Although it’s recommended to build your own independent website eventually, you can certainly start with these free resources.
Want to sell your products online? WordPress is one of the most popular website platforms. There are hundreds of plugins to choose from if you want to sell your work from a WordPress site. Picking the right one is difficult as there is a huge range of different features — some are free to use but then you need to have a payment processor, while others charge to use the plugin.
WordPress and its plugins make creating and updating a website easy.
One of the most popular ecommerce solutions on WordPress is Woocommerce. It’s free to use the plugin, you just pay the transaction fees. It’s good if you want to turn your WordPress site into an online shop; however, if want to use anything other than the bundled PayPal you will have to buy one of the extensions (normally priced at $79). You will also need to take care to use a compatible theme, but there are plenty to choose from both free and paid.
An alternative if you’re looking for a simple and very easy to use solution is Selz. Selz is super easy to set up and use, and doesn’t require any coding. It allows you to sell physical, digital products, or even services. You can sign up for free, and then you’re charged a flat-rate 5% + 25 cents per sale with no monthly commitments.
Note: These are designed to be user-friendly, even for those who know nothing about building websites. Watch the tutorials and you’ll be fine.
2. Create Compelling Sales Copy
To capture your niche’s attention, you need compelling sales copy. But you want your message to look like it was designed by a professional. Anyone can take advantage of desktop publishing. But your ad shouldn’t look like you wrote it yourself.
Learn to Write Awesome Sales Copy – Words that Sell
12-Step Foolproof Sales Letter Template
5 Step Formula Based on Work of David Ogilvy
3. Write Quality Content
The more content you have out there, the more people you can reach.
Content marketing allows businesses to connect with consumers in a relevant way. Traditional advertising is a one way statement. Content marketing allows us to engage consumers in a two-way conversation, making it more relevant. This is not sales copy, but valuable information you can share with your niche.
In Crush Content Marketing in 2014: 5 Outside-the-Box Techniques That Get Results, author Brian Dean explains how to get better SEO results from content. But you’re content marketing is about establishing yourself as an expert in your industry. You can do this by writing how-to’s, product reviews, recommendation, or your take on industry news. Aim for 1500 words per article/blog post.
You can add blog posts to your website or submit them to article directories with high pagerank. This includes:
4. Create an Email List & Newsletter
An email list is a great way to stay connected with your niche. If you don’t already have an email list, you can use Mail Chimp for free. When you have your email list ready, it’s time to create newsletters or promote your blog posts, articles, etc. Mail Chimp has resources to help you get started and give you more ideas. Also check out their How to Create an Email Marketing Plan
5. Write an eBook or Manifesto
Another great way to establish yourself as an expert in your niche is to write an eBook. Put together a simple eBook from articles you’ve already written, or write something completely new. If you want a step-by-step guide, check out 13 Steps to Write and Publish a Free eBook in 13 Hours. Topics of your eBook could be:
- Top 5 or 10 lists
- Proven methods to improve…
- How to fix/create/solve/improve etc.
- Workbook
- 101-style
- Resource guide
You could also write a Manifesto. A manifesto is a statement of either your personal intentions, or the intentions for your business.
5 Ways to Write a Blow-Your-Mind Manifesto
Why Everyone Should Write a Manifesto
Use your eBook or manifesto to entice readers to join your email list, share on your social media networks, or give away to potential clients.
6. Relevant Social Media Networking
However you feel about social media (generally love it or hate it), it can help you connect with your niche. You can attempt to grab your niches attention on Twitter or Facebook. Or you can find where your niche hangs out online (think forums & groups). You’ll have more luck connecting to your niche on their turf, not yours.
Facebook & Twitter are can reach broad markets, but there are thousands of niche social networks out there that cater to groups with more focused interests. Reddit and its Subreddits are a great place to start. LinkedIn also has hundreds of niche groups. If you want to incorporate Facebook and Twitter, start with specific groups, not your personal or business page.
Find your niche and start networking. But don’t jump into sales mode immediately. This strategy takes time. And to help manage your social media strategy, try HootSuite. It can help you manage five social profiles, schedule updates, and see basic analytics.
7. Create a Video
Video ads are 40% more engaging than articles or print messages. This is huge! Take advantage of this by creating your own promotional video. There are several free and low-cost options. And don’t worry; you don’t need a lot of technical experience to do this.
Check out Viddyad or Visible Spectrum and their free options.
Some visitors are more interested to watch your content than to read it.
Post your video on your website, social media sites, and your blog. You can also post them on video channels like YouTube, or post them to your Google local business listing.
Possible topics for videos include:
- Sale or promotion
- Testimonials
- Type of service or product you offer
- Simple how-to’s
- Introduce your staff
- A tour of your office or location
- Case study
8. Personalized Business Cards
Business cards are an old standby, but also can have costly set-up costs. Fortunately, you can get them printed for free. Please note that the free options are limited, and you want to create something that looks unique. You may not be able to use your logo, but you can try to create a business card that matches your brands image. Try anyone of these businesses that offer free cards:
9. Create Unique Graphics and Infographics
Visuals are processed 60,000x faster in the brain than text. That’s why it’s essential to create high quality graphics that quickly grab your markets attention. And don’t be scared away from trying to create something unique for your business just because you’re not a skilled graphic artist. Anyone can make professional graphics with a little effort and imagination.
Graphics
Even if you’re not artistic, you can create eye-catching graphics for your business. Canva is a simply platform to create flyers, presentations, Facebook covers, business cards, and posters. It allows anyone the ability to create professional looking graphics. You can also try Inkscape, which is a professional vector graphics editor. It’s free and open source but isn’t as easy as Canva. It does, however, offer tutorials for anyone who wants to learn how to design.
Infographics
Here’s some interesting facts about infographics:
Infographics are a quick and interesting way to convey information.
- Publishers who use infographics grow in traffic an average of 12% more than those who don’t
- In just over two years, infographic search volume has increased over 800%
Infographics are a great way to create unique content, but also create something that people want to share. And don’t worry that you’re not a graphic designer. These tools allow anyone to make beautiful and creative infographics.
This is why you should incorporate infographics into your content media strategy. Choose something helpful or valuable for your niche. Then start sharing!
How to Create an Infographic in an Hour or Less [5 Free PPT Templates]
10. Google, Bing & Yahoo Business
The king of search engines, Google, has a ton of free resources for businesses. You can get your business listed on Search, Maps, Google+, and mobile devices. If you have a brick-and-mortar store, this is an essential step. And don’t forget Bing and Yahoo.
It may take a few weeks to get verified, but it’s worth it to get listed for free. And remember, they may try to get you to upgrade your accounts (especially Yahoo). But overall, this is great advertising for free.
Be Specific – Don’t Market to Everyone!
There’s a good reason you should market specifically to a niche. Hawking your wares to everyone seldom works. It’s like shouting in a crowded room – no one listens. On the other hand, if you target specifically to a niche market, they might pay attention.
Rethink your marketing strategy. Don’t give up just because your marketing budget is zero. That’s the time to leverage every free tool out there, and create a smart marketing strategy designed to grab your niche’s attention.
Author: Liesha Petrovich is the creator of Micro Business Essentials, a unique business blog exclusively for micro businesses. If you’re looking for fast, affordable, and effective tips to help your business grow, click here to grab a copy of Micro Business Essentials Toolkit: Free and Low Cost Resources.
The post Top 10 Free Ways to Market to Your Niche appeared first on Get Busy Media.
