Whether you’re starting a new business, or you have been in business for a while, it’s important to make sure your business can be found online. The online marketing world is constantly changing, but luckily, there are many free ways to get your business found on the internet. In this blog post we’ll walk you through the top FREE ways to get your business found online.
1. Claim or create your Google My Business (GMB) listing: This is also known as the map section on Google. You get to claim your listing for free for the city you’re located in. For example, if someone is searching for “roofers near me” and their company is located in the city of Detroit and you are in Detroit when the search is made, your company could show up on the map section.
To do this, simply go to https://www.google.com/business/ and sign in with a Google/Gmail account. If you don’t have one you can create one for free. From there, you’ll need to fill out important information about your business and Google will either call you or e-mail you a postcard with a code on it to verify that you’re really a business. If your business works out of your home, don’t worry, you do not have to have your home address listed. You can simply choose to hide your address and it’ll say “serving” whatever city you are located in.
2. Create a Facebook business page: This is different than a personal Facebook page and many business owners get this confused. You’ll need a personal Facebook page to be able to create a business page. Here’s a step by step guide on how to do set up a Facebook business page https://www.facebook.com/business/pages/set-up Don’t forget to invite your Facebook friends to like your page. Facebook is a great free platform to get the word out about your business. Eventually, you can also run ads to try and get business from people who are on Facebook if you’d like.
3. Create or Claim your business on online directories: Yahoo, Bing, YP.com, Yelp, Manta, Superpages, etc. there are many different sites out there that offer the opportunity for you to be listed for free. The process is similar to claiming your Google my business page, but each site is different. The reason to get listed on these sites is that there are people searching for services or products you offer, and you should want to get in front of those people if you can do it for free.
Be prepared however to get called by sales representatives of these companies trying to sell you on “enhanced listings” or “premium placements.” Don’t pay for these, they’re not worth the investment, just make sure you’re listed for free with a completed profile. Each industry is different, but here are 12 sites we recommend making sure you’re listed on with links to get you started:
· Yelp · Bing · Yellow Pages · Angies List · Better Business Bureau (BBB) · Yahoo! · White Pages · Manta · Super Pages · Apple Maps · Instagram · LinkedIn (You must have a personal LinkedIn page)
4. Create a YouTube channel: Google also owns YouTube so you’ll need a Google/Gmail account to create a YouTube channel. YouTube is free and is a great place to upload videos for your business. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have any fancy video cameras, the quality of phone cameras is so good now that you can create a nice-looking video with your cell phone. You can create a YouTube channel here https://www.youtube.com/create_channel
5. Blog: Be sure to add a blog page to your website. A blog is a great way to talk about products or services and show your expertise on a subject matter. You could also share success stories of work you’ve done in the past for a customer- they love being in the spotlight! Tips and tricks are other good blog topics that people enjoy reading and learning more of. Be creative and have fun with it!
If you’ve utilized all five of these free online marketing options, and you’re still looking for ways to help increase sales, then paid ads are a great way to do that. Here at MPH Marketing Solutions, we specialize in paid ads on Google, Google Local Service Ads, Facebook Ads, YouTube Ads, Online Display Ads and more! Give us a call today for a free marketing consultation at (248) 702-4382 and we’ll show you how we can help shift your business into high gear!
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