I am a firm believer that you don’t need to spend a ton of money to kickstart marketing your business.
Is it helpful to throw some money toward your marketing efforts? Absolutely. Is it necessary? Absolutely not.
One common marketing myth that I hear ALL the time is that marketing your business is expensive and can only be done by the pros. And I’m here to tell you that’s wrong! As long as you have the will to learn, you’re going to be okay.
In this post, I break down eight free marketing tools you should be using to leverage your online presence and grow your audience.
Hootsuite
An oldy but a goody Hootsuite is one of the most well known social media publishing tools today. Back in the day, Hootsuite used to be the pinnacle of all social media publishing tools, but within the past few years, competitors have launched equally as good if not better options. However, Hootsuite is a great starting point for social media and offers a Free version for your first 3 social media platforms.
In addition, Hootsuite has an array of features, including listening streams for you to monitor the conversation, analytics, and a variety of resources walking you through social media best practices.
Canva
Graphics are an essential part of marketing your online business. In a recent study, when people heard information, they were likely to remember only 10% of that information three days later. However, if a relevant image was paired with that same information, people retained 65% of the information three days later.
Canva has tons of free templates available for you to use, making it easy even if you have zero graphic design experience.
Check out my Instagram account- I design most of my images using Canva!
Unsplash
When you’re first getting started with your business, you may not have original images on hand that you can use for social media or your website. That’s where stock photography comes in. Photographers upload generic photos they took to an image bank, and you can search for the kind of image you need. There are many different stock image photography sites to choose from, but my favorite is Unsplash. With over 1 million high-resolution photos to choose from, this is a great option.
SEMRush
If you’re ready to dip your toes into the SEO pool, SEMrush is a great place to start! SEMrush started out in 2008 as a small group of SEO and IT specialists united by one mission: making online competition fair and transparent, with equal opportunities for everyone.
Paid plans are available but rather expensive, especially if you’re just starting out. Although the free program is limited, it gives you an excellent foundation to start with when analyzing your business.
If you have a website start your free site audit today: https://www.semrush.com/siteaudit/
Google Analytics
If you have a website, Google Analytics is one of the most essential free marketing tools you should have in your toolbox. If you aren’t measuring your efforts, you might as well be throwing darts blindfolded at a dartboard.
Peter Drucker is often quoted saying, “you can’t manage what you can’t measure.” Simply stated, this means that your actions should be backed up by data. Every initiative should be monitored to see how it is resonating with your audience. Don’t be that person who spends thousands of dollars without reporting on whether your campaigns were efficient and resonating with your audience. Having the proper tracking setup could save your time and money and allow your business to pivot when necessary.
Setup your free Google Analytics account today.
MailChimp
All businesses should have some type of email marketing list setup and in place. The strategy behind this service may differ from industry to industry, but with a 1:40 ROI, email marketing is one of the most profitable channels.
Mailchimp has a fantastic free plan up to your first 2000 subscribers. You really can’t beat it! Now, you may want to switch over to something a little more fit for growth like Convert Kit, but Mailchimp is a great place to start.
Grammarly
Everyone, marketing or not, should have Grammarly. I remember seeing commercials for Grammarly years ago and thinking, “how is this different from my Microsoft word spellcheck?” If you’re online at all, let me tell you, you need this! Where Microsoft Word has spell check Grammarly checks for spelling errors, grammatical issues, contextual issues, tone, and so much more. You will become a better writer using this tool, and if you’re able to splurge on premium, I highly recommend doing so. This tool is also highly intuitive and learns as it goes, which is great if you write often like me!
HARO
Digital PR is one of the most underrated digital marketing channels, yet it can be one of the most rewarding. Think about if you had a newspaper write an article about your business if it was a more significant publication this publicity would be huge! That’s what HARO is. The premise being connecting reporters with people who have interesting stories or information they can use to write their articles. Check your inbox three times a day (5:35 a.m., 12:35 p.m. and 5:35 p.m. ET), Monday through Friday. Look out for source requests relevant to your client’s industry, expertise, or personal experience.
Let me know in the comments which of these free marketing tools you’re using and which you plan to implement into your marketing strategy.