Marketing is not all about advertising.  It encompasses everything from the initial concept of your business all the way through to how you deliver your products or services.  Most big businesses will spend a lot of money on their marketing, and when budgets get tight, it is easy to think about cutting your marketing budget.  Whilst this is not a good idea in the majority of cases there are a number of effective no cost marketing techniques that you can employ; and many of these can be especially good for small businesses or people attempting to start a business on their own.

Social Media

We have talked about social media a lot recently on Pingler.com and the reason for this is that it can be truly effective when done correctly.  Sites like Facebook, Twitter, Stumble Upon and Digg can all help to advertise your business for free.  Remember to include social media buttons on your website or blog for this to have the highest effect.

Guest Blog Posts

Backlinks are essential when it comes to ranking high for your keywords, and one way to get these is through guest blog posts.  If you are an expert in a specific field, contact some high PR blogs and ask them if you can post on their site for free in exchange for a backlink.  Most high ranking website owners are busy people and if they feel that you can contribute positively towards their blog they will be more than happy to say yes.

Press Releases

Writing and distributing a press release is a great way to spread the word about your business.  If you don’t know how to write one, have a look online – there are lots of websites who will give you step to step guides and help save you the costs of a writer.  Once your press release is ready to go, distribute it on some free press release sites and watch the traffic come in.

Forums

Forums are a great place to find new customers especially if you post on forums that are relevant to the niche of your business.  You can build up a reputation on forums by answering questions, helping out other members and giving honest feedback.  If a forum member feels like you have helped them out they are likely to visit your site and return the favour – especially if they are interested in the type of business you have.

Focus on Organic Search Engine Rankings

Take the time to learn SEO and optimise your website correctly.  Organic traffic costs absolutely no money if you know what you are doing (it will cost a lot to hire an SEO expert) but it will take time to learn the tips and tricks of the trade.  Once your blog or website starts ranking for organic keywords you can watch the traffic flood in and know that the time you spent learning and optimising your site was worth it.

If your business is in its early stages, there is no way that you will be able to compete with the big websites in your niche unless you have a lot of money.  You can however start to compete with the small businesses for no cost at all.  Once your income begins to grow, you can then implement paid marketing strategies to really market your website like the big guns in your niche!  Good luck!