Starting off your blog or biz with no marketing budget? Don’t fret! We’ve definitely all started somewhere and although there may not be major advertising dollars to put behind your business just yet, with the right positioning you can still get in front of your target audience effectively. It wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t mention that it may take a little longer to market yourself online with little to no budget but saying it’s impossible is untrue. Let’s get straight into how to market your blog or business for free!

1. Know your Target Audience

One of the first steps you should take before marketing your blog or business online is to make sure that you thoroughly understand who your target audience is. Your target audience is the demographic of people that you feel will be most interested in your brand. If you’re in the process of determining just who that group is, first start off with broad descriptions, then get laser focused in their potential interests, activities, age group, etc. Take this example for instance:

Broad Description: Millennials with a clean lifestyle.

Laser Focused Description: Gender: Females, Age: 18-30, Shops at: Wholefoods, Sprouts, etc, Activities: Gym, biking, etc.

Knowing your target audience will give you an idea of where to go when marketing for free whether it’s online or in person. If you don’t know who exactly you’re targeting, you’ll find that the content you’re sharing won’t reach the correct audience or fall in line in what your target audience actually likes. When your marketing budget does expand, it’s very important to know the ins and outs of your target audience because that will be an important piece when getting into different methods of advertising.

2. Join Relevant Facebook Groups

Facebook groups are definitely a hidden gem when it comes to sharing your business. There are tons of groups that target various people from niche based bloggers to even those who are following a Keto diet. You can leverage these groups by sharing valuable knowledge (show that you are a subject matter expert) and get your brand in front of the face of others. As a blogger, instead of keeping it vague by saying “Hey, check out my blog!”, try sharing any relevant blog posts you’ve created based on some of the topics that others are discussing in the group. For business owners, you can use that opportunity to plug in what you offer by asking the group an engaging question that is relevant to your business or simply engaging with other members.

3. Optimize Your Written Content

Don’t have any written content for your biz just yet? Trust me you’re missing out! Having written content on your website such a blog posts gives you the opportunity to optimize the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and leverage that content to drive individuals to your website. Ranking for specific keywords proves that you have authority in that particular subject when folks are searching for it on Google, and landing on the first page of that search engine will be great for business. Search Engine Optimization can get fairly technical (Think sitemaps, render blocking javascript or HTTP status codes), so it pays to dive deep into it, especially if you’re going to be a full time blogger driving traffic to your website.

Related: 3 Easy Ways to Increase Traffic to Your Blog

4. Collaborate, Collaborate, Collaborate!

As a blog or business owner, collaborating with others is a great way to spread the word about your business. As a blogger, collaborating by means of guest writing or creating content with a fellow blogger are both wonderful ways to help spread your presence online. For business owners, offering giveaways and collaborating with different influencers on social media will help push your brand in front of your target audience. Pro Tip: If planning a giveaway, ask those who enter to tag 2 friends as a step for entry or even have them repost the giveaway image on their page. Using methods such as these will get your brand in front of the face of others which can turn into consistent customers.

5. Build & Use Your Email List

Having an email list is one of the best ways to communicate directly to individuals who are actually interested in your business or blog. Mailchimp is a great email marketing tool that allows you to easily create lists, opt in forms, and track conversions which will help your better understand your lists interests. I always recommend spending quite a bit of time building up your email list and luckily there are a number of ways to do so with little to no marketing budget. Great ways to build your list is by offering a free incentive to your audience, providing a promotional code that can be used towards a product/service that you offer, or as an entry requirement through a giveaway that you’re running.

While marketing without a budget can be intimidating, you shouldn’t let that deter you when starting a business or launching your blog. Use these tools to get started and be sure to let me know in the comments which one worked best for you!