Well-written advertising tells potential customers what your business offers.
Advertising is the lifeblood of any business, and it is especially important for new businesses. Nothing can guarantee that a business venture will be a success, but creating and executing a solid marketing plan can certainly improve the business' odds of success. Businesses can make use of a variety of new and old technologies to promote themselves for free.
Local Blogs
The term Web 2.0 is frequently bandied about with much fanfare. By all accounts this technology seems to be a big deal, but not all business owners understand the phrase or the technologies behind it. Web 2.0 refers to a set of technologies used to connect people across the Internet, and a blog is just one of the tools. A blog, an online journal of sorts, has the potential to be a powerful tool for business owners in that it allows them to conduct a good deal of self-promotion on the Internet. Not only can businesses begin their own free blogs to promote their products and services, but they can also frequent other well-known blogs to promote their businesses to those audiences.
Craigslist
Craigslist allows people to place online classified advertisements at no cost. As a business owner, you can advertise your business and its wares on this website with no out-of-pocket cost. Determine what your ad copy will say, type it into the online interface and click the "submit" button.
Build Your Own Website
Another option to business owners is to take advantage of free website hosting offers available on the Internet. A host site allows a business to use the site's design interface to create a custom page that provides all of the information about the company, and hosts it online for free. A downside to taking the free approach, as opposed to paying for a hosting plan, is that these sites typically have prominently displayed banner advertisement on the pages. Still, if businesses don't mind the advertisement, the free sites will allow them to start advertising for free.
Facebook, a social networking website, has gained a significant following since it was launched in 2004. The sheer volume of users--more than 350 million as of 2010--makes it a popular place to promote a business for free.
Word of Mouth
Finally, the old-fashioned way to promote a business for free is by word of mouth. An old advertising adage states that each customer will tell seven other people about his experience with a business. Providing service and products that meet or exceed customer expectations will ensure patrons share positive feedback with the other people they run into on a daily basis.
