Corporate companies spend tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of Rands only to have that few-seconds commercial appear at halftime of a Springboks’ game.
The good news is that you do not need to go bankrupt promoting your company. Using this blog, you will have access to a list of free websites that can help you reach and engage your target audience.
Facebook is not just for posting selfies or updating your relationship status every few months anymore. With around two billion active users, many businesses today utilize this platform to reach their clients and advertise their products and or services.
Today you will be one of them. Facebook has a variety of features to help you grow and connect with your client base.
Ways to catch clients’ attention and attract potential new ones
Stories
The Story feature allows you to share images and videos between scheduled posts that your audience can view for up to 24 hours.
Take advantage of this tool to showcase upcoming events or provide some behind-the-scenes insight into the process of making your product or providing your service.
Liven up your social media feed
Interact with followers in real-time, and answer frequently asked questions. Provide a glimpse into the world of a business owner and entrepreneur, host an online seminar or showcase upcoming products.
Spark conversation
Utilize the Facebook Messenger tool to communicate directly with your audience. Participate in Facebook group discussions or ask engaging questions within your posts.
Post more video content
invideo predicts that by 2022, online videos will constitute 82% of all consumer internet traffic, 15 times more than in 2017. In light of this, it is therefore advisable for you to post video content.
It doesn’t need to be a marvel-quality video, just under a minute long is perfect, since online viewers’ attention span seems to be 60 seconds, according to Wista.
Relatable content
Whether it’s wishing a happy women’s day or posting trendy memes, customers appreciate business owners who can show a different side to them versus business-as-usual everyday.
Small businesses don’t need to run advertising campaigns to appear on the first page of Google’s search results.
Want to know a marketing secret?
Google wants people to find relevant, local search results when they are looking for tags like restaurants, salons, or hardware stores.
Registering your business on google
- With Google My Business, you can create a Google business profile.
- You will need to enter your company’s address, contact information, and operating hours.
- Include a logo or a picture of your business’s exterior.
- If possible, set up a Google Places profile for your company, as it can help people to find you with more ease.
Increase traffic
Google Analytics
Once you start showing up in results, and you have your own website, you can use Google’s analytics tools to determine which keywords are bringing traffic to your site.
By using this information, Google Analytics can improve your local search engine rankings by refining your description and website.
Photo Gallery
Images should feature your clients or employees in a joyful environment.
Provide essential information
Include your phone number, operating hours, and health and safety measures.
Keep your site up-to-date
Share promotions, upcoming events, operating hours during public holidays, etc.
Responding to reviews
Establish trust with new and returning customers by responding to public customer reviews.
Get in touch with customers directly
If a client asks a simple question, don’t leave them hanging for days. Create an automated response system to answer those frequently asked questions, if you are too busy to respond.
Include your services or products
Provide a list of what your business has to offer, from beauty products to menu items. Consider including a pricelist to further optimize the user experience.
YouTube
There is no need to go overboard wehn making videos for YouTube. It is a time-consuming process but shouldn’t cost you thousands of rands.
What’s the point of creating a free YouTube account when you spend a fortune on video production equipment?
The only resource you need for recording and editing the videos is a smartphone, you are not making a movie, you are making a YouTube video.
Video content to promote your business
- Tutorials on how to use your products.
- Video documentation of your professional services.
- The journey of owning a small business through first-person “vlogging”.
You’ll reap the rewards of your work if your videos become viral on YouTube! However, even if viewership is small, the videos can improve your search engine rankings and serve as a fun, engaging way to answer customers’ questions.
Ways to reach a wider audience
Target keywords
Make sure your titles and descriptions contain target keywords. Finding keyword ideas can be done with the help of a tool such as Keywordtool.io. You can always count on “best of” lists or “how-to” titles, if the “creative juices run dry”.
Categories and tags
Besides categories, you can also add tags to your videos to give YouTube’s algorithm more context as to who it should recommend your videos.
Thumbnails
Adding custom thumbnails to your videos will improve their appearance and signal professionalism.
“Going live”
Live streaming is among the most popular social media trends at this moment and it’s not going away any time soon. “Go live” and host a webinar, Q&A session or provide some tutorials.
Afribaba
On Arifbaba, users can post free classified ads for new or used items.
The process is as simple as choosing your country, category, and subcategory and then posting your ad. Furthermore, the platform allows you to upload up to four free images of your product or service.
Arifbaba is thus an efficient, fast, and cost-effective way to promote your business in the local market. By connecting sellers and buyers, the platform creates a supply and demand relationship.
It enables companies and individuals to easily and freely distribute their advertisements in any part of their daily lives.
With 120 categories for listing your ads, Afribaba offers everything from job search resumes to real estate, cars and local services.
The LinkedIn professional network combines all the features of a job search site, recruiting app, social media platform, and professional network in one.
With a LinkedIn company page, you can show potential clients, partners, and employees the significance of your products or the exception of your services.
Professionalizing your profile page
- Incorporate your company’s name and logo into your profile picture and banner.
- Include information about your company, a link to your website, and an overview of the services and benefits you offer in your About section.
Ways to retain interest
Consistency
Keeping your audience engaged requires regular, engaging posts.
Keep it up to date
It is critical to update your LinkedIn page regularly to attract potential clients and retain them, to ultimately generate sales.
Relevant content
Provide your audience with news articles that pertain to their interests, such as cosmetology articles if you are a Cosmetologist.
From spreading awareness about damaging beauty products to educating readers on how to style their hair, these articles can inform readers on a variety of topics.
Getting your name out there
Engage in relevant LinkedIn groups and discussions, or promote your products or services to gain exposure.
Marketing is often viewed in a distorted manner. Many businesses assume that reaching new potential clients will cost them an arm and a leg, but as we have proved that is not always the case.
With some “digging on the internet”, the right tools and attitude, one can reach their target audience, establish a relationship of trust and win them over.
