Small to medium-sized businesses are struggling with limited marketing resources and they can’t afford for large ad spend. Most SMB marketers have to deal with frustrations with their advertising options as their resources often limit the people that they can reach.

But do you really need to spend a fortune to become successful as a local business owner?

Have you ever thought of other ways you can do to promote your local business for FREE? Or any efforts you can do at all?

Here are 5 ways you can promote your local business without spending on paid ads.

List your business

People go online to search for services and businesses and you can’t afford to miss the chance to appear in their searches. By listing your local business to big listing services such as Google My Business, Yahoo! Local or Microsoft’s Bing, you increase the chance of people finding you and potentially availing your services of purchases your products. It’s very easy to do, takes only a few minutes to sign up and did I mention that it’s FREE?

Social media

Social media isn’t just about gaining more exposure, it has now become a necessary investment for all businesses. Especially for SMB marketers who are struggling for paid ads, social media is something to take advantage of. But remember social media is something you should pay attention to. You have to understand how the platform works and how you can use it effectively in promoting your local business. 

Create contests and giveaways

Another way of promoting your local business is to do promos, contests and giveaways that will drag people to your business. You can promote it through your social media or directly tell people about it. By organizing small giveaways, you increase people’s excitement and the chance to boost referrals. Remember, there is no need to spend too much, just use the resources that are available to you.

Promote referrals

There are no sweetest words for business owners than the words of referrals. Make sure that you value your customers by improving your customer service, products or services offered. Also, make sure that you keep track of your reviews online. Most people consider reviews when deciding on business or services.

Engage in community events

There should be a lot of local events that you can be part of and take advantage of. By increasing your engagement and publicity, in a way you promote your business. Guess what, you could end up being featured in other websites or businesses too.

You see, there could be countless ways to promote your business and build it for success without having to spend so much in paid ads. All you need to have an eye for opportunity. You should be able to understand ways how you can promote your business by any chance and of course time and effort. Success needs consistency. You have to show up every day and do your part. If not, you will never be able to grow your business the way you dreamed it.