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10 Free Advertising Ideas for Your Business (2022)

Advertising puts your business in front of its target audience, influencing them to buy the product or service you are promoting.

While most platforms charge entrepreneurs to reach their audience, you can get free advertising for your business. Tactics such as word-of-mouth campaigns, online directory listings and email newsletters make it possible to reach potential customers without spending a single dollar.

Elements where to start? These 10 free advertising sites can spread the word about your business to get you interested.

What is free advertising?

Free advertising is just what you think it is—a strategy to help your small business get in front of your audience. You can reach your audience using online directories, guest blogs, and word-of-mouth campaigns—all without spending a single dollar on advertising.

Free online advertising strategies help entrepreneurs combat rising advertising costs. Studies show that the cost per click (CPC) for paid search ads increased by 15% between the second and third quarters of 2021 alone. Alternative (free) channels to reach your customers don’t force your business to compete in an expensive race to the bottom.

Related: Marketing vs. Advertising: How Are They Different?

1. Craigslist

Craigslist is a classified advertising website that allows people to list products and services for free. Popular categories include furniture, clothing and motorcycle parts.

As the fastest-growing consumer-to-consumer marketplace app, about 18% of buyers say it’s their platform of choice for used products.

To advertise your product for free, press the “Create post” button, select the geographic location you want to advertise in and select the appropriate category. Upload basic information about the product or service, including its price, title and description. Review the information and press Submit for your ad to go live.

A screenshot of the Craigslist website when adding a new listing
Craigslist makes it easy to advertise products and services for free.

2. ClassifiedAds.com

ClassifiedAds.com is another website that entrepreneurs can use to advertise their products and services for free. It is popular in the US, India and the UAE, gaining 580,000 visitors a month.

For free business listings on ClassifiedAds.com, choose what you sell, select a subcategory and add basic details such as price, location and ad title. Then, choose when you want the listing to expire.

ClassifiedAds.com game ad listings.
ClassifiedAds.com’s gaming subcategory shows hundreds of people advertising gaming-related products.

3. Locanto

Boasting 1.9 million monthly visitors, Locanto is a free advertising website for small businesses to sell anything from arts and crafts to electronics. Reach people in your local area by posting free classified ads.

Just enter your product name, confirm the suggested category and add details to the listing.

List of Locanto mobile phone accessories for sale.
Locanto free ads for mobile phones.

4. Facebook

With more than 2.91 billion active users, Facebook is the most popular social media platform in the world. With this type of reach, more than a third of consumers plan to make a direct purchase through the platform this year. Although Facebook’s advertising platform is getting more expensive, you can use Facebook’s set of free marketing tools to advertise your business:

Facebook Shops ads from clothing brands that sell jackets.
The Tur-Shirt Company advertises for free through its Facebook Shop listing.

5. Ooodle

Ooodle allows entrepreneurs to upload free classified ads. Founded in 2004, the marketplace-style website attracts 1.7 million monthly visitors, most of whom are between the ages of 45 and 64.

An active Facebook account allows you to create an Ooodle account, select the geographic location you want to advertise in, and upload your product details.

Ooodle's search results page for items in the US.
Ooodle has tons of free classified ads under the “merchandise” category.

6. Yelp

Yelp is a free crowd-sourced local business review site. It is the most visited public records and directory site in the world, attracting 205 million visitors per month.

It’s free to create a Yelp listing and is best suited for businesses that have a physical location, such as their own store, gym or restaurant. Work to get reviews from past customers and be in reach to appear in the top 10 results for your target market’s Yelp search.

Yelp search results for businesses in North Lake Tahoe.
Businesses with high ratings usually appear at the top of local search results on Yelp.

7. OLX

OLX has multiple markets in over 30 countries, including Brazil, India, Portugal and South Africa. It’s free for small business owners to create listings to advertise anything from cars to apartments.

OLX product listing for bluetooth wireless headphones.
Entrepreneurs can sell products, such as these wireless bluetooth headphones, on the OLX marketplace.

8. Google Business Profile

Previously known as Google My Business, Google Business Profiles help small businesses appear in Google search results—where 81% of shoppers rate local businesses (up from 63% from the previous year).

Claim your free Google Business Profile and upload information about your business, including its hours of operation, location and phone number. An optimized profile will appear on both search engine results pages and Google Maps when local shoppers search for businesses like yours.

Google Maps search results for
Strawberries & Cream appears in Google Maps results for “children’s clothing”, providing the brand with free advertising.

9. Local independent chamber of commerce

States across the US have local chambers of commerce. It is the largest business organization in the world, acting as a reference source for entrepreneurs.

The chamber of commerce offers memberships starting at $295 per year. Part of that membership may include free advertising, networking opportunities and monthly email blasts to more than 30,000 contacts.

The NYC Chamber of Commerce business directory shows local architectural firms.
The New York City Chamber of Commerce has a business directory for local businesses.

10. eBay

eBay is one of the most popular marketplaces in the world. Some 124 million buyers logged 1.6 billion product listings in Q1 2022 alone, generating $11.9 billion.

Small business owners can list up to 250 items per month for free on eBay. You will only be charged for your ad once the product is sold. This value fee is around 12.55% plus 30¢ per order, meaning you only pay if your ad works.

To start advertising for free on eBay, open an eBay store and connect the Shopify channel. Any new inventory added to your online store will be automatically synced to eBay.

Shopify integration with eBay
Add eBay integration to your Shopify store to advertise on the marketplace.

What free advertising ideas would you choose?

There are many free advertising ideas above to help your business grow. Some may work better for your business model or industry. Fierce competition and an oversaturated industry doesn’t mean your small business has to pay for advertising to be seen.

Free advertising FAQ

Why should I use free advertising?

The rising cost of paid advertising channels means small business owners are competing for brand visibility. Free online advertising strategies help entrepreneurs combat rising advertising costs and give business owners the ability to experiment with channels and audience engagement as they grow.

What are some free advertising tactics?

Some free advertising tactics are word of mouth campaigns, online directory listings and email newsletters. This channel makes it possible to reach potential customers without spending a single dollar.

What is the most important thing about this free advertising tactic?

The most important thing about this free advertising tactic is that it is proven to get your business in front of an audience. Once you’re there, make sure they know why you stand out from your competition.

source: https://www.shopify.co.id/blog/free-advertising

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