In addition to paid banner advertising, Google or Facebook ads, companies have a diverse range of options for placing free ads on the Internet. These are the 8 most important ones:
1. Company website
A company-own website is essential for showcasing your company on the Internet. There are numerous service providers who, for little money, develop a modular system which makes it easy for you to create a website. If you only need a few functions, these may even be in part or completely free of charge.
2. Corporate blog
The generation and maintenance of an own corporate blog is more time-consuming than a website, but it pays off – granted you place high-quality, informative content which is relevant to the company and interesting for customers. A comment function also enables direct interaction with users. The domain required, which is in addition to the company website, is often included in the webhosting package.
3. Google My Business listing
With Google My Business, enterprises can present their profile free of charge on Google Maps and in the Google search results list – including photos, videos or special advertising promotions. This kind of business listing is today more or less obligatory, as it ensures better visibility in the search results and offers potential customers the chance to contact you quickly and easily.
„This kind of business listing is today more or less obligatory, as it ensures better visibility in the search results and offers potential customers the chance to contact you quickly and easily.“
4. Profile on business networks
A company profile on business networks such as XING or LinkedIn offers a host of advantages. Companies can cultivate and foster their business contacts here, can hire employees or build up their brand.
The free basic version is ideal for merely presenting your company. In the fee-based version, logos, photos, videos and detailed information about your company can be published.
5. Profile on social media platforms
A company page on social media platforms like Facebook also offer you the opportunity to place free ads on the Internet. The organic, in other words unpaid, reach is indeed limited, but with the relevant content, you can gain new fans even without paid posts and intensify your contact with the target group.
6. Profile on B2B platforms
For B2B enterprises, B2B platforms such as Europages are especially ideal – the free listing enables you bring attention to your company. After all, many of these portals have a huge reach and offer access to millions of products and services in the B2B sector. With the right platform presence, B2B companies have a good chance of reaching potential customers fast and in a professional way.
7. Email marketing
If you have built up a customer base, you can regularly animate your customers using free email marketing. At the same time, potential customers can be turned into actual buyers with the right offers via a newsletter. The important thing: remember to consider the EU GDPR.
8. Press and public relations
The distribution of press releases with relevant content brings a company into the public spotlight if they are picked up in articles from other publications. The mention of a company in online media often includes inbound links which lead the reader back to your company website, where, in turn, the relevance of your own offer is reinforced. If you also make a name for yourself as an expert, you can market your own company via articles on third-party blogs or by giving interviews.
Free advertising as part of the marketing mix
If you want to generate long-term customer growth and increase sales, you should make sure you have a reasonable mix of several channels and advertising forms when it comes to online advertising. The many options for free ads on the Internet are also suitable for determining where your target group can be found online. This enables you to ascertain which kind of paid marketing campaigns are the most profitable for a company. For instance, if the company profile on social networks is frequently visited, this is a sign of a successful social ad campaign.
