- Paid advertising might work quickly,
but did you know that organic traffic
is actually way more effective in the long run?
And, it goes without saying that it's a lot cheaper too.
So, if you're an entrepreneur looking
for new ways to promote your business
without needing a big budget,
you've come to the right place.
in this video, I'm going to tell you why organic traffic
is a much better long term strategy for your business,
and then share 11 free or very cheap ways
that you can boost visitors to your online store this year.
You don't need a lot of money to increase
your brand awareness, just some good ideas and a little bit
of elbow grease.
So without further ado, here are some reasons
why you should be prioritizing organic advertising
for your business.
First of all, consider that paid advertising only works
for exactly as long as you pay for it.
When you stop spending, your traffic stops too.
So while this can work really well in the short term,
it's not going to keep supporting your business over time.
But if you compare this to a well-positioned blog post
with great SEO or even a YouTube video
like you're watching right now,
the work you put into content like
this can drive free traffic to your business
for literally years to come.
Also, despite all the hype, paid advertising
is not just this easy low hanging fruit waiting
for you to grab it.
Even if you have a really high ad budget,
you're still going to need to put a lot
of time and effort into nailing your messaging
and targeting the right audience.
This can actually be a lot
of work if you're not already an expert
and most entrepreneurs don't have a lot
of cash to burn on experimenting with their paid ads.
The hard truth is that promoting your business takes effort
whether you are paying for ads or not.
So, it's a good idea to diversify
and don't put all of your eggs into the paid ads basket.
Lastly, people that come to you
through organic search are a lot more likely
to actually be your ideal customers.
They're already searching for answers
to the very specific problem that your business solves.
So, they're probably going to be more engaged
from the get go.
With paid advertising,
You're usually promoting your business
to a fairly wide selection
of people based on pretty broad criteria.
This gives you a bigger reach,
but it doesn't necessarily mean you're reaching
all the exact right people.
Of course, there's no rule against using both kinds
of advertising to promote your business.
It's just that most advice out there focuses
on the paid kind of promotion
and ignores the true importance of organic reach.
Both can be great methods, but in this video, let's look
at some options to help you build up your traffic
with little or no budget required.
By the way,
if you're new to the world of marketing and you want
a really easy way to learn the basics, check out
our Marketing 101 webinar.
This is a free training course that will take you
from your first day in business to your very first sale
while teach you some actionable ways
to promote your products.
Click the link in the description box below
to get free access to the webinar right away.
Number one, guest posting.
When you're just starting your business,
the one thing you don't have very much of is an audience
which is why it can be a great idea
to borrow someone else's audience to help you find your own.
Guest posting, whether that's on blog, or in a newsletter,
or even on social media
can be a great way to get in front of new people
as long as you're doing it strategically.
You wanna make sure you're collaborating
with creators whose fans will be a great fit
for your products and services.
And if you're clear on your ideal customer,
it should be pretty easy for you to think
of other brands they already love and already following.
Then, you can just pitch yourself
to those same companies to see
if they'd be open to content contributions.
I recommend that you take a look
at the kind of content that these brands already create
and propose a collaboration that will be a good fit,
whether that's a useful article
for their blog or an Instagram story takeover.
And if you get nervous to reach out,
just remember that guest posting is a win-win,
because you are sharing helpful information
with their customers and at the same time,
you get to drive traffic to your own business.
Number two, get product reviews.
Product reviews are such an important part of running
a successful online store
because customers wanna know what they're getting
before they buy.
But if you're struggling to get your first few sales,
you probably don't have any reviews yet.
And if you don't wanna wait around
for customers to leave reviews,
you can get proactive about it by reaching out.
So, do your research and figure out some
of the writers, or influencers, or websites
that already offer reviews of products in your niche
and then offer to send them product for free in exchange
for an honest review.
If you have a good rate product,
you're going to get great reviews that you can use
for your website or your social media channels.
And of course, you'll be growing your reach
by getting in front of their audiences at the same time.
This strategy even works well
for service-based business owners.
You can offer sessions or packages
for free in exchange for a testimonial
which you can then use to promote your business to others.
Plus, remember that if people love a business
they usually talk about it.
So, for the cost of a few of your products or a few hours
of your time, you could potentially end up with lots
of people who are essentially doing your marketing for you
by sharing about your amazing business.
Number three, do an expert roundup.
When you're just starting out, writing a blog post all
on own isn't likely to make a big impact right away.
So, an easy way to boost your reach a little bit
is to get help from experts in your niche.
Creating a blog post or video that features recommendations
from more established creators has a lot of benefits.
Obviously, you're providing great value
to your audience by sharing this expertise,
but also depending on how good your content
is, those same experts might be willing to share the post
with their audiences as well.
The key here is to make it really easy
for the expert to say yes.
Don't be asking people to write an entire blog post
or answer tons of questions for you.
Instead, just ask for one tip,
or one story, or one recommendation that you could use
in your post or video then put together a list
of all the suggestions you get back
in a really attractive way and make sure your experts
are the stars of the show by highlighting their backgrounds
and linking to their websites.
Once your roundup is finished,
you can send them the link by email, tag of them
on social media, and ask if they'd be willing to share.
If so, you'll be seen by their audience
which is a huge boost for you.
And if not, your business will still get a leg up
by being associated with big names in your field.
Number four, find affiliates to promote your business.
Getting affiliates for your business is an awesome way
to drive traffic without needing to pay upfront
for ads that may or may not convert.
Instead, you can pay for a successful sales
from your affiliate traffic.
That way, you're rewarding people for sharing your products
and finding new fans for your business all at the same time.
And it's actually pretty simple to set up
an affiliate program, especially
if you're using a platform like Shopify,
because there are tons of easy plugins
that can get you up and running pretty quickly.
If you're just starting out, you'll probably need
to reach out to your first few affiliates
to get them on board.
And so, of course, as with all these recommendations,
do your research to make sure you're approaching people
whose interests and audience are aligned with yours.
You might wanna start with reaching out
to smaller creators who are more likely to say yes
to your program rather than super popular influencers
who probably charge big bucks for a promotion.
Start small, build your affiliate program over time,
and you might be surprised
by how many new customers you can reach.
Number five, get included in gift guides.
Getting your product featured
in a popular gift guide is a great way
to reach new customers who are ready to buy.
Of course, getting featured is easier said than done
but that doesn't mean that it's impossible.
If you're trying to get on a gift guide, make sure
you choose wisely.
Do not pitch your product
to every magazine and blog who does one
just hoping that you'll be featured somewhere.
Instead, you want to send specific relevant pitches
to a select few places and consider including samples
of your products
as with the product reviews tip that I mentioned earlier.
These publications are looking for products
that their readers and viewers will ultimately love.
So, consider it your job to make their job easier.
Tell them upfront what makes your product special
and exactly why it would be a good fit
for their specific audience.
If you do, you're much more likely to succeed
in getting your product featured.
Number six, invest in an infographic.
Most of the suggestions
on this list are built around one key idea,
which is to make it easier for other people
to share your business and message with their community.
And so, another idea in this same vein
is to create an infographic for your ideal customer.
Infographics can be incredibly shareable,
especially if they are beautifully designed
and contain lots of helpful information.
They are often featured in articles and videos, usually
with a link back to your business as the original source
which is great for your SEO and for driving traffic
to your site.
Plus, creating this kind of resource also positions
your business as a leading expert in your field,
which lends legitimacy and could help pique
your customer's interests,
especially if you're just starting out.
So, think about the problem that your product
or service solves and then put together some key facts
and ideas about that problem that would fit nicely
into an infographic.
For example, if you have a candle business,
you could put together an infographic
about the pros and cons of burning different kinds
of wax or one teaching people how to clean out
and reuse their candle jars.
The possibilities are truly endless and done right,
this can help create lots of interest in your brand.
Number seven, get press coverage,.
Contrary to popular belief,
you don't need to hire a PR company to get press coverage
for your business.
You can go out there and get it yourself
by strategically pitching key bloggers and journalists.
Press coverage is totally free and can get your stuff seen
by people who might not otherwise come across your business,
especially if your ideal customers
aren't the type to spend their time scrolling
through TikTok or Instagram.
A great example of this is Copper Bottom Swim,
which is a luxury swimmer brand for men.
The founder, Mercedes, shared
that she wasn't really reaching her core demographic
on social media, so she decided to aim
for more traditional press coverage instead.
So, she put together a pitch deck and reached out
to some specific journalists who covered brands
and stories in her industry.
It did take time and a lot of repetition
but eventually, she landed a really big press spot
in The Globe and Mail, which led
to tons of sales pretty much overnight.
If you aren't sure where to start, head over
to the blog post linked in the description box
below for info on how to create your own press kit
and start getting press coverage for your business.
Number eight, email marketing.
If you have a business, you should have an email list.
Period.
Email marketing is one
of the most effective strategies for promoting your business
and you can get started without needing to spend a dime.
Just find a good platform like Shopify Mail, Klaviyo,
MailerLite, or another Shopify app
and then start sending regular newsletters to your list.
Most of these services are totally free to start with,
but when you do need to upgrade your plan, rest assured
that it is a good investment.
On average, every dollar invested
in your email list has a $42 return.
So, if you have an online store,
you can start building your in a few different ways.
You can offer a coupon code when people sign up,
or promote your newsletter on social media,
or ask your customers to opt in whenever they buy from you.
The growth won't happen overnight,
but if you're providing helpful information
and bonuses to your list like early access
to new products or special subscribers only sales,
you're going to be building strong brand loyalty
for years to come.
Number nine, get found in Google search.
I've mentioned SEO
or search engine optimization a few times already,
but it's so important that you don't underestimate
this option for growing your traffic online.
Research shows that online businesses actually receive 35%
of their total traffic and 33%
of their revenue from search engine results pages.
That is a lot.
So, it's a really good idea to prioritize your SEO
whenever you're building your store using your keywords
in your product descriptions, on your pages,
and of course, in content like blog posts and videos.
The higher you can rank in search results
for the keywords that your customers are searching
for, the more likely
it is that you'll reach new people interested
in your business.
We actually have a whole video
on the basics of SEO for beginners.
So, I'll link that in the description box down below
if you want to learn more about how to set this up
in your own business.
Number 10, promote yourself on social media.
Obviously, this is a huge category of strategies
and there are tons of ways to leverage the power
of social media to build your brand awareness.
The options you choose are going to be specific
to your business and your ideal customers.
So, I would start by figuring out your people
are already hanging out online
and then focus your energies there.
Don't think that you need
to be on every single social media platform at once.
It is way more effective to do a really great job
on two platforms than to sort of phone it in
on five of them.
Once you've picked your platforms, make sure
you're using all of their features to the fullest.
For example, on Instagram,
you have options like adding relevant hashtags
to your posts or turning on the Shopping function
so fans can click through to your products
from your stories.
And of course, creating fun interactive things like reels,
or story templates, or quizzes.
Again, the name of the game here, no matter
what platform you're on is to create really good content
that people will want to share
with others or to tag their friends in,
because that's what will ultimately boost your reach
and get your stuff seen by new people.
Number 11, promote your business locally.
Last but not least, don't ignore the huge potential
of promoting your business on a local level.
This is especially true
for businesses with a physical storefront,
but I think it applies more broadly
because people really love to support local
and cheer for new businesses in their communities.
There are lots of ways to build local interest and buzz.
One of the easiest is to create a Google My Business listing
so that your business comes up in search results
and on Google maps for your local customers.
This makes it super easy
for people to learn more about your brand.
And, it also adds some legitimacy to your business
because you can include photos, and links,
and collect reviews from your real customers.
Taking it a step further,
you can also try things like adding local delivery options
to your website instead of shipping, or taking part
in local events and festivals as a vendor,
or reaching out to local press sources for coverage.
The good news is that on a local level,
there's probably a bit less competition
in your specific niche, which can make it a lot easier
for you to stand out and be featured.
Now, remember that all the free traffic
in the world won't help you
if your site isn't in good shape when people get there.
So, if you're still working
on setting up your own online store, make sure
to come over and check out Shopify.
It's your one stop shop
for everything ecommerce with really beautiful templates
and tons of integrations that will help you take your store
to the next level.
If you're looking for an ecommerce platform
to help you build your business, no further.
Click the link in the description box below
to get a 14-day free trial and explore it for yourself.
- I think Shopify has definitely helped us
and many businesses get started.
- And there's nothing like hearing the
(metal clangs) when you're out living
your life and doing something that you love.
- I Like that. (laughing)
- I hope I now that I've convinced you
that you don't need to spend a lot of money
on paid advertising in order to start getting some traffic
to your website.
A little effort can go a long way
in helping you grow your audience
without having to pay for every single click or view.
There's no denying
that sometimes paid advertising can be helpful.
But when it comes down to it,
I'd personally always pick the long term investment
that's more likely to work for my business
for years to come.
But, at the very least, be sure to build
in both kinds of advertising so that you're setting
yourself up for success in the future
and not just until your ad budget runs out.
There are tons of other videos
on this channel about ways to share your business online.
So, click here or in the description box below
to watch our entire marketing playlist.
And if you wanna learn more about how to start
or grow your own online business, make sure
to hit the subscribe button
so that you'll get all our future videos
on business operations, branding, and strategy.
I would love to know
your favorite free marketing strategies,
so let me know in the comments down below
and also let me know if you want me
to do a deep dive into any of these options
in a future video.
I'm always happy to share more
about ways that you can grow your business
without breaking the bank.
In the meantime, thank you so much for watching.
I'm Stephanie Pellett
and I'll see you next time.