10 Free & Creative Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses

Small businesses are often called the backbone of the US economy. Research shows that over half of Americans own or work for a small business, and small businesses account for nearly half of the economic activity in the US. But small businesses don’t generally have the marketing budgets of their bigger competitors. That means they need to be strategic—and sometimes creative. To get you started, we’ve rounded up 10 free and creative marketing ideas that any small business can use to punch well above its weight. Contents Showcase your work Position yourself as a local expert Offer free classes Pitch yourself to the media Create a referral program Participate in local events Partner with another local business Donate products or services Host webinars Create compelling infographics 🛑 Don’t fail to plan (or plan to fail)! Get the free guide: 6 Simple Steps to a Complete Small Business Marketing Plan (+Template) 10 free and creative marketing ideas for small businesses To find the best marketing ideas with a real-world record of success, we reached out to several pros who know how to build a small business. Here are their top tips. 1. Showcase your work Showing the results you get is always better than telling people how great you are. In other words, find ways to showcase your products or services and how they will benefit potential customers instead of simply telling them about those benefits. For Ben McInerney, arborist and founder of tree service comparison site GoTreeQuotes.com.au, that meant cleaning up fallen leaves and trimming overgrown edges in yards within his community. He then left a business card with a note about what he had done. GoTreeQuotes shows off past work to get new clients. “This approach not only showcased my work but also built goodwill,” he said. “Within a month, I had secured five new regular clients—a 500% return on my time investment.” Social proof like this, whether it’s a testimonial or a gallery of images from previous jobs, is one of the best free marketing ideas available. 2. Position yourself as a local expert Another way to highlight your expertise is to find relevant consumers on platforms like Facebook, Reddit, and LinkedIn and offer tips and answer questions. This tactic helps position you as a local expert and keeps your business top of mind when those consumers need related products or services. Michael Gilmore, co-founder of promotional product manufacturer Vivipins, called Facebook Groups “a goldmine for small business owners looking to expand their reach.” Whether you build it yourself or join an existing one, Facebook Groups are a great place to engage new potential customers. “Engage regularly by answering questions, sharing valuable content. and offering advice,” he said. “Just remember to keep it genuine—no one likes a sales pitch disguised as a conversation.” For his part, Max Shak, CEO of digital agency NerDigital, identified subreddits and began participating in discussions with Reddit users. “By offering genuine advice and engaging with the community, we were able to subtly mention Nerdigital.com without coming across as overly promotional,” he said. “This drove highly targeted traffic to our site. It’s crucial to add value and avoid spamming—Redditors are quick to call out self-promotion.” 📣 Free guide >> The Ultimate Guide to Cross-Channel Marketing 3. Offer free classes You can also demonstrate expertise through resources like classes and workshops. “We’ve hosted free online classes on building chatbots for small businesses, which not only demonstrated the value of our product but also positioned us as experts in the field,” said Max Williams, CEO of digital agency HeroBot. “These classes helped us build a loyal following and created opportunities to upsell our services.” HeroBot saw a 30% increase in signups for premium services following one workshop. Similarly, Dalya Harel, founder of lice detection and removal company Lice Busters, hosted free workshops and educational sessions at local community centers and schools to teach parents and teachers about lice prevention. “This helped us become seen as a respected local expert while also providing value that people would naturally want to tell their friends about,” she said. Philip Alves, CEO of software development firm DevSquad, calls his spin on this “Reverse Marketing.” “Instead of pushing our products, we invite potential clients to challenge us with their toughest problems,” he said. “We then host live brainstorming sessions where our team tackles these challenges. This not only showcases our expertise and innovative approach but also directly engages with potential customers in a real-world scenario.” 4. Pitch yourself to the media One way to get air time without buying ads is to pitch yourself as an expert for local media, which includes TV, as well as print and online publications, and even podcasts and radio. Do your homework first. For a morning TV show, for example, study the show and its audience to understand what segments they feature. “Next, come up with a compelling concept that ties in with a trend or upcoming event, such as Back to School, Labor Day, or holiday shopping,” said Brian Pia, management consultant at consulting and communications firm Trouncem. “Once you have your idea, pitch yourself to the show’s producer one month in advance. Get the producer’s name and email address from the newsroom assignment editor and write a clear and concise email proposing your three-minute segment idea.” According to Pia, this approach has secured thousands of media placements for clients, including local media and outlets like ABC, CNN, Food Network, Fox News, NBC, and The New York Times. “I can attest that these placements can help generate significant sales for clients,” he said. Writing and distributing press releases is another way to get the attention of local media. Caleb Riutta, co-founder of digital marketing firm Dusk Digital, recommends focusing on milestones like new products or new hires. Use press releases to announce milestones, new products, significant employee hires, local charitable work, and more. 5. Create a referral program Setting up a loyalty or referral program is a good way to keep current customers happy and tap into that satisfaction to connect with prospects. “Word-of-mouth is one of the most trusted forms of marketing,” said Shirley Maria, co-founder of Vivipins. “Encourage your current customers to refer friends and family by offering a small incentive, like a discount or freebie.” Referral programs turn your best customers into your best salespeople. Gilmore recommends offering rewards that align with your brand. In addition to discounts and freebies, that could also include exclusive access to new products. “Showing appreciation for your customers’ support strengthens their bond with your business,” he said. 6. Participate in local events Build relationships within your community by getting involved in local events. That can mean sponsoring a sports team or an annual festival, but you can also find ways to participate without writing a check. For example, a bakery client donated product samples to a community event, which resulted in a 15% increase in revenue the following month, said SEO and digital marketing consultant Danielle Birriel. Other examples include free demonstrations or consultations and swag bags. “Instead of just setting up a booth, we offered free lock check services and quick security consultations,” said Eli Itzhaki, CEO of locksmith company Keyzoo. “This not only showcased our expertise but also built trust within the community.” It also helped drive a 25% increase in customer inquiries for the following month. “It may take time, but face-to-face relationship building yields high returns,” added Adam Degraide, podcast host and CEO of video game developer BamBastic Games. “There are people and organizations that would value your support [within your community]. By giving back, you open doors to mutually beneficial relationships and new streams of business.” 7. Partner with another local business You can also team up with another local business to cross-promote your offerings. For example, Harel partnered with a daycare to offer free lice checks in exchange for distributing flyers to parents. But there are many other ways to do this. A gutter cleaning company and a roofer teamed up for a package deal, which boosted revenue by over 35% within six months, said Gary Gilkison, principal analyst at SEO firm Riverbase Cloud Marketing. Partner marketing events can even attract local press coverage. Retail partnerships are another option. “We teamed up with a local hardware store to offer discounts on our services to their customers, which resulted in a 15% boost in our customer base,” Itzhaki said. “These partnerships were mutually beneficial and helped us establish a strong local presence.” 8. Donate products or services In a similar vein, donating goods or services to organizations in need can help generate positive consumer sentiment. “For a local animal shelter’s fundraising campaign, we donated email marketing and social media management,” said Joseph Yarber, director of operations at digital agency Limestone Digital. “The exposure and goodwill generated a 30% jump in donations for them and several new leads for us. People want to support businesses that give back.” There are many ways to work with a non-profit, like using your website to help find volunteers. Chris Sorensen, CEO of Phone Burner, a sales dialer software company, refers to this tactic as “strategic generosity.” He added that offering free software to nonprofits and educational organizations is a win-win. Recipients benefit from new technology while Phone Burner gains increased visibility and enhanced reputation. “The impact of this strategy goes beyond just good PR,” he said. “We’ve observed a high rate of referrals and word-of-mouth promotion from these organizations, often leading to commercial opportunities with other clients who value corporate responsibility. Interestingly, this indirect route has garnered more attention and led to greater business growth than many of our direct advertising efforts.” 9. Host webinars Webinars are another low-cost way to drive engagement on platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and Facebook Live. HeroBot has hosted webinars on topics like AI in customer service and automating business processes. The AI webinar had more than 500 attendees, many of whom went on to become customers, William said. “The best part? The only cost was our time and effort in preparing the content,” he added. Other content types, like videos and blog posts, can drive engagement without a significant price tag. 10. Create compelling infographics Finally, consider how you can package your business data as charts or infographics. These visual assets can help grab the attention of potential customers and the media alike. “We created a series of infographics on industry trends and insights,” Shak said. “By making these visually appealing and packed with valuable information, we encouraged others to share them on their own platforms. This not only increased our visibility but also drove backlinks to our website, boosting our SEO.” Get new leads and customers with these free and creative marketing ideas Growing a small business is no small task. It takes perseverance and more than a little promotional savvy. Luckily, there are ways you can attract new customers that won’t break your budget. And with a little creativity, you can even beat your biggest competitors, no matter how deep their promotional pockets are. As you consider your many promotional options, contact us, and we’ll show you how we can help you get the best return from every marketing channel. Related Articles 13 Construction Marketing Ideas to Build Leads 24 Fall Marketing & Advertising Ideas to Spice Up Your Season 40 A+ Back-to-School Marketing Ideas & Promotions for Any Business 35 Back-to-School Slogans for Your Marketing That Bring A+ Results 17 Best Giveaway Ideas for Small Businesses to Win More Customers

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