Five free things you can do right now to improve your marketing

Want to know Five free things you can do right now to improve your marketing. Yes, it’s a listicle…. BUT… it’s a lisctile with actual details, advice, and information that you can use right now. There’s no “if you want to read more, then sign up”, no “give us your email address for the magic and mystery of marketing”. Nope, just straight-up free advice. Because improving your marketing can feel hard enough without having to figure out if the site you’ve ended up on is legitimate or not.

Marketing can feel daunting and expensive, especially for organisations that are beginning to take their marketing initiatives more seriously. Now more than ever, the internet is awash with ‘gurus’ with promises to get you more exposure, more followers, more engagement, and more money. 

If you are just starting out, your budget is small (or non-existent), or you haven’t yet developed your strategy (read more about creating your strategy here), or you simply want to roll up your sleeves and start making improvements yourself today. After all, a 1% improvement is better than no improvement at all. Here are five things you can do right now to improve your marketing that won’t cost you a penny!

1) Update Your Google My Business Listing(s)

Claiming and updating your Google My Business listing can be a game-changer. Google My Business is a free tool that allows you to manage your business’s online presence across Google, including Google Search and Google Maps. You can update your listing with accurate and up-to-date information, including business hours, address, phone number, and website to make it easier for customers to find and contact you. You can also add photos, respond to reviews, and post updates, promotions, or events to engage with your audience and improve your visibility. Not only that, but you get visibility of the listing’s analytics. You can see how many people viewed your Business Listing, what they clicked (directions, call, website etc.), and what they searched to find you, and you can use this profile to set up local ad campaigns. 

2) Leverage Social Media

In 2023 this feels like a fairly obvious one. But where do you start? Or… what do you do to start making improvements? When it comes to social media, a defined strategy will always be the best start. However, if you just can’t wait then to begin with, it’s important to get the basics right if you want to improve your social media marketing. 

• Make sure the profile is up to date. Check the profile images, about section, website url, phone numbers, keywords, and any other basic information the profile contains. Make sure you use keywords related to your brand. 
• Check your analytics. If your profile already exists, then review the analytics and see what previous content has performed best.
• Be consistent. If you only have time to post twice a week. Then post twice a week and make those posts count. Keep reviewing the analytics to assess your performance and test different creative ideas and approaches. 
• Look at others. If you’re not sure what to post, then do two things. 1) Look at what your competitors are doing 2) Look at what your favourite brands are doing. Take inspiration from them… or even ideas on what not to do.
• Ask yourself. Why does my audience care? Too often, as brands, we are guilty of believing everything we do is newsworthy. The sad reality is that it’s not. Post your content with purpose.

3) Improve your website

For many companies, the corporate website is usually the catalyst behind a newfound desire to focus on marketing. If you don’t have the budget or time for a new website, then here are some free marketing improvements you can make:

• If your website has a backend admin system then you should consider:
  • Update the website copy. Ad new products and services, amend any out-of-date information and check the copy matches where your business is right now.
  • Refresh the images. If your homepage has had the same tired old image for some time, consider giving this a refresh. Also, check images of current staff, services, and products and replace any that need improvement or change.
  • Improve the SEO. While this requires a little more technical know-how, if you have an SEO tool built into your site, such as Yeost, then you can follow the SEO advice Yoast to give your website a boost. (You can read more about improving your company’s SEO here)
  • Start / update / continue your blog. Blogging can be cost-effective and valuable in attracting new customers. Blogs can help you establish your brand as an expert or thought leader in your industry and improve your SEO and website traffic  You can share your blog posts on social media, email newsletters, on sales emails, or other channels to amplify your reach and engagement

4) Partnerships with Other Businesses or Influencers

Partnering with other businesses or influencers in your industry can be a great way to reach new audiences, build relationships, and increase your credibility and authority. There are many ways you can collaborate, for example, joint projects, events, campaigns, exchange guest posts, or refer each other on your websites. The aim of a partnership is for both parties to reach a common goal and grow their audiences and businesses from each other. 

5) Ask for Reviews and Referrals

Word-of-mouth marketing is one of the most powerful and free marketing strategies out there. In fact, 91% of B2B business is influenced by word of mouth! By asking your customers to leave reviews or referrals on platforms such as Google, LinkedIn, or on other third-party review sites, you can leverage their positive experiences and social proof to attract and convert new customers. Most happy customers will be willing to share a review – the first step to getting your review is to ask for it. 

In Conclusion

Ultimately, marketing is an investment. It’s an investment of money (in the form of time, cash, or other resources) with the long-term goal of getting a better financial return (in the form of new customers, more business, repeat purchases etc). 

Whether your available marketing investment is small or large, there are a number of things that any business can do today to start making a difference. This article is just five of those five three things you could be doing.