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How to Get Free Advertising for Your Small Business Today!
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Table Of Contents
Legal Disclaimer ............................................................................................................................................................... 2
How To Get Free Advertising For Your Small Business, Today! .............................................. 4
1. Strategy #1: Free Press Releases ............................................................................................................. 5
2. Strategy #2: YouTube Videos ...................................................................................................................... 9
3. Strategy #3: Facebook for Business ...................................................................................................... 11
4. Strategy #4: Claim Your Free Google “Yellow Page Ad” ...................................................... 13
5. Strategy #5: Article Marketing .................................................................................................................. 14
6. Strategy #6: Merchant Cirlcle ..................................................................................................................... 15
7. Strategy #7: LOCAL Search Engine Optimization (SEO) ........................................................ 17
8. Strategy #8: LinkedIn ......................................................................................................................................... 20
9. Strategy #9: E-Mail List Building .............................................................................................................. 22
10. Strategy #10: Free Advertising Campaign (done for you!) ............................................... 25
© 2011 - TheSignChef.com, Inc. - All Rights Reserved
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Legal Disclaimer
Note: By viewing and using this product, you have agreed to the following terms and conditions:
Every effort has been made to make this publication, product and website as complete and accurate as possible.
However, there may be mistakes both typographical and in content. Therefore, this text should be used only as a
general guide and not as the sole reference source.
This product is sold with the understanding that neither the author nor the publisher are rendering legal, financial,
investment or other professional advice or services. Questions relevant to those areas should be addressed to
competent members of those professions.
The recommendations in this publication are based on the author’s experience and research, believed to be reliable
and accurate, but not infallible. The examples presented in this publication have been chosen solely to demonstrate
given points. The reader should conduct a thorough investigation of their applicability to the reader’s individual
circumstances.
Without personal knowledge of the reader’s specific personal, professional or financial background, it is impossible
to offer intelligent advice to the reader as an individual. As such, the author and publisher disclaim any liability, loss
or risk, personal or otherwise, that is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and applications
of any of the contents of this publication on the reader’s part.
The purpose of this publication is to educate and entertain. The author and/or publisher shall have neither liability
nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to be caused,
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EVERY EFFORT HAS BEEN MADE TO ACCURATELY REPRESENT THIS PRODUCT AND IT’S POTENTIAL. THERE IS NO
GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL MAKE ANY MONEY USING THE TECHNIQUES AND IDEAS IN THESE MATERIALS.
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WE DO NOT PURPORT THIS AS A “GET RICH QUICK SCHEME.”
ANY CLAIMS MADE OF ACTUAL EARNINGS OR EXAMPLES OF ACTUAL RESULTS CAN BE VERIFIED UPON REQUEST.
YOUR LEVEL OF SUCCESS IN ATTAINING THERESULTS CLAIMED IN OUR MATERIALS DEPENDS ON THE TIME YOU
DEVOTE TO THE PROGRAM, IDEAS AND TECHNIQUES MENTIONED, YOUR FINANCES, KNOWLEDGE AND VARIOUS
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THESE STATEMENTS BY THE FACT THAT THEY DO NOT RELATE STRICTLY TO HISTORICAL OR CURRENT FACTS. THEY
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ANY AND ALL FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS HERE OR ON ANY OF OUR SALES MATERIAL ARE INTENDED TO
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EXPRESS OUR OPINION OF EARNINGS POTENTIAL. MANY FACTORS WILL BE IMPORTANT IN DETERMINING YOUR
ACTUAL RESULTS AND NO GUARANTEES ARE MADE THAT YOU WILL ACHIEVE RESULTS SIMILAR TO OURS OR
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AND TECHNIQUES IN OUR MATERIAL.
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purpose. The author and publisher shall in no event be held liable to any party for any direct, indirect, punitive,
special, incidental or other consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from any use of this material, which
is provided “as is”, and without warranties.
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How to Get Free Advertising
for Your Small Business, Today!
In the past, small businesses have struggled to pay for advertising due to the high, ongoing costs.
They simply couldn’t match the marketing staff and budgets of major corporations.
But now, all that has changed because of the Internet – the great equalizer.
The Internet provides numerous opportunities for small businesses to advertise for free, even if
you don’t have a website!
Does free Internet advertising really work for small, local companies though?
Absolutely!
In fact, the free exposure we continue to receive from Google alone has literally transformed our
tiny, local sign shop into a prosperous national company, in spite of the weak economy. So yes, we
know first-hand that these advertising strategies can help your business grow too!
No fishy-wishy theory.
In this Special Report, we are going to reveal our Top 10 business-boosting advertising strategies
that will help you in these 3 key areas:
1. Attract new clients easier
2. Retain your existing clients
3. And systematically boost your referral business.
There’s no one “magic bullet”, so we advocate using a multifaceted approach. By implementing
the following strategies, your business and brand will quickly gain popularity in your local market.
So without further ado, here we grow!
© 2011 - TheSignChef.com, Inc. - All Rights Reserved
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Strategy #1: Free Press Releases
Did you know that certain websites will allow you to post press
releases related to your company, absolutely free? Here’s what you
do:
• Have your press release written using the following guidelines
located @ http://www.publicityinsider.com/release.asp.
• Then you can go to sites such as www.prlog.org to submit your
press releases free!
• Avangate provides a list of 50 free press release distribution
sites:
http://www.avangate.com/articles/press-release-distribution_69.htm.
Coming up with a good reason to submit a press release can be tough so
here is a list of 100 ideas to get your creative juices flowing!
100 Great Reasons to Send a Press Release
You are probably already doing some of this - why not get some advertising value for it?
Introductions
(Brand new businesses, organizations, products, and services)
1. Starting a new business
2. Introducing a new product or service
3. Introducing a unique strategy or approach
4. Launching a website
5. Announcing a new book or e-book you wrote
6. Listing new publications
7. Introducing unusual products or services that you offer
8. Introducing new trademarks
Updates
(Name changes, product changes, and other announcements)
9. Highlighting new uses for your products or services
10. Announcing the opening of new branch or satellite offices
11. Giving notice about changes to the company or product name or branding
12. Informing about the moving, expanding or renovation of your business
© 2011 - TheSignChef.com, Inc. - All Rights Reserved
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13. Announcing the restructuring of your business or its business model
14. Announcing the forming of a new strategic partnership or alliance
15. Announcing a major joint venture
16. Publicizing changes in pricing, especially reductions
17. Announcing the change of ownership of a company
18. Highlighting your redesigned website
19. Announcing new products or services on your web site
20. Informing about product upgrades or changes
21. Announcing that you’ve developed a new technology in your industry
22. Announcing the passage of an important company resolution
Marketing Efforts
23. Offering an article series for publication
24. Announcing availability to speak on particular subjects of interest
25. Announcing a public appearance on television, radio or in person
26. Offering free information and online newsletters
27. Announcing the results of applicable research, surveys, studies or reports
28. Sponsoring a workshop, seminar or trade show
29. Making public statements on future business trends or conditions
30. Announcing a free chat room class you’re teaching
31. Giving away online products or services
32. Starting an online business association or club
33. A famous person is endorsing your business
34. An expert or celebrity is speaking in your chat room
35. Hosting a fundraising event at your web site
36. Having a contest or sweepstakes at your site
37. Participating in major sponsorships online
38. Attending a trade show or exhibition
39. Making speeches and offering reprints on your website
40. Holding a competition or contest
41. Hosting a celebrity visit
42. Interviewing or meeting with a celebrity
43. Publishing projections and forecasts
44. Forming committees, or announcing membership for committees
45. Making a donation to charity
46. Organizing or participating in a charity event
47. Having a tie-in with a national holiday, a birthday or anniversary
48. Co-hosting an event with the media
49. Offering first person stories about people using your product or services
50. Sending a letter to the editor
51. Giving directions about applying for internships with your company
52. Giving directions about applying for scholarships offered by your company
53. Announcing a fact finding trip and reporting your findings
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54. Making hand-outs available
Staff News
55. Announcing new training programs for employees
56. Reporting qualifications received by employees
57. Announcing staff promotions
58. Recognizing long-term employees and retirees
59. Announcing appointments
60. Reporting the results of an election
Customer News
61. Obtaining a new, significant customer
62. Setting up a customer advisory group
63. Announcing new contracts that you’ve won, clients you’ve obtained, etc.
64. Publishing your customers’ success stories and testimonials
65. Recognizing awards given to customers
Community Activities
66. Participating in a philanthropic event
67. Contributing to the community
68. Volunteering time to help the community
69. Fund-raising or other events for the local community
70. Sponsoring local programs or events
71. Offering internships with local schools
72. Offering scholarships for local students
73. Organizing a tour of your business for local residents
74. Staging a debate
75. Sponsoring a special event
76. Issuing a commendation
77. Issuing a protest
78. Inspecting or reporting on a project
79. Writing a letter
80. Releasing a letter you’ve received
81. Appearing before a public body concerning a local issue
82. Scheduling a speaking engagement at the local library for free
83. Creating an award to honor individuals in the community
Inspired By News & Current Events
84. Issuing a statement of position regarding a local, regional, or national issue
85. Adapting a national survey or report for local use
© 2011 - TheSignChef.com, Inc. - All Rights Reserved
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86. Taking part in a controversy
87. Commenting on a controversy
88. Reporting on a public project and offering insight to the problem
Accomplishments
(Awards, certifications, anniversaries, media coverage)
89. Winning an award
90. Announcing an appointment
91. Earning recognition of the company, product, or executives by a publication
92. Announcing that you’ve reached a major milestone
93. Establishing a unique vendor agreement
94. Meeting some kind of unusual challenge or rising above adversity
95. Announcing that an individual in your business has been named to serve in a leadership
position in a community, professional or charitable organization
96. Announcing certification of your organization
97. Announcing memberships in associations
98. Observing company anniversaries
99. Recognizing awards won by employees, and
Finally, #100 – Showing off your brand new business sign!
Our favorite site for PAID press releases is I-NewsWire.com. The visibility of our press releases
through I-NewsWire.com is not only greater, we have witnessed a significant boost in the traffic on
our website as well.
A double bonus!
© 2011 - TheSignChef.com, Inc. - All Rights Reserved
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Strategy #2: Videos
Did you know that You Tube has actually become
the number 2 Internet search engine? And
posting your business videos to YouTube.com is
absolutely free.
Aside from the free advertising you’ll gain,
here are 5 critically important reasons to
consider using YouTube.com to promote your
organization:
1) No or Low Production Costs
Most videos are made by amateurs, so although you want the best quality you can get,
it doesn’t need to be “Movie-of-the-Week” quality. You can get your videos up and
running for very little or no production costs. In fact, some people even use their flip
phones which can result in surprising, high quality videos!
2) Unique Medium
Video gives you the opportunity to vividly demonstrate your products, services and
even your public persona in a way that you cannot accomplish with any other medium!
You can be funny, creative, serious, or all three as you educate potential clients about
your products and services.
3) Differentiate
Showing viewers how your organization is different or special can help you stand way
out from your competitors – especially since they are probably lazy and won’t make the
effort to make some videos!
4) Popularity
People LOVE to watch videos. Even the silliest, most amateurish videos on YouTube.com
get noticed. And because YouTube is the number 2 search engine, literally millions of
users go there every day. So your video has an opportunity to get free exposure, likes,
comments and referrals to increase your business traffic.
5) Quantity
You can post as many videos as you like, thereby increasing your chances of getting
your organization favorably noticed.
Our own YouTube Videos have received over 22,000 views, all absolutely free! These videos have
proven to be the best way to “show & tell” viewers about the different sign materials and options
© 2011 - TheSignChef.com, Inc. - All Rights Reserved
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available so our clients can make better informed decisions.
To get started on YouTube.com, here’s all you do:
• Decide what type of video you’d like people to see. You could demonstrate your most
popular products or services, or explain a procedure—anything that would give value to
your prospective clients.
• Write a clear, basic script, describing step-by-step what you’re demonstrating. Keep it
conversational and easy-to-understand. Pretend you’re explaining your product or service
to someone you know well, but who has no prior knowledge of your product.
• Create good video and audio quality. Although it doesn’t have to be TV quality, it must be
easy on the eyes and ears. You can use a small camcorder on a tripod.
• Sign up for an account with www.youtube.com. The site will allow you to set up a “channel,”
which is typically listed under your company name. This will give you the opportunity to
post new videos whenever you wish.
• Follow the instructions for uploading the video.
© 2011 - TheSignChef.com, Inc. - All Rights Reserved
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Strategy #3: for Business
Here are some startling statistics about Facebook …
• With over 550 MILLION registered users, if
Facebook were a country, it would be the
3rd largest country in the world!
• Approximately 50% of active users log
onto Facebook in any given day
• And the average user is connected to 130
friends.
So if you are NOT utilizing Facebook as a free
advertising channel, you’re missing out on a historic opportunity!
Getting free advertising is one of best reasons to use Facebook.
The primary reason to incorporate Facebook into your marketing strategy is because this
advertising channel will automatically encourage more referral business!
Friends automatically see what their friends are up to … and who they “like”. So the word about
your business will start to spread naturally, without ASKING for referrals!
As you have seen from our own interactive Facebook page, you can automatically encourage “likes”
to expand the reach of your business, absolutely free!
• To get started, go to www.facebook.com and create an account.
• The site will allow you to set up a business account to which you can upload your Logo and
other information you want people to know about you.
• Facebook has broadened how businesses can use its service. Now, you can customize your
page and do what we are doing with our page—such as offering free reports for a “Like”
click and connecting with more folks through drawings and giveaways. You’re limited only by
your marketing imagination.
• You can even advertise on Facebook—in a similar fashion to Google Ads – but FAR cheaper
than what Google now charges.
• Post information about your company, events, or just fun stuff you’re doing that might be
interesting to others. For example, if you have a wedding site, post comments about your
© 2011 - TheSignChef.com, Inc. - All Rights Reserved
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most recent weddings, or wedding quotes or poems that are meaningful. Give a list of the
top ten best places to get married in your area. Give brief advice “tidbits” for where to stay
in your area and fun things to do. You get the idea. Make it fun and interesting.
© 2011 - TheSignChef.com, Inc. - All Rights Reserved
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Strategy #4: Claim Your Free “Yellow Page Ad”
Google Places is yet another free business advertising
venue. We fondly refer to it as the “Google Yellow Pages”
and you can get your own local business ad displayed,
absolutely free!
In our free Google Yellow Page Guide …
• You’ll learn the super-simple way to appear at the top
of the Google (local) search engines right away!
• Find out how your company can exploit Google’s latest
genius search technology for free!
• Turn one simple listing into a massive wave of traffic
and customers!
• Plus, you’ll discover the sneaky way to shoot past
your local competitors and obliterate their top search
rankings!
Learn all of this and much more in this FREE report @ www.TheSignChef.com/Google-Places
• Go to www.google.com/placesforbusiness. You will be asked to sign in to your regular Google account. If you
do not have one, it’s free to register.
• After you’ve signed in or registered on Google, you’ll be asked to give your business information: name,
address, phone number etc. If your exact business location does not come up on the Google map on your
page, but that is not essential to your business, then click the “Yes” box just above the map to approve the
approximate location.
• You’ll also be asked to write a brief (200 characters or less) description of what your business does. Be simple
and succinct. Imagine that you are a new customer who wants to know what you do.
• If your business has set hours of operation, provide those in the appropriate place.
• Complete any other information requests and click “Finish.”
• Google will let you know if it doesn’t understand your information. Make any needed adjustments and you’re
done. Your business will be live on Google Places.
© 2011 - TheSignChef.com, Inc. - All Rights Reserved
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Strategy #5: Article Marketing
The idea with this strategy is to write short (400 – 1000)
word articles and submit them to free article distribution
websites. Thousands of new blogs are started every day.
Many of these blog owners do not want to provide their
own content. They want the blog for other purposes, such
as hosting advertising. This is where businesses like yours
step in. Here’s what you can do.
• Write (or assign it to one of your employees or
a freelance writer) short articles related to your
business. They need to be fairly well written but
they do not need to be perfect.
• Create anchor text within the body of your article:
anchor text is a word or phrase to which you attach a link back to your website – you can do this either in
your word processor or on the article site itself. Search engines will find your anchor text link and this may
help your website receive more attention when customers are looking for the types of products you sell.
• Submit your article to an article distribution service. Here are several services:
o www.ezinearticles.com
o www.Goarticles.com
o www.articledashboard.com
o www.articlesbase.com
o www.articlecity.com
o www.articlealley.com
o www.articletrader.com
o www.articlesphere.com
o www.articlesfactory.com
o www.articlecube.com
Here are some other ways you can get maximum use of your articles:
These articles can be used on your own blog
Shortened to use as Facebook posts with a link to the full article
And used directly on your website to provide visitors with new, expert insights.
© 2011 - TheSignChef.com, Inc. - All Rights Reserved
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Strategy #6:
Merchant Circle is the largest online network
of local business owners, combining social
networking features with customizable web
listings that allow local merchants to attract new
customers.
It is a small, growing company dedicated to
connecting neighbors and merchants online
to help build real relationships between local
business owners and their customers. To date,
well over 1,600,000 local businesses have joined
Merchant Circle to get their companies more
exposure on the Internet.
How Merchant Circle Helps Local Businesses
To give local businesses more online exposure, they have developed a local business social network
where business owners can upload pictures, create blogs, create coupons and newsletters and
connect with other merchants, all for free.
Why should you consider joining Merchant Circle?
They strongly believe in local business. They’ve designed all of their services to get you more local
customers and to help you thrive in today’s competitive environment.
1. Promote your business on the web in minutes
Create a great-looking listing for your business — include a blog, coupons, newsletter, and customer
ratings — and add photos and videos to personalize it.
2. Be more visible in search engine results
Every element you add to your Merchant Circle listing increases your placement and visibility in
search engine rankings.
3. Track what’s being said about your business online
Manage, monitor, and control your business’ online reputation including contact information and
reviews written about your company.
4. Easily advertise on Google, Yahoo! and more
Their intuitive Ad Wizard helps you create an ad and have it published on your Merchant Circle
© 2011 - TheSignChef.com, Inc. - All Rights Reserved
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network as well as on ad networks like Google and Yahoo!
5. Get local customer referrals
Link with other businesses on Merchant Circle to create your own trusted referral network and use
that network to gain new customers.
In addition to the free business directory, Merchant Circle offers premium (for fee) services such
as portfolio of online marketing services including Search Engine Marketing, Website Directory
Submission, Instant Websites, Lead Generation and Business Verification Services. Click here to learn
more about our Local Business Marketing Services.
To sign up for account, simply go to www.merchantcircle.com and fill in the registration information.
Your ad will be up and running in about a minute.
© 2011 - TheSignChef.com, Inc. - All Rights Reserved
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Strategy #7: LOCAL Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
If you have a website, chances are, it’s not optimized to show up in your local market. SEO is the
technique by which you make your company’s website more noticeable to various Internet search
engines. The more “relevant” your site is in Google’s eyes, the higher your listing will be in the
search engines, ahead of your direct competitors.
The key is to be visible to potential clients at the exact moment they are actively searching for the
products or services you offer!
But how do you do that???
The secret to local SEO is to optimize your site for your geographical area. Then, when a customer
types in “your product in your town,” you’re more likely to come to the top of the search results.
For example, here’s a screen shot of our local SEO search results.
When you search the terms “custom sign Charleston, SC” you see that
6 out of the top 10 search results belong to us. You can do this too!
© 2011 - TheSignChef.com, Inc. - All Rights Reserved
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When a search engine, such as Google, examines your website, it looks for certain features such
as keywords, in order to “figure out” what kind of site yours is and how that may be of help to
Internet users. Therefore, it’s important to structure your website to make it as “friendly” to
Google as possible. So, here’s what you can do.
• Meta Description. Both the meta keywords tag and the meta description tag contribute to
your search engine ranking, and the meta description tag influences the likelihood that a
person will actually click on the search engine results page and visit your site.
The meta description tag is intended to be a concise summary of your page’s content. Think
of the Google directory. You see your site title followed by a brief description of your site
or business. The meta description tag is designed to provide a brief description of your site
which can be used by search engines or directories. The meta description tag takes the
following form:
<meta name=”description” content=”Brief description of the contents of your page.”>
When you write a meta description tag, you should limit it to 170 characters or 200
characters at most. You should pick a style and be consistent throughout your pages,
writing a unique description for each page of your site.
• Title Tag. Each web page contains a Title Tag made up of text. You want to make sure that
the keyword(s) central to your business are found in your Title Tag. For example, if you sell
auto insurance, you’ll want to place those words in your Title Tag for Google to read.
• Headlines. Google will look for your headlines. The largest and, therefore most prominent,
of your headlines should be in the form of an H1 headline (in HTML an H1 headline is
written like this: <h1>Your Headline Text</h1>), Ask your web designer to make sure
the keywords you want to target are in your H1 headline. Website HTML also has lesser
headlines, H2, H3, etc. They appear as smaller text. Pay attention to what they say as well.
They’re important.
• Body Text. The body text is the main message you write for your readers—the paragraphs
and sentences. Google likes to see about a 3% saturation of keywords in the text. Not too
much, but not too little. For example. If your keywords are Auto Insurance, then you’ll
want to have those words in about 3% of your body text. Now, be careful. You can’t simply
toss them in willy-nilly. Rather, you’ll need to make sure your text is easy-to-read and flows
smoothly. You want to appeal to your readers. If you simply repeat your keywords over and
over in a nonsensical fashion, Google might notice and your site could be penalized. If you
attempt to be tricky and make your text color the same color as your background so that
you can jam in your keywords without the reader noticing, you’re likely to get “busted” and
your business could pay the price. But a healthy smattering of keywords will help your site
get noticed by Google and appeal to your readers at the same time.
• Avoid Flash Platforms. Flash is a graphics platform. Make sure your business website is NOT
primarily a Flash-based site (If you’re not sure what that means, ask your web designer).
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Google can read text, but cannot read graphics. Flash sites use graphics even to show the
text on the screen, so that when Google comes along it cannot read the text on the screen
because it’s really just an image. Use a text-based web design so that Google can read your
site easily.
• Site Map. A site map is a simple-to-read “map” or list of categories on a single page detailing
all of the pages and areas of your website. Your web designer can upload your site map to
Google. Google loves site maps and uses them to index websites. Sites without site maps
that have been uploaded to Google are at a distinct disadvantage.
• For more in depth information about how to work with Google, go to www.google.com/
webmasters/tools/
© 2011 - TheSignChef.com, Inc. - All Rights Reserved
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Strategy #8:
LinkedIn is perhaps the internet’s most professional
networking tool. For business owners and other
professionals, here are 15 advantages to using
LinkedIn:
1. You can view the profile of your potential clients
and invite them to connect with you on LinkedIn
2. Receive introductions or referrals to prospects
(via the introductions tool or outside LinkedIn)
3. Generate referrals from other departments of
current customers (via the introductions tool or outside LinkedIn)
4. Discover the relationships between clients, prospects and other contacts (see the connections
in their profiles)
5. Uncover the relationships between your colleagues from the same and other departments
and prospects (see the connections in their profiles). This might avoid painful situations when
sales people from the same company call the same prospect or customer without knowing
that their colleagues from the same or a different department are already in touch with them.
6. Learn key information about prospects and clients which makes the conversations online and
offline easier (by reading their profile)
7. Maintain relationships with past and current customers (personal contacts, discussions in
groups and by answering questions in Answers)
8. Increase the visibility of your organization or your personal brand (your profile is not only on
LinkedIn, but also in the Search Engines like Google, contributions in Answers and in
Discussions)
9. Be perceived as an expert in your industry (contributions in Answers and in Discussions and
Expert points)
10. Word of mouth advertising (receiving recommendations and people talking about you in
Discussions, mention you as the expert in Answers or talking about you outside of LinkedIn)
11. Get recommendations which are visible to both clients and prospects (recommendations
written by other people - which can’t be modified by you - makes them even more credible)
12. Find the right groups and organizations to be member of, both online and offline (via the
profiles of people from your network)
13. Pick up trends in the marketplace (Discussions in the groups of your customers and in the
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groups of your peers)
14. Receive notifications when someone changes jobs. This is a trigger to contact them to see if you
can be supplier to the new organization and to get introduced to the one who will replace them
of your current customer (network updates)
15. And be notified when your customers link with sales reps from a company which offers the
same products or services than yours. This might be a trigger to contact your customers again
network updates)
16. We cordially invite you to connect with us on our newly updated listings @ LinkedIn!
Personal Listing
Company Listing
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Strategy #9: E-mail List Building (a personal favorite)
If I was starting a new business from scratch, this is
the very FIRST marketing strategy I would put into
place. It’s that important.
E-mail is a tool you can utilize to create your own
Branded Advertising Channel!
It is one of the most powerful—and cost effective—
ways to market your company. As your list of
contacts grows, you can keep in touch with your
existing and potential clients so when they need your
products or services again, your name immediately comes to mind!
How to grow your list of contacts
Here are 26 ideas to get you started …
1. Put an offer on the back of your business cards to get people to sign up for your newsletter.
2. Tradeshows - Bring a clipboard or sign-up book with you to tradeshows and ask for
permission to send e-mail to those who sign up.
3. Include a newsletter sign-up link in your signature of all of your e-mails.
4. Send an opt-in e-mail to your address book asking them to join your list.
5. Join your local chamber of commerce, email the member list (if it’s opt-in) about your
services with a link to sign up to your newsletter.
6. Host your own event - Art galleries, software companies (one here has a party every quarter
and invites the neighboring businesses), retail shops, consultants (lunch & learn) can all
host an event and request attendees to sign up.
7. Offer a birthday club where you give something special to people who sign up.
8. Incentivize your employees - Give them $ for collecting VALID e-mail addresses.
9. Give something for free like a PDF report. Visitors sign up to your opt-in form before you let
them download it.
10. Referrals - Ask your customers to refer you and in exchange you’ll give them a discount.
11. Bouncebacks – Get them back! - Send a postcard or call them asking for their updated e-mail
address.
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12. Trade newsletter space with a neighboring business, include a link for their opt-in form and
ask them to include yours in their newsletter.
13. Giveaways - Send people something physical and ask for their e-mail address as well as their
postal address.
14. Do you have a postal list without e-mails? Send them a direct mail offer they can only get if
they sign up to your e-mail list.
15. Include opt-in forms on every page on your site.
16. Include a forward-to-a-friend link in your e-mails just in case your recipient wants to forward
your content to someone they think will find it interesting.
17. Include a forward-to-a-friend on every page of your site.
18. Offer a community - Use Ning as your easy-to-set-up community and have your visitors
interact and sign up for your newsletter.
19. Offer “E-mail only” discounts and don’t use those offers anywhere but e-mail.
20. Telemarketing - If you’ve got people on the phone, don’t hang up until you ask if you can
add them to your newsletter.
21. Put a fishbowl on your counter and for a weekly prize giveaway of your product - then
announce it to your newsletter. Add everyone who put their card in onto your newsletter
list.
22. Include an opt-in form inside your e-mails for those people who get your e-mail forwarded
to them.
23. Tradeshows - Collect business cards and scan them into a spreadsheet. Make sure you ask
permission to send e-mail to them, then mark the card.
24. Use Facebook - Host your own group and invite people to it, then post new links often. From
time to time, post a link to sign up for your newsletter.
25. Promote Facebook - Post the link to your Facebook profile in your newsletter to spread the
word.
26. Include an opt-in form on your Facebook page to help build your e-mail list.
Using either your company’s present website or a site dedicated for list-building purposes, you can
ask visitors to “opt in” by providing their name and e-mail address in exchange for something of
value that you offer for free.
For example, we offer a free, detailed guide which shows how to setup your local Google listing -
the right way – in exchange for your e-mail address. And as you may have already noticed on our
Facebook page, this is the only place where you can sign up to win a free set of premium, full color
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business cards.
As you nurture your relationship with your business and personal contacts, you’ll steadily grow
your business on a rock solid foundation.
How to efficiently send e-mails to your growing list
While your list is small, you CAN e-mail manually without taking much time.
As your list grows though, e-mailing manually takes too much time. So when the time is right, you
may want to consider using an e-mail management system.
Here are 4 popular e-mail management services that are surprisingly cost effective:
www.getresponse.com
www.aweber.com
www.constantcontact.com
www.mailchimp.com
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Strategy #10: Free Advertising Campaign (done for you!)
We would love to feature your business in our next press release!
As a featured client of TheSignChef.com, a press release will be professionally prepared for you by our in-house writing
staff. As soon as you approve the final copy, we will submit the press release for immediate release.
Plus, we have a program that will automatically publish your press release as a feature length article to over 12,000
article directories and privately owned blogs.
But we don’t stop there because you’ll also have the option to have your business featured on YouTube, absolutely free.
Our in-house videographer can compose a video for you, featuring your brand new business signage, even if you’re
2,000 miles away!
To summarize, here are the top 10 free advertising strategies you can start using right away:
1. Press Release
2. YouTube Videos
3. Facebook
4. Google “Yellow Page Ad”
5. Article Marketing
6. Merchant Circle
7. Local SEO for your website
8. LinkedIn
9. Plus, Email – Your very own Branded Advertising Channel.
10. TheSignChef.com Free Advertising Program
If you have any questions, feel free to connect with us via e-mail, Facebook or LinkedIn!
Cheers to your success!
The Sign Chef
www.TheSignChef.com
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Free Bonuses
Yes, practically everyone likes getting something for free.
Especially when that something has real value.
Inside these special reports, you’ll discover valuable information.
Information that can help you avoid making expensive sign mistakes.
And give your business a sharper, competitive edge for years to come.
Build the marketing momentum that positions
your business in the front of the race.
Everyone’s marketing engine is humming to some degree or
another, but in this economy, it’s imperative to keep yours revved
up well ahead of your competitors. This free Ebook provides an
easy to read, comprehensive list of marketing options you can
begin implementing ASAP to ensure your business crosses the
finish line FIRST!
Discover the key ingredients of highly
successful business signs.
There’s a science behind cooking up the perfect signs for such a
wide variety of businesses, so we compiled all of the key elements
in this free, easy to read Ebook just for you. Define the exact effect
you want your sign to have on your target demographic and then
learn all the tricks available to implement it specifically for your
business!
Stick-Ons - If it sticks, we print it!
We’ve got an entire product catalog full of just about anything you
could possibly put your business’ name on and pass around! It’s
125 pages of your favorite classic customized products with lots
of new items to choose from, too, and just about everything is
available at a quantity discount!
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