Starting a business can feel slightly intimidating, especially when starting out. Thankfully, the internet can keep you connected, so you don’t have to feel so alone in the beginning. There are tons of different online tools to help you expand your business, along with free trials for products that can simplify your advertising and attract new customers. Here are a few tools and resources available to keep your business growing.
Free SEO Efforts
Google My Business integrates business profiles with comprehensive SEO inputs to connect your company with interested customers. As the world’s most popular search engine, connecting with potential customers starts with this platform. Google My Business offers free business resources, including a complimentary business profile for any local company. You can upload your location, pricing information, hours of operation, and website directly on the company profile page. Google My Business listings will often appear in local search results, attracting new customers to your company page.
Free Landing Page Developer
Unbounce wants to connect prospective visitors with high-converting websites. This platform helps inexperienced companies develop high-quality and top-performing landing pages using drag-and-drop functionality. They offer a thirty-day free trial for all new accounts, helping you compare conversion rates and improve website traffic with the click of a button.
Free Content Automation
If your company holds a heavy blog presence online, organizing your writing, editing, and publishing efforts are essential. CoSchedule strives to keep you organized, regardless of your current demands. This WordPress add-on integrates into your existing blog to create a streamlined automation tool. You can plan content for months at a time while notifying team members of upcoming posts or features. It also enables social sharing options, helping you connect with more readers. This option has a free 14-day trial for anyone wanting to see it in action.
Free Mapping Software
Maptive is an integrative tool that helps businesses understand their current demographic on a geographic map. Users can input all customer data through a spreadsheet or manually input the information into the software. From there, the software develops a real-time map of your company’s current customer base. Users can access heat and radius maps, optimized route calculators (for delivery or logistic purposes), and more from their cloud-based program. This company currently offers a free 10-day trial for all new registrations.
Free Small Business Resources
SCORE is a non-profit business association that connects entrepreneurs with valuable education and mentorship opportunities. These resources are entirely free to anyone trying to launch a new business. They help companies achieve their growth and development goals using free learning opportunities. Participants can meet with in-person mentoring services from volunteer entrepreneurs with years of experience throughout the country. You’ll also learn how to connect with potential customers and increase brand visibility online and offline.
Free Business Planning
Whether you’re just starting a business or you’ve been around for a while, having efficient planning can make all the difference. Bplans.com connects company owners with sample business plans that represent almost every industry. They also offer a free guide to writing your business plan to efficiently establish your company’s foundation. From there, you’ll be able to outline your current target audience, how to find them, and what keeps them loyal to your brand.
Free Networking Options
Social media has exploded in popularity, with nearly half the world’s population having at least one active account. As such, it’s paramount for all businesses to join active social media platforms and interact with prospective clients as well. Start with a few different websites and build a following on each. Add your social media handles to your website, along with any email signatures.
Trying to optimize your images and posts is a time-consuming process, especially when you’re trying to manage multiple platforms simultaneously. To help you push out professional content across all networks, Instasize is a free service for anyone needing an extra hand on their social media marketing. The platform also contains a premium version to continue extending your brand and reaching your audience for those wanting a few additional features.
Free Website Insight
Google Analytics works with your company’s current marketing efforts, highlighting how well your content performs. The in-depth analysis brings a robust study to your marketing efforts, helping your business monitor the online traffic and identify any components that need shifting along the way. You’ll be able to determine who’s accessing your website content and from where all without having to pay a dime.
Conclusion
Starting a business isn’t the most straightforward task to handle, but that doesn’t mean growing your business is impossible. Using the free tools available, you can better understand your company, developing a broader connection to potential consumers. By identifying key areas within the company that are accessing current and prospective clients, you’ll continue to expand your business simultaneously.