Don’t listen to the rumors that there’s no such thing as “free”, especially when it comes to marketing. Thanks to the rise of social media, many companies have reduced their marketing staff down to the bones and opted for social media managers instead of entire marketing departments.

Here we will discuss the top 3 marketing techniques that are completely free and great for startups hoping to reach their target market.

Content Is (still) King.

Content marketing is the stuff of a startup’s dreams. There’s nothing like speaking on and creating content surrounding topics that you’re an expert in, and that’s precisely what you should do on your site. Although not every startup needs a blog, a regular article posted on your website, Facebook, LinkedIn, and social media sites can help you gain exposure and generate leads with your target audience.

What does content cost you? Well if you’re writing it yourself, it’ll only take an hour or so of your time. Great content doesn’t have to be a lengthy explanation of why your product is the best. If you’re a subject matter expert, then you can create excellent content that will increase traffic and grab your target market’s attention.

Use a Blog to Connect with Your Customers

While some content is good, a blog is best. However, a blog is a commitment. You’re committing to giving away free advice or information on a consistent basis. Blogs play a significant role in digital marketing for companies because they’re not as narrow as other media forms.

You can post a quick “how-to” or offer helpful advice to those who would benefit from your product or service. Your company can work with affiliates to provide offers or discounts to services or products that fit naturally with yours. For example, a weight loss supplement company may blog regularly about health and wellness while working with Fitbit as an affiliate to earn income for the company and offer discounts to their readers. However, it is important to follow the 80/20 rule when it comes to your content marketing. 80% of the content you create should be valuable and relevant to your target audience without pushing for a sale, and 20% of your content should include a promotion of some sort.

Design Beautiful Prints with Canva

Companies will regularly spend thousands on designing ads, even if they never see print. But, you can create stunning ads, website banners, logos, and social media image posts with Canva for free.

Canva has an enormous variety of fair-use (aka free) images for you to put together. You’ll save time and money that you would have spent with a photographer and marketing team. Best of all, you can quickly move from Canva to any social media site and post your images right away. Canva also offers preset sizes for website banners, social media posts, and even ads.

Using these 3 tips and techniques, you can fine tune your content marketing strategy without breaking the bank.