First of all let me tell you a little secret: there is no such a thing as “free” marketing. Online, even when you don’t pay to use one of the many marketing channels available, you still spend time, and… time is money. Now, that we have that clear, I’ll give you some tips to boost your business popularity online without having to spend a dime.

The over-used article submission technique is still one of the best online marketing tools you could possibly use to brand your business, identify yourself as an expert in your field, get a few free inbound links and generate some targeted traffic. I’d suggest you try publishing your articles on reputable websites such as A List apart (“For people who make websites”), SEO Chat (for SEOs), EzineArticles (for different industries – that’s an article directory), GoArticles or Searchwarp (other reliable article directories) etc. Research a little to find the best websites related to your niche. Don’t ignore the power of the traditional media.

If you’ve ever heard that “Google devaluates press releases” I suggest you ignore completely that statement and start writing press releases to announce important changes within your company, news about your products and services, and so on. Open PR is a very good press submission site, free and, what’s really important, it will get your press releases into the Google News.

The already old-fashioned forums happen to be still very popular, especially those with a high reputation. A good SEO forum I often visit and read (I admit I used to be a lurker, but that is going to change) is the V7 Network, Web Development Community. Other good SEO forums you find at SEO Chat (mentioned above), Digital Point or Search Engine Watch. Again: research to find the best forums related to your area of expertise.

Blogs are not so modern either, just ignored for too long in the past, and today over-used and too often misused. But, as we all know, any online marketing tool is going to be misused sooner or later. When you offer free articles for bloggers and post comments to their articles, try to keep your words related to the subject (so pertinent comments), and don’t spam.

Don’t forget to create your own blog, eventually hosted on the same domain as your main page, either as a subdomain or in a special folder. You blog to reach a broader audience and send out critical information about your business, the kind of information that doesn’t always require a press release, but it is still relevant for your clientele. You also blog to show your readers that you are serious about your business, that you care about their needs and that you are ready to share your knowledge. And this is why you should also join forums or other discussion boards.

A modern marketing channel – the social bookmarking network – already has its problems (see my entry: “Digg and Social Bookmarking Abuses”). Yet, if you really have a good article, with incredible news about a product that will revolutionize your industry, digg it, bookmark it wherever you can. As long as you don’t do this too often, you are on the safe side of marketing via social bookmarking sites.

Speaking about social media, let’s not forget the social networks: MySpace or LinkedIn. Personally, I am not a fan of MySpace, but I like LinkedIn. I find this a “more serious” social network, better for a “business image”.

A few downloadable white papers or ebooks make your business appear more credible. People tend to trust companies that provide free white papers, for the simple reason that, generally, white papers are authoritative reports written generally in an academic style, designated for professionals and industry experts.

Try to get some reliable testimonials for your work. Avoid listing them all at once, on the landing page, after the model of those “ugly sites that sell”. One testimonial per page, in a visible spot, will do wonders. Your website will not look so “artificial” and your clients will not believe that you “try to sell yourself by all means.”

Try to give back something to the community. Help non-profit organizations for example. Pamil Visions has designed a logo for CCRT to “give something back” to the online community. We’ve also created a free web design for a family trying to adopt a child and we are ready to take over any other similar projects.

These are all the “free” marketing channels I recommend. There are plenty others, but they are not so reliable. Just stay away from traffic exchange schemes, no matter if free or paid, especially if you have Google Ads on your site. And all you do, do with moderation: not too much at once. Your online presence should “grow up naturally”.