You’ve got to invest money to spend money is a frequently heard saying from people in business. This is true in some respects. After all, you need a Shopify Plan in order to have a website that can take orders. While you can have a 3-day trial, after that you need a plan. You can also get a free Shopify developer plan.

Products always cost money to buy and ship. Therefore, most e-commerce stores will have costs there.

However, marketing doesn’t have to cost money. And this can grow your business, helping you to generate revenues without having to spend a cent. So, how can you grow your business on a zero budget?

Key Takeaways
1
Marketing doesn’t have to cost money to effectively grow your business and generate revenue.
2
Free apps available on the Shopify App Store can be instrumental in starting and earning revenue without initial investment.
3
Social media platforms are invaluable tools for free marketing, audience engagement, and brand building.

1. Free Apps

There are hundreds of apps available on the Shopify App Store. Not all of them have a cost. Some have free plans or are free altogether. This can help you to get your shop going and start earning revenue. Free apps tend to have fewer functions or limited use (like first 5,000 visits per month), but that doesn’t mean they don’t have enough features to help you get started.

Free apps are still installed and removed the same way as other apps on the store.

2. MailChimp

Email marketing is vital for your success. However, it doesn’t have to cost. MailChimp offers a free service for those that have fewer than 2,000 subscribers and send less than 10,000 emails per month.

After this period there are costs and this can be done on a monthly basis, based on the number of subscribers you have, or on a campaign basis.

3. Social Media

Social media doesn’t have to be costly. You can use hashtags and social sharing to build awareness for your brand and grow an audience that can buy into your brand. Be sure that you’re using the right platforms and remember that using social media can be time intensive.

However, by using tools like KungFu Social Sharing, you can ensure your brand color is consistent across all platforms, helping your site get recognized by the masses.

4. Blogging

Writing a blog is a great way to build your marketing for free. All you need is time for your articles. Companies that publish blogs more than 16 times a month receive 450% more leads than those that blog less than four times a month. In addition, traffic levels can increase by 350%. Therefore, blogging is an essential aspect of marketing.

Blogs should also be more than 1000 words, with the top ranking blogs having an average content length of between 1100 and 1200 words. Using a domain for your blog can enhance your brand’s credibility and visibility. Don’t forget to invite customers to subscribe to your blog to keep them engaged and updated with your content.

5. SEO

SEO is actually free, and you can have more than two-thirds of your traffic come from Google and other search engines. There are lots of articles about SEO tips and more (including this one by us about bad SEO habits). Be sure to read them and spend at least an hour a week on your SEO.