Marketing on a Budget
For small businesses marketing with little or no budget.
Start here
SBA: Marketing and Sales Guide
Government ProgramFreeGoogle Business Profile
Platform ToolFreeCanva
AI ToolFreeMeta Business Suite
Platform ToolFreeGoogle Analytics
Platform ToolFreeBing Places for Business
Platform ToolFreeBing Webmaster Tools
Platform ToolFreeDigital Marketing Strategy for Student Entrepreneurs
DocumentFree
More in Start & Grow a Business
View all
231 resources
Can TikTok Shop Be About More Than Just Shopping?
Marketing Brew story in which executives at e.l.f. Beauty and Jewelry Television describe using TikTok Shop for education and entertainment as well as sales.
ArticleFreeRiverside
Audio and video recording, editing, livestreaming and publishing platform. A free starting option is available with limits; additional features and capacity require paid plans.
Platform ToolFreeYouTube Shorts bonus program
YouTube explains its invite-only Shorts bonus program, including regional eligibility, accepting an invitation in YouTube Studio and program requirements. This information is free to read; participation is not open to every creator.
ArticleFreeStudy Finds Fans Trust Creators As Much Or More Than Friends
Reports Wondery and SmithGeiger survey findings on trust among U.S. creator fans and their responses to brand recommendations. Covers the relationship between episodic creator content, repeated brand mentions and audience trust.
ArticleFreeWhy brands struggle with influencer measurement — and what to do about it
Examines measurement challenges in influencer marketing, including inconsistent platform metrics and fragmented ownership of creator programs. Discusses clarifying campaign goals and amplifying creator content, drawing on ANA research.
ArticleFreeMeta Launches Forum, a Dedicated App for Facebook Groups
Meta announcement (September 2026) of Forum, a standalone app for finding and joining Facebook Groups communities.
ArticleFreeSocial Media Today Library
Latest social media news, tips and insights.
WebsiteFreeFix AI slop with social listening: a 6-step workflow (Planable)
A marketing blog post arguing that AI slop is content nobody asked for, and outlining a six-step social-listening workflow to find real audience questions and turn them into content that search engines and AI assistants cite.
ArticleFreeOpenSEO
An open-source SEO platform positioned as an alternative to Ahrefs and Semrush: keyword research, backlinks, rank tracking and site audits, billed by usage instead of a flat monthly subscription. Can be self-hosted free, or connected to AI agents over MCP.
ToolFreeGenPage
A commercial marketing tool that generates personalized landing pages for ads, keywords, or prospects and runs A/B tests on them. A free tier is available with no credit card required, and paid plans exist. The site's changelog lists recent additions such as multi-page sites and research agents.
ToolFreeMedia's New Fight for Eyeballs, Profits, and Control
BCG analysis (October 1, 2026; Doug Shapiro, Ernesto Pagano, Sima Golnabi, Daniel Wilson) finding U.S. media revenue grew 5.4% a year from 2018–2025 but only 0.8% after inflation and population, while weekly media time rose from 85.5 to 91.4 hours. Based on a survey of 750 U.S. adults, it reports consumers are more willing to pay for human-made content than AI-generated content. The page blocked automated reading; this summary comes from its published key takeaways.
ReportFreeShort-Form Video — Meta Business Innovation & Technology Podcast
Meta for Business podcast episode on short-form video marketing. The page wouldn't load for our reader, so this description comes from its web address.
PodcastFreeMain Character Energy: What Black Panther Can Teach You About Inclusive Marketing
Draws marketing lessons from the film Black Panther: how building for a specific, underserved audience can drive reach and loyalty, with takeaways for planning inclusive marketing campaigns.
ArticleFreeGoogle Tests Bigger Local Services Ads
Search Engine Land reports on Google testing larger Local Services Ads that include more visual and review information in search results.
ArticleFreeSmall Business Trends
Online publication covering small business news, technology products, marketing, and management advice for entrepreneurs and business owners. Free to read, supported by advertising.
PublicationFreeHookest — Viral Hooks for Short Videos
Tool that suggests opening lines ("hooks") for Instagram, TikTok and YouTube Shorts videos.
tutorialFreeA new era for AI Search (Google I/O 2026)
Google's I/O 2026 announcements on combining its search engine with AI, including agent features.
ArticleFreeMade On YouTube 2026
YouTube's hub for 2026 keynote news, AI creation tools and creator feature updates.
BlogFreeHow You Hustle: Get Your Startup Featured in The Hustle
A free form from The Hustle newsletter where founders can pitch their business for a chance to be featured to its roughly 1.5 million readers. You answer questions about your pitch, the problem you solve, your origin story and your advice for other founders. Side hustles and full-time businesses are both welcome.
OpportunityFreeEX Research — Internet Culture Newsletter
Free weekly newsletter and articles from EX Research on internet culture, online communities, music, games and 'super-online' trends, plus free research reports.
NewsletterFreeNYC Small Business Resource Network
Free one-on-one help for New York City small businesses from Small Business Support Specialists at the five borough chambers of commerce — grants and loans, digital marketing, getting online, lease negotiations and business planning.
ProgramFreeProfound's AEO Guide
A multi-chapter free guide to Answer Engine Optimization — getting your name into the answers AI assistants give, rather than into a list of blue links. Covers why search behaviour changed, where ordinary SEO still applies, deciding what you want to be known for, and how to measure and scale the work. Written by Nick Lafferty and Nigel Stevens.
GuideFreePacsun Youth Report 2026
Second annual survey of 6,126 people aged 11-24 in the US, run with GlobalData in June 2026, on trust, money, social media and AI. 85% used AI in the past year and 74% were open to shopping through it, but only 2% trusted it for fashion advice; influencers never exceeded 11% of trust in any category. Self-described financial independence fell to 34.9% from 41.3% in 2025, and 29% say they are "definitely addicted" to social media, up from 18.8%.
ReportFreeSwitch Your Ad Spend to Pinterest (Pinterest's Pitch)
Pinterest's sales page for advertisers moving budget from other platforms, listing its ad placements, its own performance figures and the sign-up incentives it currently offers.
ArticleFree