You have a great product or service. But if no one knows about it, you don't have a business. Online marketing is how you bridge that gap – but with so many channels, tactics, and tools, it's easy to feel overwhelmed.
This guide cuts through the noise. You'll learn a practical, step‑by‑step framework for online marketing using open source tools. No expensive agencies. No bloated SaaS. Just strategies that work for solopreneurs.
Mautic, n8n, Postiz, WordPress, and more – pre‑integrated and managed for you.
Get your marketing engine →Most marketing fails because it's aimed at "everyone." Get specific. Create a detailed avatar of your ideal customer: demographics, pain points, goals, where they hang out online.
Open source tool: Use Mautic's form builder to create surveys. Embed them on your site. Ask existing customers what they struggle with.
Action step: Write down three specific problems your audience needs solved.
Your website is your 24/7 salesperson. With WordPress Multisite, you can run your main site, a blog, and even client sites from one dashboard. Focus on:
Action step: Create a landing page for your core offer. Remove all distractions – just one CTA.
Search engine optimization brings free, targeted traffic. Use WordPress SEO plugins (like Yoast or Rank Math) to optimize each page. Target long‑tail keywords – phrases of 3‑5 words that show buying intent.
Track your rankings with Matomo (self‑hosted analytics). See which pages bring traffic and which need improvement.
Action step: Identify 10 long‑tail keywords related to your offer. Write a blog post for each.
Website visitors come and go. Email lets you stay in touch. Mautic gives you:
No per‑contact fees. Send unlimited emails.
Action step: Create a lead magnet (PDF checklist, template, mini‑course) and build a Mautic form to deliver it.
Not every lead buys immediately. Automate follow‑up sequences. For example:
Action step: Map out a 7‑day email nurture sequence for new leads.
You don't need to be on every platform. Choose 1‑2 where your audience hangs out. Postiz lets you schedule posts across LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram – unlimited, from your own server.
Batch create content: write 30 posts in one sitting, then schedule them over a month. Use Ollama to generate post ideas and captions.
Action step: Choose your primary platform. Schedule 2 weeks of posts today.
Don't get lost in vanity metrics (likes, shares). Track what drives revenue:
Self‑host Matomo or Plausible to keep your analytics data private.
Action step: Set up conversion goals in Matomo for your key actions (form fills, purchases).
Once your organic marketing works, amplify it with ads. Google Ads, Facebook Ads, LinkedIn Ads – they all work. The key is targeting and tracking.
Use n8n to pull ad spend data into ERPNext, so you know your true ROI. Because your tech stack costs are fixed, you can reinvest more into ads.
Action step: Start with $100 test budget on the platform where your audience is most active.
Get a single, open source platform that handles SEO, email, automation, social, and analytics.
Start marketing smarter →Next in our series: Starting a Solopreneur Business with Open Source Tools: A Step-by-Step Guide – coming soon.
See exactly how much a solopreneur overpays for 16 SaaS subscriptions every year, and the open source stack that replaces them for one flat price. Plus occasional open source growth tips. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.