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How to Promote, Find and Take Advantage of Free and Low-Cost Advertising For Your Business |
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It's common knowledge that in order to have your business flourish, you need to promote it. Whether you've an online internet business or a bricks and mortar one, powerful and cost effective advertising is a major key to your success. When we think of advertising, thoughts of radio ads, TV spots, website banner ads, and newspaper and other print advertising comes to mind. These can all be very good, but what if you don't have the advertising budget for them? Then what? Granted, word of mouth can be a good avenue for promoting a business, but relying on it as your sole or main source for building a business may lead to some serious disappointment.
Take heart! There are many free and relatively low cost methods and avenues for advertising and promoting your business. You don't need a large bank roll to get started. In fact, many of these methods can prove to be just as effective if not more so than those pricey advertisements. Craigslist.com and backpages.com are two free classified ad websites, that see tens of thousands of hits every day. Craigslist has become both a paid and free site, depending on the cities and the type of advertising, but even with their fees, they still offer a LOT of bang for your advertising dollar.
Blogging and forums are another two avenues for promoting your business without any monetary outlay. By building up a following through article writing, you not only will enjoy more visits to your website, but you will also build a favorable reputation and name for yourself as an expert in the field you are writing about. Article writing does take a little time and thought, and you do need to have a basic command of English and its proper usage, but that should not be seen as a negative.
Posting videos on youtube and other video sites is free and gives a very strong personal touch to your promotion campaign. Videos give you the opportunity to let people see that you really do exist, which also allows you to show your personality in ways that the written word can fall short.
Here are a few other tips for free promoting:
1: When staying at a hotel, when you leave your tip for the maid, leave your card, which has your business name, phone number and web address.
2: When you tip the waiter or bartender, include your business card.
3: Print up inexpensive black and white fliers and leave them in restaurant lobbies, hair salons, hotel lobbies, etc. Of course, before doing this, always get the permission from the business owner or manager.
4: Post your business card on community boards in supermarkets and take out restaurants.
5: When you get maintenance work done on your car, give them your card when you pay. Afterall, you gave them your business, it's only fair that they should patronize you, as well.
6: If you have a service business, offer your service as a raffle prize for a charity function. You will get the publicity and recommendations from that group. There are many other avenues for low cost or free advertising, and these I just a few. I hope that as you start doing these, other ideas will come to mind.
See you at the top!
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More articles on small business marketing Discover How "New Marketing" is Required to Survive and Thrive in Today's Economy Unique Marketing Is Good Isn't It? Marketing: How to Break Through Your Customer's Doubts Increase Your Credibility and Grow Your Business with Testimonials |
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