15 Low-Cost Ways to Market Your Business

I know that many of us out there with small businesses have the ongoing dilemma of how to effectively advertise without going completely broke, don't we?

I've been through a lot of trial and error over the past few years, and I've put together a list that I hope will help you find some different ways of effectively advertising without breaking your bank. Some of these methods are free, but most of them are low cost. And of course, some of these methods do take some effort to implement, but they can work if you take the time.

1. Place free or low cost ads on sites like craigslist.org, Listasaurus.com, backpage.com, kijiji.com. There are some interesting ways you can make your ad stand out, particularly on craigslist. (Feel free to contact me for more tips on that). And Listasaurus.com features video classifieds now, even for businesses, which is a great new way to showcase your business.
    
2. Create a blog using free sites like Blogspot.com, Blogger.com, etc. Be sure to include links back to your site using particular keywords, which will also help your Search Engine Optimization.
    
3. Find forums where folks are discussing topics in your line of business, and engage in discussions with them. Be sure to include a signature line with a link to your website if you have one and the forum allows it.
    
4. Attend local networking meetings to get to know people and extend your reach. Spending some time following up with them is important though, so you want to really spread out your meeting attendance so you don't get overwhelmed.
    
5. Join a Yahoo group that's relevant to your line of business, if possible, and get involved in the discussions there periodically.
    
6. Make sure you have a signature line on your personal and business email, so whoever it goes to will see your info. This is especially useful in forums and groups as well (if you have a website, you can link back to your website and also help your site gain SEO ranking).
    
7. Attend local Business Expos to meet other business owners, and help build your connections.
    
8. Team up with someone else to share a table at a Business Expo event and be a presenter.
    
9. Once you have a mailing list, send a newsletter or promotional email out to your list at least once or twice a month. It’s important to remind people of your services and products, and if you offer a little “free” info, they will find it helpful. You can use Vertical Response or Constant Contact for this at a very low cost. (www.verticalresponse.com or www.constantcontact.com)
    
10. If you have a website, create some Pay Per Click campaigns to help drive traffic. (This can get costly if you're not careful, so be sure to set a realistic budget).
     
11. If you have a website, you can pay bloggers to blog about your product or service. I have used www.payperpost.com and have had some incredibly successful campaigns, especially with improving Search Engine Optimization and Google ranking.
     
12. Create some magnetic signs (cost about $70.00) to place on your car so people see them when you are driving. www.866signguy.com did a very good job on mine.
     
13. Do a publicity stunt! (I have not actually tried this one yet but I've been looking into having someone do one for me.) We all know how much attention things get in the press--especially if it relates to a current event (think the elections, or Britney Spears)
     
14. Create a video on YouTube. And hopefully it will grab enough attention to go viral, and get you even more exposure.
     
15. Write press releases! And write them once every few months if you can. You can submit them yourself for a small fee (around $19.99) at  www.webwire.com or a bit more at www.pr-web.com. I have seen good results with Webwire, especially with their $19.99 deal.
     

I hope these ideas help!