Small businesses on a tight budget must learn to advertise on the cheap. Getting your name out there as much as possible will be essential to growing your business and survive amongst the competition. The issue is to get your name and brand known to as many consumers as possible without blowing up your budget, but in a way that will generate more business.
The internet makes this cheap and easy in many ways. You can order some inexpensive business promotional items such as pens, keychains, calendars, logo mats … to promote your business. You can utilize article submission websites to generate traffic to your business. Advertising on Google or using blog posts to make known your business is also a good way to utilize the internet to promote your name. Another way is by advertising in social networks and being involved in forums related to your line of business. Business review sites will also be a great way to advertise your brand. When sending emails out use a signature email that promotes your business.
Other easy and inexpensive ways to promote your name are placing postcards on windshields, using community boards to place business cards and flyers about your business, sending monthly or seasonal newsletter to friends, family, customers, and encourage them to keep passing it around, having a blog where you can blog about topics related to your line of business, and something as simple as wearing a t-shirt with your business name and give some away to friends and family to wear as well. Another frugal tip is leaving a business card wherever you are – the doctor’s office, dentist, inside a magazine, at the library, at the restaurant …
Other interesting and cheap ways to promote your business is by offering rewards to customers for bringing new ones – such as a discount or a free item, running a contest to pick the winner for the best innovative way to promote your business – with this method you will have many people advertising your business and one winner, but you must make the prize attractive. You can also participate in community events, join your local chamber of commerce, volunteer your services, and be a speaker guest. In addition, you can give away eBooks while advertising your business in your blog or at an event; you can transfer those to a cd and give the cd as a gift.
There are tons of easy and inexpensive ways to promote your business and name, some of them even free. Utilize the ones that will apply to your type of business the most.