1. Display your cards at coffee shops, book stores, businesses of people you know, membership stores like Costco and Sam's Club; all of these are free.
2. Hold an Open House, Ribbon Cutting or some kind of an event to attract the public or your specific target market to your business (It's important to plan well and publicize the event with releases, invitations, entertainment, promotional items, giveaways, etc.). Coordinate this with your local chamber of commerce so they publicize it to their membership as well.
3. Put your sales message and/or logo on everything, your car, shirts, nametag, building, invoices, envelopes, sales flyers, receipts, tags, etc.
4. Invite trade for services for things you may need (bookkeeping help, CPA, financial or attorney advice, marketing, advertising, promotions, signs, promo items, printing, products, services, etc.). This will save you money and give you other avenues to pursue for referrals as well.
5. Go in with other small businesses that compliment your business on advertising, chamber inserts in the newsletter, inserts in the local papers, direct mail pieces, door to door flyers, etc. (i.e.; housekeeping business and carpet cleaning business).
6. Make sure you are listed on all local area or national website directories necessary that will target your message for you. Do the free ones for sure, but evaluate them if they charge a fee. Do the fee ones if they are high up on search engines, if they can produce results that they promote their site and if their site is user friendly.
7. Include links to other people's websites on yours and ask to do the same for added exposure. Have an "I recommend these businesses" page.
8. Networking is the cheapest form of advertising you can do - find organizations, associations, chambers, groups and monthly meetings that include your best target for business and visit them first, then join if you see the value. Some you don't have to join just keep paying the entry fee and no pressure to join but same benefits, not always the case.
9. Follow up, Follow up, Follow up with everyone you meet and ask them what their business is all about and how could you work together to promote each other?
10. Never base your advertising decisions on what YOU do, take yourself out of the picture and think like your customer and what they would generally do.
Well, hopefully you are doing everything on that list already in your business, but if not I'm sure I've only reminded you of what you already know to do. NOW DO IT!
