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10 Low-Cost Ways to Promote Your Business

Business promotion is to running a successful business as practicing scales is to playing the piano well; it may not be a thrilling activity in itself, but you just have to do it! You should spend at least an hour a day on business promotion or planning how to promote your business (and more is better, if you can fit the time in)!

You promote your business by getting the word out. The first axiom of business promotion is that you have to do this consciously. You can’t rely on other people to do it for you, no matter how great your product or service is.

The second axiom of business promotion is that like every other aspect of your business, it’s a budgeted activity. But business promotion doesn’t have to be expensive. Here are ten inexpensive ways to promote your business; all most of these will cost you is some time.

1) Use every outgoing piece of paper, and every electronic document as business promotion.

You have business cards, but you also put out a lot of other documents in the course of doing business. Check these to make sure you’re using their promotional possibilities to full advantage.

For instance, business stationery is an ideal business promotion tool. Is your business name, logo, contact information (including URL if you have one), and slogan on your envelopes as well as on your letterhead? Or are your envelopes only printed with your business name and return address? What a waste! Your phone and fax numbers, your URL, and even a memorable slogan should be there, too. It’s not just an envelope; it’s a business promotion tool! You’re sending it out anyway, so why not make it work for you?

The same goes for outgoing faxes, bill payments, receipts; whatever paper you send out should carry your full company message. And don’t forget to make sure that your email has a complete signature that provides all your business information and a promotional tagline.

Electronic documents, such as email, are also easy to update with your latest business promotion information, whether it be a special price on your product or service, or letting people know that your company has won an award.

Articles and press releases are also excellent business promotion tools that you can use to promote your business inexpensively. Read on to learn what types of articles and press releases you should write and tips on where to send them to promote your business effectively.

2) Writing articles on topics related to your business expertise is an excellent business promotion technique.

Well-written articles can provide free advertising and build positive word-of-mouth. If you’re a realtor, for instance, you could write a piece on preparing your home to be shown. If you’re a Web site designer, you might write a piece about assessing Web site usability. The more specific your topic, the better. Write a short biographical note, or “blurb” about you and your business to go with the article. Then send it out!

Where? As the goal is to promote your business, ideally you’d like it to appear in a publication that your target audience will be reading. Realistically, you may have to send it to a publication that accepts unsolicited work from unknown authors. Magazines generally have a long lead time, so I would focus my first efforts on the ‘Net. There are an astronomical number of e-zines and sites with newsletters that are hungry for content.

One place to look for e-zines to send articles to is The Internet’s Best E-Zine Directories. E-zines also provide excellent advertising value; the trick is to find the right e-zine for your target audience. Freelance writing sites also provide a great deal of information on all kinds of publications that might publish your efforts. Make your research easier by starting with a great site that provides all kinds of lists and information on markets such as About Freelance Writers, or FreelanceWriting.com.

Newspapers are also excellent places to place your business promotion article, as they too have a much shorter lead-time than magazines, and are always looking for material. Try contacting the Business editor of your local paper and pitching your article. If this approach fails, you might be able to get your piece into the paper by sending it in as a letter to the Editorial section.

3) Sending out press releases is another great way to get some free business promotion.

The caveat to using press releases as a business promotion tool is that your press release has to actually contain information that is newsworthy, and be engaging enough to get people’s interest. Has your business recently expanded? Do you have a new product? Have you been involved in some promotional activity such as sponsoring a charity event? Have you or your company recently won an award? All of these are examples of “news” that you can capitalize on to get some free promotion for your business.

While many business people send press releases to newspapers as a matter of course, don’t forget about the Internet. Web sites like mine, for example, that specialize in providing business-related information, are interested in you and your accomplishments.

What else can you do to get some free business promotion? What about using Internet forums and freebies as business promotion tools or doing some buddy marketing to promote your business?

4) If you’re an Internet user, spend some of your online time on business promotion.

Posting messages in forums (a.k.a. bulletin boards) is a great way to make your business known to people you would otherwise be unable to contact. You can’t blatantly advertise your business on most forums, but you can show others that you’re a knowledgeable, personable individual and promote your business through your signature file.

Getting people interested in your business and perhaps attracting new customers works best if you choose forums that are business-related (such as my Small Business: Canada forum) or directly related to your business’s product or service.

The other caveat with choosing forums to post in is to check their level of activity; posting in a forum that doesn’t have much traffic or regular activity isn’t going to do much to promote your business.

5) Use buddy marketing to promote your business.

For example, if you send out brochures, you could include a leaflet and/or business card of another business, which had agreed to do the same for you. This gives you the chance to reach a whole new pool of potential customers.

You might also plan and carry out business promotions with complementary businesses. A pet store and a pet grooming business, for example, might use shared advertising, or run a contest together. This can considerably cut down the cost of business promotion, and allow each business to use promotion techniques that would be too expensive to implement alone.

6) Give out freebies as business promotion.

We’re all familiar with hearing or reading advertisements that promise that the first 50 people to visit a particular store will receive a free (____). You fill in the blank. It could be anything from a red rose through an ice-cream cone! We’re all familiar with this kind of spot promotion because it works. People love to receive things that are free.

Besides using freebies as business promotions, you can also use them regularly as customer “rewards”. For example, I recently had a picture framed; the framer had attached a free picture hanger to the painting’s wire, with a small card thanking me for my patronage. It’s only a small thing, which certainly didn’t cost him much, but as the customer, I appreciate not having to rummage through my home looking for a suitable hanger, and can’t help thinking positively about the service he provides. What small, inexpensive things could you give out with your product or service that will get your customer thinking good thoughts about you? Combining business promotion with customer rewards is definitely a win-win situation.

7) Promote your business on a talk show.

Your local radio station or cable TV station may have programs that are looking for guests - a great low-cost way to promote your business! Business-related programs are ideal. Find out who the host is, and approach him or her as willing to share your expertise on a particular topic.

Call-in programs are popular; you may be able to appear as a guest expert. If you’re a mechanic, you might offer to take call-in questions on car maintenance; if you operate a health store, you might market yourself as an expert in herbal remedies. Have your proposal clearly worked out before you contact the program host, and make sure the parameters of your appearance, such as details about plugs, are clear beforehand.

Promote your business by giving a seminar or presentation.

You have expertise that other people are interested in! (You couldn’t be in business if you didn’t.) Why not share that expertise and promote your business at the same time?

For example, a local carpet company advertises a free seminar on installation techniques for a type of laminate flooring. Participants not only learn how to install this type of flooring themselves, but are offered special discount prices if they wish to purchase laminate flooring. Another local retailer who sells goods made of stained glass offers courses on working with stained glass on-site.

If there’s no direct tie-in to your product or service, you can still give a presentation on a related topic. Nursery people or horticulturalists, for instance, often give demonstrations on topics such as tree-pruning, or slide shows of famous gardens they’ve visited. Although most of my business involves providing specific writing or training services to businesses, I give presentations on general topics such as “Promoting Your Business on a Shoestring”.

If it’s not feasible to present the seminar at your site, because you’re a home-based business or just don’t have the facilities you would need, arrange to give the seminar elsewhere. Many government-sponsored organizations, such as Business Service Centers and Economic Development Centers, and non-profit programs are always looking for experienced business people who are willing to give presentations. You may also be able to arrange to present your topic through the Continuing Education branch of your local college or university.

Scared? Start small and start building a name by making a presentation to one of your local groups such as your Home-Based Business Association or Business Women’s network. If public speaking terrifies you, I can’t recommend Toastmasters highly enough; this organization has helped a great many people get over this fear and be able to address groups of people.

That’s eight low-cost ways you can promote your business so far. But there are two more business promotion opportunities that you may not have considered yet; using your car and your non-business related activities.

9) Use your vehicle to promote your business.

Mobile business promotion isn’t just for white delivery vans. Where I live, one in every four vehicles has the name and phone number of a business decorating one of the windows or doors. Think of all the people who see your vehicle when you’re driving around - especially if you live in a place where people often get stuck in traffic!

You should be able to get a pair of magnetic signs from your local source for less than a hundred dollars. Or, for an elegant promotional look, you could order Promo Plates, which are quite inexpensive at $29.95 USD plus shipping and handling.

10) Promote your business through your leisure activities.

One savvy businessman I know relaxes by being part of a rock band. Guess what? Every time his band’s gigs are mentioned in the newspaper, the piece also mentions the name of his business!

You may not be part of a band yourself, but everyone does something for “fun”. Whether your chosen leisure activity is working on a Spitfire Restoration project, rock-climbing, or shopping, there are all kinds of ways to promote your business while you do what you love to do.

Where’s the harm in shopping or rock-climbing wearing a T-shirt that has the name of your business prominently displayed? Or in taking your business cards everywhere you go and clipping your card to the slip when you pay for a purchase by card or check? Get in the habit of doing business promotion wherever you go and you’ll be surprised how word-of-mouth builds.

If your leisure activity involves a group, you might ask if you can include your business information on all of their out-going paper, or ask if you can at least give everyone a brochure.

And with any kind of group activity, there’s always the opportunity to promote your business by letting other people know what you do and how it could benefit them. This doesn’t mean that you talk about nothing else, but there are bound to be chances to talk about your business that crop up during normal conversation.

These ten business promotion ideas are just some of the ways you can promote your small business without spending a small fortune. With a little experimentation and time, you’ll find out which of these ideas work best for you - and best get the word out about your small business.

Marketing Mindset When Times are Tough

By Karen Scharf

Four Steps to Marketing Smarter (and for Less) in Today’s Economy

by Kimberly Smith

The economy is sour, consumers aren’t buying, and the competitive landscape is mutating. From marketers everywhere we hear a collective “where to even begin?”

“Start with a company-wide deep breath, since it’s so hard to panic during a deep breath, and it’s conducive to thinking and creativity, too,” suggests Tim Berry, president of Eugene, OR-based Palo Alto Software.

He and a few other industry pundits—including Seth Godin, David Meerman Scott, Bryan Eisenberg, and Jonathan Salem Baskin—recently lent their advice for marketing smarter, and for less, in the down economy.

You’ll find their comments and more here in our quick list of the steps that marketers can immediately start taking to hone their programs and cut back on expenses.

Step 1: Get back to basics

When the going gets tough, the tough get down to business and figure out exactly where they are, how they got there, what it was that originally led them to their heyday, and how they might evolve those strategies to function through the current economy.

“These downturns are good for spurring us to step back away from the business and take that fresh look; it’s like an artist squinting to see the landscape differently,” said Berry.

His recommendations include setting aside time to do a thorough SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis and answering vital questions, such as these:

• What makes your company unique? What advantages do you have to leverage? Which challenges can be transitioned into opportunities? And is the company prepared to take on those challenges?
• Where do you make the most profit? And where are your resources being spent? To what extent do those connect?
• Are your products and promotions aligned with current market needs and expectations? What is the overall perception of your company and product in the marketplace? What are your customers saying?
• What are your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses? How do competitor products and promotions compare with—and impact—your products and promotions?
• Which is your most profitable customer segment? And which customers are you most likely to retain if the economy worsens? Are there alternate market segments that might now be better positioned for your products and services?
• What are the current and foreseeable trends in your industry? Are there any emerging trends on which you may be able to capitalize? How might your value proposition be altered to reflect new trends and new consumer expectations?
• How up-to-date is your marketing plan? How valid is the rationale behind your current marketing programs and promotions? Is your marketing accountable for results?

Your SWOT analysis won’t necessarily paint a pretty picture, but if you go about it honestly you’ll gain a much clearer view on where you should be focusing your efforts.

Step 2: Let the data be your light

As businesses realize that this economic downturn is not some minor blip that will soon correct itself, marketers must reconcile with the fact that things have changed for the long term, and so must they.

And as we begin the process of determining what to keep and what to cut from the old “game plan,” it is important to realize that this is not the time for guessing or playing favorites with campaigns of sentimental value. It’s time to put our trust in cold, hard data—for real this time.

“The days of propagating brand image into the cosmos are long gone…. Marketers need to find ways to map behaviors against desired outcomes, [and figure out] what actions will lead targets to buying things,” offered Jonathan Salem Baskin, marketing strategist and author of Branding Only Works on Cattle. “Think about shortening, or making more direct, the connection between marketing expenditure (or tactic) and some demonstrable behavior evidenced by the target customer or consumer.”

Bryan Eisenberg, analytical-marketing consultant and author of Teaching Your Cat to Bark, said one of the biggest mistakes companies make is collecting the data but not analyzing it or leveraging it to make improvements.

“Companies need to understand not only how to get the data but also what to do with it, and that takes work,” he explained. “It’s a four-letter dirty word, but ultimately it is the key to being successful.”

For example, women’s clothing retailer Intermix (the subject of this week’s premium case study), was able to increase multichannel revenue 9% from June 2008 to January 2009 by doing just that—repeatedly digging into the numbers to identify unique customer segments and the specific offers that appealed to each group individually.

“Execution is not a one-time event,” Eisenberg advised. “Execution is something you have to do on a regular basis. There’s always something that can be improved, and it’s about finding the biggest hole, patching it, and doing that relentlessly.”

In addition to demonstrating the overall advantage of ongoing testing and refinement, the Intermix campaign illustrates the need to look at not just how one marketing tactic compares with another but also how distinct customer segments respond differently to the same campaigns.

Eisenberg recommends taking the time to dissect any non-campaign components that may influence the customer experience (the company Web site, for example), and making incremental improvements that help increase conversion on a more permanent level.

Step 3: Take the high road

Consumers are skeptical—and who can blame them, considering the number of financial scandals that have recently come to light. But that’s why now, perhaps more than ever, it is essential for companies to appear very upfront and honest, smart, and innovative—as leaders that consumers can, and want, to trust.

It’s time to think best-practices, not gimmicks.

“I think the down economy is no real barrier to marketing remarkable products in a human way,” offered bestselling author Seth Godin, who offered incisive wisdom: “Instead of yelling, connect. Instead of pushing, lead.”

Hyundai Motor America, the pioneer of “America’s Best Warranty,” recently launched an industry-altering campaign when it announced its new Hyundai Assurance Program, which promises consumers the option to return their newly leased or financed Hyundai vehicles and “walk away” from any loan obligations should they lose their incomes within the coming year. “We’re all in this together, and we’ll all get through it together,” its ads tell consumers.

The Associated Press reports that the program has already had an impact on Hyundai sales performance, assisting a 14.3% growth in sales in a time when most of the company’s competitors are struggling with losses.

The program has “struck a chord with American consumers during these uncertain times,” Dave Zuchowski, Hyundai Motor America vice-president of national sales, said in a statement.

Tim Calkins, clinical professor of marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, agrees that the Hyundai campaign is a commendable approach in today’s economy. “Advertising has to connect with folks,” he explained in a recent NPR interview about recession marketing. “You don’t want to talk about price and being cheap… you have to talk about value, or you’ve gotta really talk about what makes you unique.”

Step 4: Go social

Following Godin’s and Calkins’ advice for connecting with consumers has recently become easier—and much more cost effective—with the dawn of new online media.

“We’re living in a time when we can reach the world directly, without having to spend enormous amounts of money on advertising and without investing in huge public relations efforts to convince the media to write (or broadcast) about our products and services,” explained David Meerman Scott, marketing strategist and author of the bestseller The New Rules of Marketing & PR.

Organizations such as performance company Cirque du Soleil and online invoicing service Freshbooks have been working to establish themselves on social-networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, where they can make personal connections with customers through one-to-one interactions.

“We have found [Twitter] to be one of our most successful tools from a listening and engagement perspective,” a Freshbooks representative said.

Other companies are using low-cost online media to directly grow their businesses—with fantastic results.

For example, as consumers cut back on major purchases throughout most of 2008, used-car retailer Auction Direct USA realized an annual sales increase of 40%. IT/Web director Eric Miltsch attributes a strong majority of that growth to the company’s low-cost online-marketing efforts, which include social-networking sites, mobile web sites, and a company blog.

In another example, Paris, IL-based pet food retailer K9 Cuisine has grown its business from the ground up—achieving $2.5 million in sales in less than two years—without spending a dime on traditional advertising. Instead, the company engages in online forum conversations, has a company blog, and connects with customers on Facebook and Twitter. In all cases, K9 Cuisine is careful to offer content of value, which is helping the company establish trust, along with a very loyal customer base.

“There is a tremendous opportunity right now to reach buyers in a better way: by publishing great content online, content people want to consume and that they are eager to share with their friends, family, and colleagues,” Meerman Scott said.

“Instead of investing tons of money in expensive agencies and big-bucks advertising, create something valuable and publish it on the Web for free.”