| Perhaps one of the biggest problems that small | | | | both your current clients and prospective customers. |
| business owners face is getting the word out about | | | | Use online social networking tools. If you have |
| their unique products and services. Budgetary | | | | already started some form of social networking for |
| concerns often limit how much marketing can be | | | | your business, you are ahead of the game. But what |
| done as print ads and TV commercials can be quite | | | | are you doing to reach out to the contacts you have |
| costly. Yet with a little creativity, a small business | | | | developed? If you have yet to dip your toe into the |
| owner can promote his or her products and services | | | | waters of social networking, the best way to learn |
| with a meager budget -- or even no money at all, | | | | how is to get started immediately. Through social |
| just a time commitment. What follows is a list of low- | | | | networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and |
| or no-cost ways small business owners can | | | | Twitter, you can develop relationships with your |
| successfully promote their businesses. | | | | current clients that allow you to learn more about |
| Purchase and distribute custom-imprinted promotional | | | | their interests and needs. You can also gain additional |
| items. If you haven't looked into promotional | | | | contacts and expand your network. Yet if you are |
| products in a while, the industry has come a long | | | | simply online collecting "friends" on your Facebook |
| way from simply supplying businesses with custom | | | | page or "followers" for your Twitter feed, you are |
| mugs and magnets. The sky is the limit when it | | | | not maximizing the benefits of these free services. |
| comes to which types of promotional items are | | | | You need to start actively participating. Post a |
| available and what you can accomplish within your | | | | weekly tip on your Facebook profile that shows your |
| budget. You should brainstorm with your employees | | | | expertise or calls attention to a newsworthy item |
| and colleagues as well as your promotional items | | | | related to your field. Post "tweets" to Twitter on a |
| supplier to come up with some novel ideas that will | | | | regular basis. You could take a minute to "tweet" |
| set your business apart. And while you can simply | | | | each time you start a new project for a client or |
| use these promotional items as thank-you gifts to | | | | when you launch a new service. By staying in front |
| your current clients, you can also use them as part | | | | of your clients and prospects through social |
| of a direct mail campaign or as trade show | | | | networking, you may get them thinking about a |
| giveaways to start building relationships with | | | | service they need or entice them to move forward |
| prospective customers. When choosing a promotional | | | | with a project that they have been putting off. |
| item, be sure to consider which types of giveaways | | | | Get involved offline. While networking online is a |
| will appeal to your target audience. The more | | | | great move for promoting your business, do not |
| relevant the item, the more likely it is that the | | | | discount the power of meeting with people |
| recipient will keep it in their office or home as a | | | | face-to-face. While you do not have to go to every |
| constant reminder of your brand. | | | | networking event that comes your way, perhaps |
| Consider your company's news value. One of the | | | | you can choose to attend just one per month. To |
| most inexpensive ways to promote your business is | | | | get the most out of your time, choose an event |
| to get an article about or mention of your business in | | | | that has an interesting speaker or caters to a group |
| print or broadcast media. While advertising can be | | | | of people who you think could use your service or |
| expensive, being mentioned in a news story is free. | | | | product. Do you dread going to events where |
| The trick to this method is finding an angle and | | | | networking is the main purpose? Then skip them |
| pitching that idea to the appropriate journalist or | | | | altogether in favor of getting involved with a cause. |
| producer. Start small with local weekly newspapers | | | | By volunteering your time and talents for a nonprofit |
| that cover topics specific to the community in which | | | | organization, either as a volunteer or board member, |
| your business is situated. You can contact them with | | | | you will make valuable connections while giving back |
| information about new hires and promotions, new | | | | to the community. You never know when these |
| office locations, or special industry recognition your | | | | connections will pay off in the form of new clients. |
| business has received. If your company organizes an | | | | Hopefully these few ideas will inspire you to move |
| annual community event that involves a larger | | | | the task of business promotion to the top of your |
| geographic area, try reaching out to a regional daily | | | | to-do list. As you begin experimenting with these |
| newspaper for coverage. Even if you don't have a | | | | ideas and others that you develop on your own, |
| reporter at your event on the day-of, take an | | | | your successes will continue to motivate you and |
| interesting, high-resolution photo (most digital cameras | | | | generate the additional revenue you need to continue |
| will produce an image of sufficient quality), write a | | | | and grow your marketing efforts over time. |
| caption that briefly describes the "who, what, where, | | | | About R.L. Fielding |
| when, and why" of the photo, and send it to the | | | | R.L. Fielding is a freelance writer who has written on a |
| newspaper. While your company's news won't always | | | | wide variety of topics, with special expertise in the |
| make the cut, putting in a regular effort may pay off | | | | education, pharmaceutical and healthcare, financial |
| with a news story that can potentially be seen by | | | | service and manufacturing industries. |