Budget Conscious Marketing

Being a small business owner myself, I've discovered the true meaning of marketing and promoting your products and service. Almost every business needs to get the word spread about what they offer. You could offer the best widget in the world but if no one knows about it, you won't sell too many.

Traditionally, when money is the only thing holding you back, don't forget all the other ways to market yourself like networking and simply asking for referrals from your friends.

Here are a few low-cost marketing ideas:



Submit Press Releases
Create a Blog
Write Articles
Swap Website Links
Social Media
MeetUp
Newsletters
Speaking
Interviews
Email Marketing
Networking
FREE Lectures
Donate Auction Items to Charities
Volunteer
Online Profiles
Commenting on other people's Blogs
Offer Testimonials
Give Referrals, Ask for Referrals
Lunch Meetings
Make Phone Calls
Give out samples
Offer FREE Services
Provide Gift Certificates

There are a variety of ways you can create awareness for your business. These are only a few ways that work well and cost very little except your time. I don't suggest you do all of these things all at the same time. However, if you add a few each week to your marketing mix, you'll start attracting more business.

I believe the best way to promote yourself is always by networking and building relationships. Nothing compares to developing a strong support system that cultivates endless referrals. When I first started my business, I assumed the yellow pages were a good move but found myself getting lots of shoppers and not many buyers. Plus, I had to pay for it monthly even when there was no revenue coming in.

A word of advice, don't spend tons of money with advertising unless you know exactly who your target audience is and can get more than your return on investment.

Darlene Willman, aka The Sassy Networker, is a keynote speaker, author and coach, specializing in small business networking and referrals. She provides resources, connections and support to entrepreneurs, small business owners and other professionals that have a strong desire to promote their companies through relationship marketing. She will show you how to build an incredible network of people who refer business to each other plus so much more. You can start receiving her eZine, The Networking Focus (a $67 value) by visiting http://www.SassyNetworker.com