7 Highly Effective and FREE Small Business Marketing Practices

Is your company different? Of course it is, it’s yours! As a business owner, manager or solo-preneur, you realize how vital it is to present the uniqueness of your business whenever possible.

But it might be difficult for you to capitalize on that uniqueness to generate free publicity. As opposed to advertising, publicity is where most small business owners’ marketing efforts should begin. One viral blog post or great article in local media, for example, might attract more new business than a year’s worth of paid advertising.

Here are some tips on attracting the kind of free publicity that will result in new business:

1. Submit regular press releases to newspapers, online newswires, trade publications, etc. to announce any news you feel worthy. A new product or service, new clients, promotions you’re running, a new employee you just hired... Anything that might attract attention. You’ll be surprised at how many people might read your release.

2. Create a monthly email newsletter for your clients/potential clients with tips for effective use of your product or service. You may also enhance the newsletter with other useful info such as industry trends or similar.

3. Give a talk/seminar at a business club or your local chamber of commerce that offers guidance/free advice to attendees. Don’t charge for the seminar. The relationships you cultivate will likely be enough of a reward. Even if no one in the room becomes a client, you may very well attract more than a few referrals.

4. Join a networking or referral group that meets regularly, like BNI. Also join your local chamber of commerce or a neighborhood associations, etc. or any other similar type of group. Everyone prefers to work with a person they know and trust.

5. Use testimonials/success stories in all of your marketing materials, including web site, blog, newsletters, marketing collateral, etc.

6. Find online communities where you can offer up your expertise on relevant issues. Answering question on LinkedIN, or in Yahoo Answers is a great way to get started. But don’t stop there, join groups in LinkedIn and Facebook and get active communicating with other members by posting, asking and answering. There are many other social networks to utilize for this type of interaction.

7. Develop an “elevator speech” explaining in a single sentence what makes your company unique. You might be surprised how many business owners, when pressed to do so, can’t provide a simple, effective sentence that highlights their company’s uniqueness.

And here's an extra, although hopefully obvious practice:

Blog!  Blogging is one of the most effective and free ways to both interact with existing customers, and to attract new ones. A well written, useful blog post that’s properly promoted can do wonders to set you up as an expert in your field... An expert that customers will want to speak with!