10 Ways to Market Your Business

Creative and Cost Effective Ways to Advertise, Market and Promote Your Business

Starting a business is in some respects is a lot easier than getting your business out there and getting in found. Being known, talked about and recognized requires creativity, time, hard work and patience. Below are a few ideas as to how you can market your business and get it out there.

1. Take out banner adverts on the internet. Find out what websites your target market view and visit, and see if a banner advert on one of them would help your business.

2. Articles. Promoting a business need not cost the earth - how about writing a few articles on or around your business/target market/sector and placing them on a few free article sites.

3. Through branding. Turn your business into a brand.

4. Through flyers and handouts, print these up yourself or get them professionally printed and get them out there. Drop them through letterboxes, get them in local newspapers and so on.

5. How about marketing your business through word of mouth. Let everyone know what your business is, and how it can benefit and help others and then get them to spread the word.

REMEMBER: No matter how small or large your marketing budget, there are always ways you can market your business, sometimes it just requires you to think outside of the box a little.

6.What about marketing your business through a direct mail campaign. You could launch one of these yourself or get a company to do it for you, to ensure your material reaches your target market.

7. Through your email signature. Make sure you never send out a blank email, always make sure there is something about your business, be it a telephone number or website address at the bottom of each email you send out as you never know who may read or see the email.

8. How about marketing your business on yours and your friends and families vehicles/mode of transport.

9. Why not try using and utilizing social networking sites such as Face book and MySpace. Create pages for your business/products and keep them updated .

10. Use blogs to market your business, start your own, write for others, or try advertising on a blog.

TOP TIP: Before you jump into marketing your business, always conduct your research. Find out what your competitors are doing and what they are not. Also find out what your target market and audience read, watch and respond to. For example its no use placing an internet advert if your target market aren't internet savvy.

author: L J Pearce