 |
|
ab |
|
|
|
|
13 Free or
Cheap Effective Advertising Methods | |
 |
|
With limited resources, the
challenge is how to make your advertising dollar get the most bang for the
buck. So, once you have a website or an ad to advertise, check out the
following ways to advertise for little or no cost. By
Donnie Baird
Contributing Author
| |
 |
|
Advertising is the life blood of any business, no matter how big
or how small. No advertising usually means no business. Large
companies have an almost unlimited source of advertising
dollars. Small business owners on the other hand, are limited in
the amount of money they have for advertising.
So, the problem is how to make your advertising dollar get the most bang for the
buck. It's not enough to advertise. Your advertising must be
effective. So, once you have a website or an ad to advertise,
check out the following ways to advertise for little or no cost.
(article continued below ...)
1. Advertising coop
- Many businesses, especially work at home
businesses, offer advertising coops. They will send people to
your business for a fee. Usually the fee is relatively small.
This is nice because you already know that these people have at
least some interest in your business. Although they may not
spend a penny with you, you at least get the exposure.
2. Website
- The age of the internet has expanded the
possibility of owning your own business to an almost unlimited
number of people. It also has expanded the advertising audience
to a tremendous amount of new people, world wide, who otherwise
you would never have been able to reach. Although websites will
cost you to get hosted, you can advertise it many ways for free.
Things like link exchanges and article submissions allow you to
get exposure to your website with no cost except for you time.
And as we will see in a moment, your website can be advertised
many other ways for free. The advantage of a website is that it
centralizes all your business and products into one central
location. It gives you somewhere to send people so that you
don't have to do as much selling because you let your website do
the selling for you.
3. Answering Machine
- Change the message on your answering
machine to reflect the fact that you are now in business for
yourself. You could say something like, "Hello. You have reached
the home office of John Doe of My Business.com ... " That way
when you call that person back, they may ask you about your
business and thus the door is open to discussing your business.
4. Put a sign in your front yard or in the yard of a friend
or relative with your name and website address on it.
This is a
good way for your neighbors to find out about your new business
as well as any people that ride by your house. Make sure that
you check with your zoning authorities if any type of signage is
allowed in front of the property.
5. Place a magnetic sign or bumper sticker on your car . Now,
when you are riding down the road, sitting at a stop sign, or
leaving your car parked at the mall or grocery store, you are
getting free advertising.
6. Wear your ad
- Place your website on a sweatshirt,
tee-shirt, or a hat. So, when you are out in public, people will
see you ad and again it will open up the door to discussing your
new business.
7. Flyers
- There are many places that will allow you to place
a flyer about your business. Businesses like grocery stores,
libraries, laundromats, hair salons and others will let you
place a free ad on their public bulletin board.
8. Business cards
- Don't leave home without them. You never
now when the chance to hand one out will happen. You may see an
old friend, meet someone looking to get out of the 9-5 rut or
who is in need of a new opportunity.
9. Free Classifieds
- Use the internet and the many free
classified ads on it to advertise your business. A search using
"free classifieds" will give you an almost limitless number of
places to submit your website and ad.
10. Ezines or electronic magazines are also a good place to
advertise your business.
Some charge a fee for placing your ad
in the best location, some let you advertise for free. Again a
web search will allow you find numerous ezines to place you ad
in.
11.Place your web address in your e-mail signature.
12. Place a flyer or business card in your out going mail.
13.Word of Mouth
- The least expensive form of advertising and
maybe the most effective way to advertise your business is word
of mouth. Simply tell those you come in contact with that you
are in business for yourself. They will tell others and they
will tell others and it can go on and on. Sooner or later
someone will take a look at what you are doing.
Obviously, there are many more ways to advertise your
business for little or no money. The point is you don't have to
have the big bucks to successfully advertise you business or
product. There are many people who have started and become
extremely successful in their business on a shoe string
advertising budget. There is hope for the small business owner.
All you need is a website or add, a little creativity, a little
time, and you too can advertise your way to success without
going to the poor house.
About the Author:
Donnie Baird has been involved with work at home businesses
for 4 years and is the webmaster/owner of
http://internet-work-at-home-opportunity.com .
He lives in North Carolina with his wife and two children.
March 9, 2004
|
| ab |
|  |