22 Cheap Advertising Ideas
Wednesday February 4, 2009
Cheap advertising ideas are a steady request, both in the Small Business Canada Forum and in my inbox. So I've put together this list of cheap advertising ideas (a.k.a. ways to promote your small business) that you may find useful for getting the word out about your small business. (Warning: advertising without targeting is just a waste of time!)
You may also want to have a look at 17 Advertising Ideas for Small Businesses which presents some advertising ideas that haven't been mentioned in the list above. some tried and true advertising ideas may not be as expensive as you think.
Edited to Add: Oops! Apparently counting is not my forte and there are 23 ideas on this list, not 22 which I just noticed when I reformatted the list. Hope you can live with the discrepancy (smile).
- 1) create and use a promotion kit
- 2) give free workshops or classes related to your products/services
- 3) create a brochure
- 4) get free publicity for your business
- 5) create a website if you don't have one
- 6) create a blog for your business and visit and comment on other blogs regularly
- 7) create a Facebook page for your business
- 8) create a video about your product or service and post it on YouTube
- 9) become a radio guest
- 10) do cross-promotion with other businesses
- 11) send out promotions with your invoices
- 12) create a newsletter (and a mailing list)
- 13) sponsor (or at least be a big part of) a community charitable event
- 14) network in a bowl
- 15) network on the 'Net
- 16) carry other people's business cards
- 17) join a face-to-face networking group
- 18) join professional and/or business organizations
- 19) write articles on topics related to your business and encourage people to post them for free
- 20) go cold calling
- 21) ask for referrals
- 22) advertise your business on your vehicle
- 23) blow your own horn
You may also want to have a look at 17 Advertising Ideas for Small Businesses which presents some advertising ideas that haven't been mentioned in the list above. some tried and true advertising ideas may not be as expensive as you think.
Edited to Add: Oops! Apparently counting is not my forte and there are 23 ideas on this list, not 22 which I just noticed when I reformatted the list. Hope you can live with the discrepancy (smile).
Excellent tips, a lot we know about, but good to be reminded – I’ve decided to action one at a time starting with number 1. Radio or media coverage is dynamite – create a reason why they would want to interview yourself.
Cheap advertising does exsist on http://www.aahchoo.com, you buy your advertising page for just $10 a year and it is worldwide. I like it because it is actually just $10 a year!
I took al look at aahchoo.com also and I liked it. I don’t have my website up yet but when I do I plan to advertise with them. Simply because I don’t have money to run a expensive PPC campaign.
I liked the tips I read here by the way. the internet is huge and it seems almost impossible to sell with all this competition. These ideas at least give me a heads up! Thanx!
Profitthumb.com is a great place for small businesses to market their services, especially for Entrepreneurs. It allows for small business owners to post a picture of themselves under the specific service they provide and a description of what they provide. Profitthumb.com understands that in today’s society looks do matter and people want to see who they are going to be getting a massage from, or a guitar lesson from, or what a potential roommate will look like before replying to an add. Profitthumb.com allows you the opportunity to do this before committing to anything. Best of all, the service is FREE!!
These days it’s so simple and easy (and free!) to setup your own website, or create a Facebook fan page, or put a video up on YouTube, that you’d be only hurting your business and revenue by not pursuing these options. Look around and you’ll find free (or cost-effective) web hosting and once you’re online you can pursue and attract an audience to your site through social media methods and simple SEO techniques.