~by Donya Zimmerman~
In my last article on “How to Promote Your Business on a Shoestring Budget”, I provided you with three methods for marketing and promoting your business on a shoestring budget:
- Networking
- Business organizations and social groups
- Social Media
Here are two more inexpensive ways to promote your business.
1. Create a blog and Internet radio show
Doing a radio show and blog site can be beneficial depending on the type of products and services offered to customers. When starting out as a newbie entrepreneur, it is good to go with the blog and radio sites that are inexpensive. There are some good blog sites and radio sites that provide their services for free or at a reasonable price.
Blogs are a form of “informational articles”. These type of articles provide the audience with information that can be beneficial to them. Also, blogs provide the reader with insight on the types of services and products the business offers. Additionally, they let the audience know that you are an expert in your particular field. Overall, blogs are a good way to promote a business because the entrepreneur is doing their own advertising.
With Internet radio, entrepreneurs have the opportunity to discuss topics in their field of expertise and interact with their customer base on a more intimate level.
This is also a way for entrepreneurs to promote other business owners by having them as guests on the show. Blogging and Internet radio are good resources to promote your business in an efficient and economical way.
2. Create a website for your business
You can create your own website for a reasonable fee. Until you are able to afford a web developer who can create a “state of the art” website for your business, it is best to create a website page inexpensively. Also, you may be able to get assistance creating your website from friends and family members.
Here are a few reasons why you need a website for your business:
- Keep customers up to date on products and services
- Keep customers informed of upcoming events and special sales
- Offer discounts on products or services to subscribers of the website
- Have informational articles on your website to resolve issues customers may have
- Showcase testimonials from satisfied customers
The keys to marketing your business on a shoestring budget are Preparation, Research and Good Resources.
Also, it does not hurt to create a marketing plan before spending time and money on promoting your business. Always think in terms of “cost effective” when planning to spend time and money marketing your business. Be careful not to fall for marketing scams, especially ones that guarantee certain results within a certain amount of time. Do not pay for marketing tools that may not be useful for your business. When marketing your business, just use your “sixth sense” and “common sense”.You will see positive results from your marketing efforts when you are prepared and do careful research to make good choices for your business.
Meet the Author: Donya Zimmerman
Donya Zimmerman is a business consultant, mediator, and legal professional with over ten years of experience. Donya is also a public speaker and aspiring author.
She is owner of Family & Community Mediation and Business Consulting (FACMBC) and Powerful Biz Woman (subsidiary of FACMBC), both of which are based in Baltimore, MD.
Services provided by FACMBC: Mediation and Conflict Resolution Services; Business Registration Assistance; Business Plan Drafting Assistance; Business Certification Assistance; and Business Organization Assistance.
If you are thinking about starting your own small business or non-profit organization, do not hesitate to contact me because I can show you how to do so.
For more information about Donya:
- Email: dzimmerman36@gmail.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/PowerfulBizWoman
- LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dzbusconsultantandmediator
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/FACMBC
- Websites:
