3 low to no-cost marketing channels for a tight budget

There are an unlimited number of ways that you can market your business, however, with a new or small business your options may be limited by your budget. Guess what? That is a myth. Your options are limited only by your imagination.

You may not be able to invest in a large scale direct mail campaign or a series of powerful television commercials, but there are still a lot of ways to reach your prospects and clients on a smaller budget. The key is to leverage low-cost and free ways to reach your market on a smaller scale, and then use the additional revenue generated to increase your marketing budget.

Start off with your business cards . Most people have a hard time going through 5,000 business cards in a year, but if you’re serious about generating new business, you should be able to use them up in just a few months. Hand them out at every chance you get — and don’t just hand out one at a time. Give each person three cards and ask them to give the other two to someone that they feel may need them. After meeting with a prospect for the first time, send them a thank you letter with three cards enclosed with the same request. You can also enclose a business card or two in each bill that you pay by mail. Do you take your clothes to a dry cleaner? Leave a card in the pocket of a garment or two. The employees check the pockets before laundering your clothes and for just a few pennies, you may reach the owner. Another method is to tuck a business card into some of the books that your prospects may be interested in at the local bookstore. Be sure to leave a card on your table when you leave a restaurant too. There are so many ways to distribute your business cards and it’s such a cost effective way to reach people that you should take every opportunity to do so.

Do you have a web site? There are some pretty simple ways to drive more traffic to it that require nothing more than some of your time. MySpace is an online community that is growing by leaps and bounds. Many entrepreneurs are beginning to take advantage of this by creating a profile for their business. Include links to key pages within your web site and then start networking with other MySpace members, and before long, you will start seeing your traffic increase. Don’t forget blogging. You can set up a free account at Blogger and begin posting information relevant and useful to your prospects without a lot of effort. The more frequently you post, the greater the effect will be. As with MySpace, include links to relevant information within your web site as well as other web sites and your visitors will begin to view your blog as a valuable resource. You can also participate in online forums, and by placing a link to your web site in your signature, other members will be able to easily visit your web site by clicking on the link included in each of your posts. Squidoo is another new and growing tool that you can use to create more exposure for your web site.

By attending a variety of networking events in your area, you’ll have the opportunity to reach prospects in a comfortable environment. All you need is a handful of business cards, pen and paper, and a winning smile. The more you network, the larger your sphere of influence will become and the easier it will be to develop new prospects. Ask your local chamber of commerce about their networking events, but don’t forget to ask friends and associates about the events that they attend. A quick search on Google will provide you with a wealth of additional networking events in your area. If the opportunity to speak at one of these events comes up, ignore your fear and take advantage of it. Aside from the obvious exposure and credibility you’ll develop, you’ll also improve your self confidence and your ability to interact with others.

This foundation will get even the smallest businesses running with their marketing. Remember, this a marathon, not a sprint, so focus more on consistently marketing your business and you will see far greater results than if you try to make a big impact right off the bat.