1. Social Network - Are you on Facebook? If not, you need to sign up. Facebook is one of the fatest growing online Social Networking websites. It’s no longer just for “college kids”. A lot of companies are promoting their products and services on Facebook. You’d be surprised at how many different free marketing opportunities are available on Facebook. We suggest you set up a “Group” related to your business and you can start sending out invites to people to join your group. Once someone is in your group, you can easily send them emails, promotions, events, etc.

2. Blog About Your Business - Don’t have a blog? Get one! You can get a free blog at sites like WordPress.com and Blogger.com. Or for less than $5 you can get your own web hosting plan and  you can host your own blog.  Blogging is great because you can update customers with information about your company or products on a weekly, daily or even hourly basis. Many companies are making great use of blogs. Amazon uses a variety of blogs to cross market products. The CEO of Zappos keeps investors and customers up to date via his blog. Even Fortune 500 companies understand the value of engaging customers through blogs.

3. Target Old Customers - If they bought from you before, mostly likely they will buy from you again.  Give them a call, tell them you value them, ask what it will take to get them back. You might be surprised at how simple or low-cost it is. If they say no thanks, consider it a learning opportunity and wish them the best. Then call them back in a year and ask again.

4. Internal Promo – Promote your business or new product by putting your marketing message on your fax sheets, your invoices, your on-hold music, your store signage, etc. Every contact you have is a potential customer. Let them know what you have to offer. I even suggest putting business cards in with bills when you pay them—you never know who’s opening your bill who might need you.

5. Talk to Your Customers – Ask for referrals and testimonials. If a customer praises your product or service, ask them to refer you to their friends and associates. Ask them to write a testimonial and post it on your website, blog or brochures.

6. Get Free Publicity – Write press releases, and submit them to the local media and to online press sites. However, before writing a press release you should do some reseach. Press releases should be “newsworthy” and properly written. Do a Google search for similiar press releases related to your business or product.

7. Educate Your Customer - Tip sheets, fact sheets, helpful hints, etc., can do wonders for your business. We typically forget that not everyone knows what we know. Disregard conventional “wisdom” when it comes to marketing. Forget “K.I.S.S.” (Keep It Simple Stupid), ignore “less is more”, and throw out “short and sweet”. With sales and marketing, the more you tell, the more you sell.

8. Trade Links - If you have a website, you should contact other website owners and exchange links. It’s amazing how much traffic you can drive to your website from link exchanges. If you don’t have a website, offer incentives to your current customers if they refer people to your business.

9. Create Joint Ventures - Team up with other businesses that complement yours. For example, if you’re a real estate agent, team up with a cleaning service, an interior decorator, and a personal chef to offer a nice packaged deal to a new home buyer.

10. Believe in Your Business. Your own passion about what you are doing is infectious. If you believe that you are providing a product or service that people need, then people will listen to you.