17 Inexpensive Ways to Promote Your Business

Spreading the word about your company doesn’t have to cost a fortune. These savvy endorsement tricks will get the conversation started—at little or no expense to you.

If you’re noticing that business is slowing down and money is getting slim, it may be time to get creative about how you put your company’s name out there. Keep in mind that “creative” doesn’t necessarily have to mean “expensive.” There are plenty of free—or almost free— and effective ways to make your business more visible and draw in those customers. Try these fool-proof tips to get your engines going again:

1. Hand out business cards to anyone you meet and follow up with them via phone or email right away.
2. When you give someone your business card, don’t just hand them one. Provide them with at least three: one that they can keep for themselves and two more that they can pass along to people they know will benefit from your product/service.
3. Create an eye-catching flier and post it in high-traffic areas where your potential customers may hang out. Laundromats, supermarkets and community facilities are a perfect place to start. Don’t forget to include tear-off strips so customers can save your contact information.
4. Design a memorable handout with your contact information, your website, information about your business, and a description of the products/services you offer. Like your business card, make sure you hand out multiple copies wherever you go.
5. Get your creative juices flowing and put together a newsletter for your customers. This will give you an outlet to update anyone and everyone on your latest business news and provide your clients with useful content. It’s also easy to distribute wherever you go, and it only costs chump change to produce.
6. If you don’t already have a business website, there are plenty of options out there to build one for free or for a miniscule cost—only about the price of one cup of specialty coffee per month.
7. Add a simple button to your website that visitors can click to instantly “tell a friend” about your business.
8. Start your own free business blog using platforms like Blogger or WordPress. Not only will you be able to provide your customers with fun, engaging and shareable content, but you can also improve your own Google rankings by linking your blog to your website.
9. Get in touch with satisfied previous customers and ask them to write a positive review or testimonial that you can feature on your company’s website or social media account. Customers will most likely be excited about being featured on your site, and they’ll be more likely to continue recommending you to their friends and family members.
10. We all know that one person who has a wealth of business connections, whether it’s a brother-in-law, lawyer or even clergy. Tap into their network and ask them to introduce you to people who may help your business grow.
11. In conversations with other business owners, don’t be afraid to ask them how their business is doing and how your product/services could potentially help them out.
12. If you know someone who owns a business that perfectly complements yours, suggest teaming up for a joint promotion to tell the world about both of your stellar products/services.
13. Host an educational seminar at a local library or other public location. Rather than making it a sales pitch, provide the seminar attendees with practical and valuable information and give them the opportunity to schedule a more personal sit-down session with you.
14. Offer to serve as a speaker at a local civic group meeting. They are always on the lookout for new presenters, since they typically meet on a weekly basis.
15. Don’t be shy! Speak up at public meetings and contribute as much useful information as you can. There’s no telling who at those meetings could potentially help your business.
16. Send a thank-you letter to businesses you visit often. It makes a great impression, and it helps you get noticed by their customers when your note is posted in their facility.
17. Reach out to local publications—such as newspapers, magazines and business publications—and tell them about your business and its website (if applicable). You never know when they might decide to feature you and your story in an upcoming issue.