6 Cheap and Creative Ways to Effectively Advertise Your Business

In today's digital age, business owners must reconsider their marketing strategies to ensure that they are effectively targeting the best market for their products and services. Technology has created a variety of different ways that businesses can reach out to potential customers, but this variety of different choices can often obscure the choices that will truly yield results and a return on investment. Thus, consider the following inexpensive and innovative ways you can spread the word about your company, all of which you can try without fear of losing a great deal of money.

Blog Online

Establishing an online blog in your line of business is a great way to position yourself as an expert while promoting your company. Add a blog to your website or join Bloggit.com or Blogger.com to start a separate blog. Discuss problems addressed by your goods or services, and readers will remember your company when a need arises. The key with blogging is to not advertise your product. Yes, you can talk a bit about your products, but you usually want to talk about general topics within your industry. By doing this, you will get a greater number of followers, which increases your ranking in search engines and introduces your website to a greater number of people.

Be Interviewed

Offer interviews on relevant subjects to local radios, newspapers, and Internet communications. For example, if you sell gardening tools, offer an interview in February or March about spring planting. Listeners and readers will appreciate the free advice and consider you an expert when they need additional gardening help. If you are unable to find local opportunities for offering interviews, you might want to consider starting up your own podcast or starting a YouTube channel that contains videos that address relevant topics and issues.

Write Articles

Offer op ed pieces to community newspapers or magazines, or submit an article to the trade publication associated with your company's industry. In marketing your knowledge and skills, others will appreciate your expertise and contact you with future business needs, such as a financial adviser for someone who is planning for retirement. Also, consider writing articles for other blogs, since this might give you valuable links back to your website and blog.

Give Donations

When possible, donate equipment, expertise, or services to individuals or programs who can benefit. Contribute to special holiday collections for the needy. Participate in volunteer programs. Sponsor children's educational initiatives. Giving back to the community will not only make you feel good, but it can also help others consider your business in a favorable light.

Demonstrate Skills

If you have a skill that others might value, whether or not it is company-related, share it with the public. Libraries, schools, and certain social service organizations appreciate those who are willing to share their knowledge and experience to help others. For example, if you own a restaurant, you may want to teach a nutrition class or workshop at a high school or college, or perhaps to a group of low-income residents at a housing development. They will recognize you as someone who cares and be likely to do business with you in the future when possible.

Join Organizations

Become a member of the chamber of commerce and other civic groups. Network with members to learn more about their services and how your business might complement their enterprises. Ask them, where should I advertise my business? Networking is often the best way to get new customers and valuable referrals, and it is completely free and relatively easy in most cases.

The above methods can help your business get noticed. Start growing your company innovatively.