Promoting Your Business andor Business Website For Free!!!

People often think that you have to take out a second mortgage to promote your business or website...YOU DON'T!!! Consider these FREE and proven ways of promoting your business website:

1. YouTube.com (FREE)
2. Meetups.Com
3. Craigs List (FREE)
4. Google (FREE)
5. Manta (FREE)
6. Yahoo (FREE)
7. Simple Marketing Musts
8. Free Classifieds
9. Local.com (FREE)
10. Marketing/Promotional materials
11. Email Marketing
12. Direct Marketing

www.youtube.com Create a mini commercial that will captivate, entertain, educated and expose your target audience a specific marketing message. Watch some of the top videos for inspiration and then create your own. A free account gives you 10 minutes and no more than 100MB. So keep your video size small (which may possibly mean slightly reducing the quality of your video prior to uploading)

Meetups.Com A convenient and non-threatening way to connect to other people who share similar interests and live nearby. You can have a link to your website. When you meet with your group you can pass out business cards, etc.

Advertising on Craigslist.com Another great place to advertise your business now that you have a web site is Craigslist.com. Simply go to Craigslist.com and find the city closest to you. Then post a classified ad under the "services" section. This is a great way to make announcements about your business or current specials you are offering.

Advertise on Google Places Millions of people search Google Maps every day. A free listing on Google Maps makes it easy for them to find you. Use the Local Business Center to create your free listing. When potential customers search Maps for local information, they'll find your business: your address, hours of operation, even coupons to print out and bring to your shop. It's easy, free, and you don't need a website of your own.

Manta.Com Manta helps small businesses profit, connect and grow through one of the largest online community dedicated entirely to small business. Millions of people come to Manta each day to buy from, partner with and connect to companies. By joining Manta, small businesses easily harness the power of the Internet. You can promote your business and products and services pages on Manta for FREE!

FREE ADVERTISING: Free Yahoo Local Business Listing Create a free business listing on Yahoo! Local and you can: - Display your address, phone number, and website link - Include your business in up to 5 categories - List products, services, brands and more

Simple Marketing Musts

1. Word of Mouth. I know it sounds pretty basic, but it is a tried and true method that always works. Be exited and tell everyone. Excitement is contagious.
2. Email Signature. Add your web site URL and tag line to your signature on all of your e-mail accounts.
3. Business Card. Make sure to update your business cards with your new web site information. Potential customers will often visit your web site before they speak with you...Vista Print (250 Free Cards you pay shipping), Custom Service (Design & Printing)

FREE Classifieds There are a number of FREE Classifieds sites that allow you to post an ad for your business: eBay Classifieds, Tallahassee FREE Classifieds, etc.

Advertising for free on Local.com Local.com is an online yellow pages and search engine that offers a free listing for businesses. The Paid Local Promote option gives businesses more control over their listings and distributes your information to other online networks.

Marketing/Promotional materials Promotional products are among the oldest form of advertising. American businesses spend over $20 billion a year on promotional products. One of the reasons that promotional products work, is centered around the rule of reciprocity. Marketing and promotional material used in the right way can help you: attract new customers, increase repeat business, inspire customer loyalty, improve client relations, solidify your corporate identity, motive your staff, create an image that people have of your company, stimulate traffic to your website, etc.

Email Marketing Email marketing is directly marketing a message about your products or services to a group of people using email. Whether you're sending ads, requesting business, or soliciting sales or donations, building loyalty, trust, or brand awareness, email marketing can be very effective. Some say that Email Marketing is one of the most cost-effective way to connect with customers and prospects! Email is one of the most effective promotional tools around. Researchers estimate that US Companies alone spend over $1 billion a year on email marketing, and estimate that number will grow to $2.468 billion by 2016.

REMEMBER: DO NOT SPAM!!!!

Direct Marketing Direct marketing is a form of advertising that allows businesses and nonprofits organizations to communicate straight to the customer, with advertising techniques that can include phone calls, fliers, catalog distribution, promotional letters, and outdoor advertising, door-to-door sales, which all seek to drive a specific "call to action." It's more of a physical type of marketing, where materials are provided to consumers in order to communicate information about a product or service, and does not involve email, advertisements placed on the internet, on television or over the radio. Direct marketing removes the "middle man" from the process, and gets your message directly to a potential customer. So if you don't have a large advertising budget, or cannot afford to pay for advertisements on television or radio, consider direct marketing.