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Looking at big businesses, like the Coke-a-Cola’s or the Sony’s of the world, that throw around millions of dollars on marketing it‘s easy to throw your hands up in exasperation and say “How can I compete?” We all have to start somewhere, though.

Maybe you‘re just starting out with a new business or maybe you‘re struggling through an economic downturn. Whatever the case, there are effective ways to advertise that won’t put you in the poor house. The following suggestions probably won’t let you reach international markets around the globe, but, chances are, you’re more concerned about selling to the guy down the street. Just because you’re thinking small doesn’t mean you can’t get big results, though.

Business Cards - Let’s face it, when it come to print advertising it doesn’t get much cheaper than business card printing. There’s no mailing lists to buy and there’s no page space charges to fret over. For the price of a tank of gas (ok, so gas may not be the best example of cheap these days, but you get the point) you get a marketing tool that can reach hundreds of prospects. On top of that, you’ll personally be making contacts as you do the meet and greet routine.

Newspaper Fluff Articles - While you may not want to pay big bucks for a full page newspaper ad, you may still be able to get your company name into print. Your local newspaper has to go to print everyday and, unless you’re in a major metro area, there’s a high probability your local editor or journalist is in need of fluff articles to fill out the evening edition. There are a number of ways you can approach this. If you’re a new business you might be a good pick for a fluff piece. If you’re running a restaurant you may be able to invite the local culinary reviewer around to try you out (just don’t forget to push complimentary wine on them). Another approach is trying to sell a new product or invention as a newsworthy event, this is a bit more tricky, though, as you’ll have to have something of legitimate interest on hand.

Word of Mouth - This one is always hard to quantitatively measure, but it’s a staple of advertising. If you have customers that you’ve built a reputation with already, encourage them to tell their friends and co-workers about you. If need be, add incentives for any leads they provide you. Used car salespeople have long known about the benefits of referrals and finder’s fees.

Targeted Printing - In other words, don’t throw out general ads into the public eye with no target or direct product push. Plan out one ad that you can target toward a handful of known prospects. Selling to previous customers or niche customers can lower your printing costs as well as providing a better dollar-out/dollar-in ratio. With focused marketing, you won’t waste resources on consumers who don‘t have a need or interest in your products..

We can’t all start out with multi-billion dollar advertising campaigns designed by consulting firms and aired on global television. The advertising you do today may one day lead you to those big business marketing dreams tomorrow, though. When you look back, what you were able to accomplish on a shoe string budget will be the marketing you’ll be most proud of.

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