Ten Tips to Promote Your Small Business

In this edition of the Print Pelican’s small business newsletter, we’re focused on Calendars. We have tips on planning your custom calendar printing for the upcoming year and a n article on the history of Calendars. Corporate calendars are just one business promotion idea for you to advertise your small business with limited budget. Remember, no business promotion idea works all the time for every small business. Print Pelican recommends rotating several marketing tactics and vary your approach so that you get the greatest amount of exposure for your small business.

Here are ten tips to promote your small business effectively, while still staying within your marketing budget:

1. Yearly Calendars – What better way to say top of mind with your customers than to give them a yearly calendar that will sit on their wall and market your small business throughout the year. Read more on custom printing options for corporate calendars for 2006.
2. Desk Calendars – Daily desk calendars make great business promotion tools. Like a yearly calendars, they prove an opportunity to give your clients daily reminders of your products and services.
3. New Brochure - Brilliantly display your business promotions or product information with an attention-grabbing full color brochure. Print Pelican has brochure templates to make designing your promotional pieces easy.
4. Postcards – Custom print postcards with an attractive image on the front and your best offer on the back. Mail it to your current customers and prospects in your targeted market. Include a postcard in with orders, offering a special for your customers to come back. A small ad on a postcard can drive a high volume of traffic to your small business. Free postcard templates
5. Newsletter – Keep your customers, shareholders or employees informed of the latest news happening with your company using online and offline newsletters. Add additional value by providing updates on latest product releases or tips on how to make their lives easier.
6. Speaking Engagements – Speaking at an event is a great way to gain face time with key customers and prospects as well as get your company name circulating. Promote your small business as an expert in your field and share your knowledge. You can source speaking opportunities through local clubs associations and your local Chamber of Commerce
7. Write Articles – Syndicate your knowledge with this business promotion idea. As an expert in your field, you can get published in industry magazines and websites. Most publications are looking for good, non-promotional content – make sure to add your contact information in the byline at the end of the article. 
8. Google Pay Per Click (PPC) – The best prospects are the ones actively searching for your products and services. In as little as 15 minutes you can set up a Google account and show your ads to people searching terms that are relevant to your industry. You can send visitors to your website for as little as $0.10. Some PPC programs, like Google AdWords, allow you to narrow down your audience so that it only shows the ads for people in your local market.
9. Online Press Releases – Get your story in front of thousands of journalists all over the country using online press releases. About 88% of journalists today research their stories using Yahoo News, Google News and other online news sources.
10. Direct Mail with Brochure Fridge Magnets – Use direct mail to reach your customers. Direct mail is a relatively low cost, small business marketing approach. Brochure fridge magnets act as reminders to your clients every time they go to the fridge (which can be several times a day). Print Pelican can help you develop direct mail that gets results.

Many small businesses are working on a tight marketing budget, but just because you don’t have millions of dollars doesn’t mean that you have to stick to the same business promotion year after year. After all, you don’t want to use the same marketing tactic every time, because your customers tune your business promotions out after awhile if you repeat the same thing over and over again. Not only that, YOU get bored. Business promotions can be fun, so take advantage of the thousands of small business marketing opportunities available for communicating your value to customers. These ten tips to promote your small business are only the tip of the iceberg of what you can do to effectively advertise your small business. Just don't be arbitrary about your selection of business promotions ideas. Plan carefully. Get feedback from customers and adapt your small business marketing efforts accordingly.