WomenTIES Newsletter Spring 2007

Advertising on a Small Budget

As a small business owner, I have found that there are ways of advertising or marketing your business without spending the big bucks. Networking, inexpensive media, and referrals are just a few inexpensive ways to market your small business.

Networking has proved an effective advertising tool for me. I have done research and have talked to other fellow women entrepreneurs about the best groups to join in Central New York. I ended up having a few women’s groups recommended. I have found that going to Women TIES Seminars, monthly WBOC (Women’s Business Owner’s Connection) dinner meetings, and to a SCORE introductory meeting (SCORE has a meeting about every 3 months) has helped immensely in obtaining clients and has just helped me better focus my marketing efforts.

I have also found that there are ways to obtain inexpensive media exposure. I sent out an announcement announcing my business in the beginning of January to some contacts I have made. One of those contacts happened to be from the Central New York Business Journal. Soon after he received my announcement, he asked me if he could write an article on my business. (Of course I said yes.) I ended up having a half page article and a picture about my business in the newspaper totally free of charge. Also, writing articles for publications such as this Women’s TIES newsletter has helped me immensely as well. In January, I wrote an article with my picture and an article about accounting for small businesses and how it can be affordable. I obtained 3 clients from that one article because they could relate to what I was saying.

Also, the best form of advertisement that I have found is client and networking referrals. I have obtained more clients by client’s or networking contacts telling their friends or other businesses about my services. A lot of times if you have a contact that is in a different profession (insurance, payroll, banking, etc.) they will refer one of their clients to you. In return when you see one of your clients in need of their services, you will equally refer your client to them.

As a small business owner I had thought that in order to get the name of my company out there that I needed to spend a lot of money and have a big budget. I have found that this is not the case. Through getting involved with the most effective networking groups, obtaining inexpensive media exposure, and having clients and networking contacts refer my services has allowed me to give my company the exposure it needs on a small budget.