Most new businesses fail in the first five years. Let’s beat the odds together.

I usually write about more complex tools and strategies, but in speaking to new entrepreneurs or small business owners this past year, the questions I most often get are:

• How can I add social media to my marketing without adding additional employees?
• How can I do everything you suggest and still have time to work on my products?

Lack of time and money are the #1 and #2 saboteurs of start-ups.  So to everyone who has not yet jumped into the social fray to promote their business or service, here’s my simple beginner’s guide to using social media for business.

I believe most businesses can benefit from a simple, straightforward social media strategy that includes:

• A Facebook profile for the “face” of the business; the owner or spokesperson
• A Facebook fan page for the business itself
• A Twitter Account
• A YouTube Account
• A Blog

With these five social media basics, even the most cash strapped and time deprived entrepreneur can begin to create digital footprints that lead back to their business.

Setting up the accounts is easy and entrepreneurs should not become distracted by the bells and whistles and they wish list that comes with fully tricked out Facebook pages or beautifully designed Twitter accounts.  When you’re swamped, stick to the basics and don’t let “ideal” stop you from starting with “good enough.”

Here’s a simple beginners guide to a social media marketing strategy map anyone can use.

• Blog 2-3 times per week and keep posts to 250-300 words. Make them keyword rich (words you would enter into Google Search to find YOU). Make sure each post gives one interesting or useful piece of information to the reader about your area of expertise.

• The same day you blog, post a link to that blog on your Facebook Fan Page, adding an invitation to join you on the blog for more posts on your subject matter.

• Allow this post to auto-post to your Twitter account by linking your Twitter account to your Facebook fan page through this Facebook app link: http://Facebook.com/Twitter.

• The next day press the share button under your Fan Page post and share it to your personal profile.  Your friends are your closest supporters.  Ask them to share your post with their friends, leave you comments and let you know if you can help them with your area of expertise.

• Two days later, turn your blog post into a simple, how-to video by reading it into your web cam. Put the “script” up on your screen so you can look directly at the camera.  Speak as though you’re explaining the concepts in your blog to just one person.  Post the video to YouTube and tag the video with your keywords.

This is an over simplified map, designed to get you thinking about sharing content throughout social media.  There are many, many subtle and more complicated nuances and strategies to increase your visibility, but this is a start.  If you’re a new business owner or entrepreneur who has not yet begun to use social media in your business marketing, begin here and add new strategies as you get comfortable.

I’d love to see your first efforts and answer your questions.  Feel free to post your links below and I’ll take a look at your new social media platforms.  Here’s to a year of action and success, to us all.

For free or low cost marketing tips, look to the BIG players.

The answer, of course, depends on your product, your business goals and the bandwidth of your human resources.  However, there are some no brainer’s in the small business toolkit I highly recommend adding in 2012.

1. E-mail management system: The big guys work hard to capture your e-mail during any online interaction with you. They’ll reward you, entice you, invite you and engage you, all in an effort to obtain your permission to send you future communications about their products and services via e-mail.  E-mail is cheaper than advertising, direct mail, live events and nearly every other consumer facing promotion, and your small business or brand should be following the example of industry leaders. Set up an opt in form on your website, your Facebook fan page and include the URL for that opt in page on all printed collateral customers see.  Even if you don’t yet know how you’ll use those names and e-mail addresses, start capturing them. Even if you don’t currently have a product or service to offer, start capturing them. Your “tribe” follows you because they’re interested in what you say, teach, offer or share. An e-mail database will help you deepen that relationship, share more, find out what your tribe needs and either create it for them or find a product from someone else to recommend to them. As that famous brand says, “Just Do it.”
2. Segment the List: You heard “the money is in the list?”  They’re not wrong. Your most valuable customer or client is one that has already purchased your product or service and is happy. Set up your e-mail database management system to allow you to see, at a glance, where any customer joined you.  With e-mail database management systems like AWeber, MailChimp and others, you can easily set up multiple lists to reflect their point of entry into your brand, be it Facebook, a live event, a newsletter or an advertisement.
3. Test the Opt in Offer: Experiment with different offers to see which one resonates with your customers.  Do they want discounts on your products? Are they motivated by free content? Do they take action when you make yourself available to them personally? Use your current customers as a marketing research test group?  Test your offers one at a time and see which one(s) motivate people to sign up for your list.
4. Internet Commercials: This is a fancy way to say add video to your marketing toolkit. You can create video without spending a dime. Demonstrate something and capture it in video form using the built in software on your computer. With Apple’s Keynote, you can capture your presentations and upload them to YouTube and embed the video to your website. For a relatively modest investment, you can install Camtasia or ScreenFlow and easily create video demonstrations of your activities online.  You can upload still photos and add text and create a professional looking 30 second spot using Animoto, all for free or you can purchase a pro account with much more flexibility for a just $249.  Money or lack of experience is no longer a stumbling block for using video in your marketing. Your video commerical is only limited by your imagination.
5. Google Analytics Account: You simply must know which of your marketing activities, launches and product offerings are driving interest. A Google Analytics account will tell you the number of hits your website is getting, how long people are staying on your site, which pages they are viewing, where they’re coming from (key information), where they are located and a variety of other information. This is a free tool and a must use for all small businesses and entrepreneurs.
6. Social Communications Platform: Use asocial media platforms to amplify your message. A very wide variety of free broadcasting and communications platforms are available and easy to use.  Try Tumblr, Facebook fan pages, Twitter, YouTube, WordPress, Blogger to name a few. Find the one(s) that fit your personal brand personality, ease of use and most importantly, make sure that the ones you choose are used by the audience you want to attract.
7. Facebook ads: There is no budget too small to use Facebook ads. I have clients who are budgeting as little as $20.00 a day and paying an average of $0.07 per click.  Some are paying about $0.75 per click and spending $50.00 to $100.00 per campaign. The price per click and the final costs depend on the keywords and competition for those words on Facebook during a given time period. You can set a daily or a lifetime budget and turn ads on or pause them. Facebook gives you the ability to micromanage your budget and to drill down to a very specific customer, when choosing who will see your ads. You can direct the end user to your Facebook fan page, to a specific tab with a specific offer or you can direct people who click to an outside website with a special offer.  Facebook ads are one of the most inexpensive advertising options available to small business owners.

Make 2012 the year that your small business or personal brand tries at least one of the success strategies used by big, successful businesses like Target special offers to Facebook fans, Lexus internet commercials, Amazon’s new product launches and Wal-Mart daily deals. If you’ve used one of these strategies and have a success story to tell, we’d love to hear about it. We also invite you to leave your company URL in the comment section below if you have an example you’d like to share.

Can you put your core offering into one compelling sentence?

I always ask them, for the purpose of achieving those goals, to shift their focus from the end result to the first challenge; clearly stating their unique value to a potential customer.  This “why to buy” focus helps businesses center their marketing, branding and public relations messages around the most important point of all—their offering.

F.O.C.U.S stands for “Find Our Core Unique Service.”  Figuring this out helps companies address one of the four key elements of branding; variation.  Asking the tough questions, doing the research and creating clear, concise communications will save entrepreneurs and even bigger companies time, money and frustration.

Some questions to ask to help define the unique service or selling proposition are:

How is this service or product different from all others in the competitive set?

• Less expensive, more detailed, easier to use, more conveniently located?

Does the personality of this business or service give it something special?

• Is the business or service provider more highly qualified, more experienced, personally enriched by the product usage?

Why would someone choose this product or service from all other choices available?

• Better customer service and support, first to market, more stylish packaging, more rave reviews, higher perceived value?

Try to put your core offering into one compelling sentence.  This exercise will tell you if you’ve nailed your F.O.C.U.S.  I invite you to post your F.O.C.U.S. statement here and I’ll give you my opinion on whether or not your statement conveys your F.O.C.U.S. to me.  Go.

Your brand is what your customers think it is, not what you think it is. So listen, engage, and if the message you want is not the message they’re repeating, alter your strategy.

If a company stays away from social media so as to avoid negative online feedback they will accomplish two things:

1. They will be unaware of problems that might have been easily resolved but when left alone may become much bigger problems.
2. They will be miss a valuable opportunity to fix minor problems and turn cranky customers into happy evangelizers.

Mashable wrote an excellent post recently sharing three terrific examples of how major brands monitored, managed and resolved (or not) some important brand missteps and criticism.

Bottom line: The conversation about you is going on with or without you. You can only influence it if you are aware of it.  Every company should be active on Facebook and Twitter, at the very least, to monitor and influence their brand reputation.  Every company should have a google alert set for their key words and get that digest daily.  Every company should search their brand name or the name of their current campaign on Twitter daily.

Guest Blogger, Bob Martin

A few weeks ago, the Eastern Pennsylvania Business Journal published an article from an experienced marketing and communications professional, offering a contrarian view of the rush to incorporate social media into business communications. The gist of the argument seemed to be that incorporating these new techniques and channels into your business’s marketing efforts offers no obvious, tangible benefits over those delivered by a traditional mix of marketing communications activities and media.

I respectfully disagree – and not just because of the increasing power of younger, more social media-oriented individuals in the customer and consumer pools. As someone who’s worked in media and business communications for more than two decades, I see a compelling philosophical reason for embracing the new social media in our efforts to reach and serve our customers.

Since the beginning of mass media, business communicators have struggled to overcome the technical limitations of traditional communication channels, as we work to make our message connect more effectively with target audiences. Today’s new social media channels – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, blogs and the like – are game-changing advancements precisely because they’re breaking through those limitations, and creating a new, more effective business communications paradigm in the process.

Encouraging give and take during discussion, alternating the roles of messenger and receiver within the communication, adjusting your message on the fly based on the other party’s reactions – by enabling these actions, social media presents smart business communicators with something we’ve always wanted: a way to have an honest-to-goodness conversation with our audience.

Admittedly, this new conversation paradigm can be disorienting to traditional business communicators, because it adds a third dimension to our messaging – not brand to customer or customer to brand, but customer to customer ABOUT the brand, in which the communicator has to relinquish some measure of control over the message. For example, consumer products companies are realizing that relationships with influential bloggers can be excellent avenues to introduce new products, or emphasize features of existing ones, or just communicate their brand promise. But it comes at a cost: the power of the blogger can be directly related to their perceived independence from your influence, and you need that perception of independence to maximize the potential benefit of your relationship, so you accept the possibility of loss of some control over the message to the blogger and their audience.

Forward-thinking companies who can accept the social media conversation paradigm can use it to constantly adjust and update marketing strategies as they are executed. A social media audience is different than the total target audience, of course – but they’re different in ways that add to their value as “thought leaders”: they enter the conversation as generally knowledgeable about your company and its products, they are comfortable with the new conversation paradigm, and they relish the feeling that their opinion matters to what happens to “their brand” and so take that perceived responsibility very seriously.

To that point, a current ad campaign supporting the launch of Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating systems centers on PC users who offered feedback to Microsoft that ended up reflected in the new product – prompting each to claim that “Windows 7 was my idea.” The theme carries over to the product’s Facebook presence, which encourages groups of users to suggest, complain about or tout features of the product that others may find useful. It’s easy to see how these discussions could lead to adjustments in marketing strategy emphasis on particular features – which would in turn reinforce the umbrella theme of “Windows 7 is my idea.”

A final word of caution: by facilitating the continuation of a conversation, feedback through social media fundamentally changes the nature of any business communication effort. Establishing a presence in social media amounts to a commitment to your audience to continue that conversation. Fulfilling that commitment will cost time and money, but failing to live up to it will cost precious standing with key audiences that you won’t easily regain. Before embarking on a strategy that includes these new communications capabilities, make sure you’re prepared with the right resources and mindset to commit to a real conversation.

How can your brand utilize this information in your own social media marketing campaigns? Let’s look at some possibilities.

1. Offer insider or follower-only discounts. Reward those people who have taken the extra step of finding and following your brand on social media sites by offering them special discounts.
2. Send out early alerts. Turn your fans and followers into true brand evangelizers by giving them a preview of new services or products before word of those things hit the street.
3. Create a brand panel of especially active and engaged fans or followers and offer them the opportunity to test drive new products or services pre-release. Ask them for candid feedback on any improvements you could make. When that feedback is valid and insightful, take their advice and make changes. Thank them. Treat this elite group as the very special brand ambassadors that they can be.
4. Hold special events for fans and followers. These can be virtual or live or a combination of both. The point is to reward those who have invested time in your brand and make sure they know you value their loyalty. Give respect to get loyalty.
5. Check in with your followers regularly to monitor your brand reputation and address any concerns immediately. Make sure that these important people are heard whenever they speak directly to you.

What is your brand doing to reward your fans or followers? Are you helping them create conversations about you? We’d like to hear your story.

Make sure that your social media marketing efforts serve your overall brand goals. As you set or review your brand goals, ask yourself:

1. What unique product or service do I offer?
2. What “need” does my service or product fulfill?
3. Where would potential customers seek solutions for fulfilling that “need?”
4. What 5-7 words describe the “why to buy” for my product or service?
5. What is my complete marketing strategy for announcing and promoting this product?
6. What are my expectations for income from this product?
7. Does this product reflect all of my brand messages and core values?

After you’ve identified your unique offer and created your targeted, keyword rich messages, make social media outreach via your business Facebook page and Twiter account a regular but measured part of your everyday business tasks. Just 10-15 minutes in the morning and perhaps another 10-15 minutes at the end of the day or at midday can help you keep your brand message in front of potential customers.

Here are five things I do every morning:

1. Facebook Profile: Check in-box and respond as need, accept or decline invitations to events and pages, check my “key contacts” stream briefly for any interesting updates, news, innovations I want to share with my friends.
2. Facebook Fan Page: Briefly check to see if any comments or questions need clarifying and post either a link to a news article or blog post that I want to share with my fans or post a tip, strategy or idea. That post goes out automatically to my Twitter as well.
3. Twitter: Check @replies to see if anyone has questions. Thank folks who retweet or #FF me. Check DM’s and respond as necessary. Check one of my key lists and peruse the stream to see if any of these industry movers and shakers has something I’d like to retweet or read or share with my followers.
4. Blog: Post to my blog, which will then auto post to my Facebook Fan Page and my Twitter account.

Periodically throughout the day, if I find something worth sharing I pop over to Hootsuite, which I keep open on a tab on my browser. I post the link, write a quick post and pre-schedule it to go to one or more accounts later that afternoon.

I spend no more than 10-15 minutes each day glancing through my Google reader which aggregates about 20 blogs I find most relevant to my business and I grab a link and schedule a post from one or more of those on Hootsuite.

Once a week, I spend a full day writing blog posts, making videos and planning additional marketing strategies for my business.

The rest of my time I spend on clients, writing, and creating new opportunities and outlets for my work. For every product, my social media marketing strategy is just one portion of my overall marketing plan. My marketing strategies including speaking engagements, webinars and teleseminars, e-newsletters, targeted advertising, guest blogging, in-person networking and media interviews.

What are your non-social media marketing plans? How will you create conversations about YOU this year?

Inspirational business and personal development books
1. Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Greg Mortneson. (Viking/December 2009) Greg Mortenson is the recipient of Pakistan’s highest civil award (The Star of Pakistan) for his sixteen years work to promote education and peace. The cofounder of the Central Asia Institute and Pennies For Peace, he lives in Montana with his family. http://bit.ly/4pHp7x

2. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn (Knopf/September 2009) Publishers Weekly said “NewYork Times columnist Kristof and his wife, WuDunn, a former Times reporter, make a case for investing in the health and autonomy of women worldwide. More girls have been killed in the last fifty years, precisely because they were girls, than men were killed in all the wars of the twentieth century, they write, detailing the rampant gendercide in the developing world, particularly in India and Pakistan.” http://bit.ly/8dwNEr

3. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown and Company/November 2008) Named by Amazon as a Best of the Month in November 2008, Gladwell poses this provocative question: why do some people succeed, living remarkably productive and impactful lives, while so many more never reach their potential? He concludes that super achievers don’t just happen, “they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot.” Examining famous “outliers” from Mozart to Bill Gates, he lays out his theory that high achievers know how to take advantage of opportunity and concludes “some [are] just plain lucky.” http://bit.ly/6Cni9V

3. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell (Back Bay Books/2002) This is a terrific book detailing how marketing ideas become mainstream ideas and just exactly who and what contribute to an idea going from a small circle of adopters to a massive movement. This was a major bestseller and “tipping point” became a part of the lexicon we still use to describe an idea or product becoming a mega success. http://bit.ly/7fVRF0

4. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell (Back Bay Books/April 2007) This international bestseller details the power of trusting your own instincts in business and learning to listen to that quiet voice that affirms the perfect idea (or warns you about an imperfect idea) in a blink. http://bit.ly/70SfmJ

5. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey (Free Press/2004 15^th anniversary edition) International bestseller for more than 15 years on specific work habits most successful people share and how you, too, can develop those habits. http://bit.ly/6NqQQW

6. Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, M.D. (G.P. Putnam’s Sons/September 2008)
Change can be a blessing or a curse, depending on your perspective. The message in Who Moved My Cheese? is that in order to survive change you need to take action because inaction means death. Who Moved My Cheese? is a very short parable with a simple message that will stay with you long after the hour it takes to read this book. Once again, this book title became a part of our lexicon and is especially poignant and useful during this economic downturn as hundreds of thousands of unemployed realize that some, indeed, moved their cheese. In fact, their cheese may never come back and they’d better learn to eat wheat. http://bit.ly/5povmK

7. Fearless: Creating the Courage to Change the Things you Can by Steve Chandler (Robert D. Reed/July 2008) Chandler’s book delves into the ways in which fear of money, relationships and even death can keep one from living up to their true potential and attaining success. http://bit.ly/6xEELQ

8. 100 Ways to Motivate Yourself by Steve Chandler (Career Press/September 2004) motivational speaker Steve Chandler helps you create an action plan for living your vision in business and in life and suggests 100 ideas to positively change the way you think and act. http://bit.ly/7YGaIY

9. Make a Name for Yourself: Eight Steps Every Woman Needs to Create a Personal Brand Strategy for Success by Robin Fisher Roffer (Broadway/January 2008) Roffer’s personal brand building strategies begin with identifying your extraordinary attributes, thinking about your values and passions, and learning how to use them to build a successful and fulfilling professional life. http://bit.ly/4Ov8He

10. Pour Your Heart Into it: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time by Howard Schultz. (Hyperion/January 1999) Amazon.com says “Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a manager, a marketer, or a curious Starbucks loyalist, Pour Your Heart into It will let you in on the revolutionary Starbucks venture. CEO Howard Schultz recounts the company’s rise in 24 chapters, each of which illustrates such core values as “Winning at the expense of employees is not victory at all.” http://bit.ly/7sNOn7

11. Crush It! Why Now is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk (HarperStudio/October 2009) Vaynerchuk built his family business from a successful $4 million a year to a $50 a year business by tapping into his passion and his predisposition for entertaining personal engagement. He is a social media success story. http://bit.ly/8qKQiv

12. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch From Amazon.com’s review: “When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn’t have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave–”Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”–wasn’t about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because “time is all you have…and you may find one day that you have less than you think”). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living. In this book, Randy Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration and intelligence that made his lecture such a phenomenon and given it an indelible form. It is a book that will be shared for generations to come.” http://bit.ly/80umwz

13. Business Fitness: The Power to Succeed–Your Way by Dawn Lennon (Glenbridge Pub Ltd/June 2007) Focusing on four private moves; staying well, staying focused, staying current and staying connected and three public ones, attracting a following, taking the lead and implementing new ideas, Lennon lays out a logical, practical and replicable business strategy for large or small companies alike. http://bit.ly/60RWyK

14. Just Who Will You Be? By Maria Shriver (Hyperion/April 2008 Edition) An inspiration and intimate meditation that urges us to ask ourselves not what we want to be but rather who we want to be, at every different stage of our lives. http://bit.ly/6BELFJ

This is by no means a comprehensive list of inspirational, motivational and instructional books to recommend to students of business and life, but merely represents the responses I received from all of you. I’m sure there are additional books you’d love to see on this list. Post them here so we can all discover new inspiration or rediscover old friends.

According to internet guru Pete Cashmore’s website http://mashable.com, an estimated 6 million people in the United States have registered Twitter accounts. The research firm eMarketer estimates that this number will double by the end of 2009 to more than 12 million and by 2010 will reach more than 18 million users.

Yikes, you’re thinking. “How can my brand or business stand out in the sheer volume of noise of six million people tweeting?” A better question might be “What do I know that others might also want to know?”

OK, here’s the secret. Twitter is just a conversation. You have conversations everyday. Talk to people on Twitter just as you would were he/she to come into your bricks and mortar store: honestly, personably, helpfully and knowledgably.

1. Share: Twitter is a conversation. Talk to people the way you would if you met them socially in person. If every time you met a potential client or customer you launched into a sales pitch, people would go out of their way to avoid you. But if you developed a reputation for being an engaging, interesting person who generously shares his or her experience with everyone-no strings attached-people would be delight to see you and introduce you to their friends and family. It’s the same concept in Twitter. A realtor who Tweets about community affairs, house maintenance tips, great contractors, good sales and special events in the neighborhoods they serve will be considered a resource to people who might not be in the market to buy or sell a home. However, that realtor will be forefront in their minds when a friend is looking to relocate or a family member moves.
2. Listen: Conversation is a two-way street. Let’s think again about the similarities between a virtual client interaction and a physical one. If you’re selling jewelry and a potential client walk into your store, you’ll most likely ask them “How can I help you today?” Once you hear that they’re looking for a graduation present, you won’t try to show them engagement rings. In social media, you’ll do the same thing. Tweet about the things you know and the things you care about. Then listen to others and engage in conversations. Think of Twitter as a virtual backyard barbeque. You’ve got a burger in one hand and a soda in the other and you’re talking to some new “neighbors.” You tell them a little about yourself and then you listen as they tell you a little about themselves. When you hear that they are looking for a gymnastics class for their 7 year old, you introduce them to another neighbor, whose child takes gymnastics. They remember you as a great conversationalist, a good listener and a well-connected and helpful neighbor. Next time they need advice, perhaps the name of a good family doctor, you come through again. Ultimately you become a trusted source and when the time comes that they or someone they know needs the service you provide, they will recommend you. On Twitter someone might ask you what hashtags mean or what in the world a Retweet is. Listen to the conversation and provide value to build a strong social media reputation.
3. Communicate: Be clear with yourself and others about why you tweet. If you’re using Twitter to grow your business, make sure people can identify what it is you offer. Start with your Twitter name. @Jailbird might not be a great name for an auto dealership but @DriveSmart might be. In many cases, it might be best to use your actual name as your Twitter name. This signals to others on Twitter that your updates will reflect your values and your reputation. Use your twitter profile bio to tell people something about yourself. Include your website link so interested parties can contact you or at least survey your offerings. Customize your twitter background with visual clues as to who you are, what you do and what people might expect from following you. Think of Twitter as an online business card.
4. Be authentic: You cannot be all things to all people. Be yourself and engage in the conversations that interest you. Retweet (repeat other people Tweets) things you see on Twitter that you found helpful or intriguing. Act as a filter for your Twitter Followers by participating in conversations that mean something to you and letting the other pass you by. In this way you amplify your interests and muffle the noise created by six million plus people “speaking” all at once.

Don’t be intimidated by Twitter. Jump right in and join the conversation. It can be the biggest social mixer you’ve ever attended, with literally millions of fascinating people waiting, real time, to talk to you. You can follow me on Twitter at @BrandYou. I’m interested in your experiences with Twitter and other social media. I would love to share what I’ve learned with you and I’m looking forward to meeting you there.

1. Write an advice article. This is a great way to promote your expertise and your business, while providing added value for local newspapers. A car dealer could write a feature titled “5 Ways to Conserve Gas even if You Don’t Own a Hybrid.” A flooring storeowner might educate readers about new, renewable options such as bamboo. The owner of a closet organizing company could discuss the growing trend in home wine cellars. Real Estate people could write “8 Essential Home Repairs to do Before You list your Home.” Remember that your knowledge is valuable to others. Share it and gain visability.
2. Run contests or sweepstakes. Here’s a way to bring in new customers, and the prizes don’t need to be expensive. Doctors might provide free cholesterol screenings during heart health month. A floral shop owner might consider a June Bridal Bouquet sweepstakes or giveaway. A personal consultation from a life coach or a resume coach is sure to attract attention now. A bakery might give away a dozen cookes a month for a year. You don’t have to give away a free meal on Oprah to create buzz for your business in your community. People hear about your business and sample your product through contests and giveaways. Winners can become your best brand evangelists, telling countless others about you.
3. Create a sale or promotion with a twist: The Ben & Jerry’s in Gainesville won a national award, and free publicity in local newspapers, for it’s “BJs in Your PJs” promotion: Every Sunday night for four hours they offered discounted ice cream sundaes and shakes to anyone who came in wearing pajamas. All those people standing outside their store in their PJs was a great attention-getter.
4. Sponsor events: Let a local charity use your business location for an event or offer your products or services as fund-raising prizes. Sponsor or host a walk, a race, a bake sale, a food and wine tasting, a lecture by a well-known speaker–all of these could garner press attention. Having your company name and logo front and center in community events will build awareness and engender positive feelings about you and your business.
5. Speak Out: Organizations ranging from the Rotary Club to local businesses, colleges, charities and professional men and women’s groups are looking for interesting speakers. Volunteer a few times and soon you could develop a reputation as the “go-to” person for entertaining talks on subjects such as “five things we can do right now to protect our environment,” (a great way to promote a lawn service company’s chemical-free care package) or “how to stage a house for a quick sale” (Realtors, you know these tips by heart) or “using social media to connect with customers” (on trend and invaluable to any customer-centric business).
6. Serve as an expert: The media is always looking for people who can speak knowledgably on issues. If you’re an expert in your field, let the radio stations and newspapers know. Write an opinion page (Op Ed) feature on a topic that can educate people and submit it to your local paper, magazine or website. Write letters to the editors when you have something to add to a conversation in the news. Tax preparers can talk about the tax benefits of installing solar equipment. A doctor can interpret the latest scientific study for the lay person. Make yourself known. Become a thought leader in your community.
7. Be prolific. The key to inexpensive publicity is to engage with your community. You can promote yourself and your business by being caring, knowledgeable and accessible. By sharing your expertise, you’ll develop a passionate base of customers who will refer you to their friends. After all, word-of-mouth is really the Holy Grail of publicity and promotion.

*I originally published the majority of this essay in The North Central Florida Business Report. Thanks to Kevin Ireland for permission to reissue here.