If you are running a small business, chances are, you do not have the employees or the budget that bigger businesses have to embark on a marketing campaign. But fret not because this is not the end of your marketing endeavor. There are plenty of ways to get your name out there, even if it means having to write and submit your own marketing material.

Here are 7 low cost but highly effective marketing tips that can help small businesses find customers and generate sales.

Create your own website

You need to get your company online if only for one reason – the Internet never sleeps. Many small businesses fail to advertise online and this can do more harm than good. The Internet is typically the first place that people go to for information and by putting up a website, you are creating an awareness of your business. Building a website is inexpensive (and sometimes free!) as there are plenty of website building tools and scripts available on the web.

Make email marketing a priority

Sending emails is free so create a list of existing and potential customers and start sending them newsletters or offers. Building a list is one of the easiest ways to recycle your traffic and earn more money from the same amount of traffic.

Get involved in social networking sites

Even if you have a website, you should set up a Facebook or Twitter account, or do both! These sites allow you to connect with regular and potential clients and may even give you a chance to build relationships with potential business partners. The best part is you can create a Facebook page or a Twitter account for free!

Use buddy marketing

Plan business promotions with complementary businesses. For example, if you sell wines, you could work with a restaurant to have a food and wine pairing night. Or if you send out brochures, you could include a leaflet of another business and have them do the same for you by printing stickers, leaflets or name cards and getting the company to include them with their brochures.

Offer a cheaper version or a premium version

Many customers keep an eye out for bargains. A good business strategy is to accommodate for this by having a no frills version of your product that you can sell for a lower price. At the same time, it is important to bear in mind that not all customers are looking for a cheap price. There are plenty of people who are willing to pay a premium for quality products. Thus, be sure to keep quality products in stock. Essentially, you want to have a financial strategy that caters to all budgets.

Don’t advertise like a big business

Because you do not run a big business! It is better to do your research and advertise smartly and not largely. Instead of paying for a television advertisement, look into poster or flyer printing and drop these materials into letterboxes.

Reward the faithful

Did you know that it is easier to get business from someone you have dealt with before than someone you have never had contact with? This is why it is important to retain your customers. Implement a loyalty program and reward these customers with exclusive or special deals. Good service equals happy customers and chances are, these customers will spread the word. Word of mouth is one of the best marketing strategies.

Now that you have these tips, you can develop your marketing strategy. As long as you fine-tune your marketing plan as you progress, you will succeed.

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Moneymaking In Recession

The shape and duration of the economic times have made it necessary for many people to formulate a new marketing strategy in recession. This is especially true when the goal is to create money making business online. Obviously, those who get involved in online marketing, the idea is to gain some extra income. It remains a question whether they can create a new income stream that will offer more flexibility and freedom. If you keep reading I will share three guidelines that will help you increase your odds of success.

Internet Marketing

Affiliate marketing, network marketing, and other web-based business all have their learning curves. They are the things you need to know in order to make your bid as an internet marketer an advantageous one. Using the following guidelines, you will increase how effective your business works and will increase your rates of success.

3 Simple Guidelines

Use A System. Quite naturally, it is important to have a program or marketing strategy in place when forming an online business that is easy to implement. You want one that makes use of all the information available about the state of the economy – as well as the specific performance of particular niches. You may end using more than one system or evolving the one you have to make use of new market conditions that occur as the recession moves forward.

This may make it more valuable to get involved with someone who has more experience dealing with the fluctuation in the markets. Mentors can make a big difference provided you trust their advice. This comes from evaluating how they’ve carried out business.

Have A Focus. It is imperative to have a focus even when the economy is good. It is even more important when success is far rarer. Once you’ve found what seems like a solid system, then you should pour time, money, and resources into this endeavor. Perhaps, it’s a bigger risk in our economic climate. Research and preparation go a long way – both can help you allocate your attention and efforts in ways that make sense. However, even focus will not help you when the system you’ve chosen ceases to function under current recessional conditions.

Keep It Simple. It is easy to go too far when it comes to research and implementation of different strategies. It is better to focus on gaining a working knowledge of certain skills while you’re ratcheting up business activity. Again interaction with mentors or colleagues in the business you’ve chosen can help assuage fears and keep things more streamlined. You might also learn what successes and failures these peoples endured – whether caused by the economy or wrong choices. This can save you time and allow you to keep the structure simple enough to get results.

Don’t Expect Easy Success

Even in the best of times, business is a challenge, but when you are trying to maintain a marketing strategy in recession you will find it requires even more fortitude. Yes, fast money schemes are out there, but few offer legitimate offers. Finally, business requires generous helpings of time, hard work, and commitment. Be patient and you’ll start seeing some results.

We all need to understand more about marketing strategy in recession and understand how to best protect yourself. Click the link and sign up to watch a video which will explain everything you need to know about the recession and the mechanisms behind it. I can help you learn how to start protecting yourself and your financial future from the current economic recession. Act now before it’s too late!

Does your marketing sound most like…

Your last economics teacher…?

A frazzled work-at-home mom with two kids…?

A charming but cheeky young British girl…?

A super-techie computer nerd…?

Ryan Seacrest…?

And even more importantly, how do your prospects respond to that voice?

If you don’t know, or have never even thought about it, you really should. Because whether you realize it or not, every business-even yours-has a voice. And that voice has the power to grab your prospect’s attention and hold it, or make them turn away in frustration.

It can set you far, far apart from your competition, or make your products or services sound like the same old same old. And it can create passionate raving fans or cause people to yawn in boredom.

So if you’ve never given the voice of your business and marketing a second thought, it’s time to reconsider.

You see, anytime someone reads a piece of your marketing or advertising, visits your Website, watches a video you made, or generally comes into contact with your business they are exposed to that voice. It’s in the words you choose and the way you talk…Even on paper (IE: copywriting).

Sadly, most entrepreneurs use the same stale, dry, academic, “professional” voice we all learned writing term papers and scientific reports. BORING!

And as the great ad man David Ogilvy once said, “You can never bore someone into doing business with you.”

That means it’s important for your company to have a voice that at a minimum is warm, friendly and engaging. Ideally, you want it to sound a lot like your customer’s best friend.

Of course, maybe you’re thinking “But I sell B to B.” Or, I’m in a business where I have to be as formal and professional as possible.”

Listen, I’m not saying you have to be unprofessional. I’m saying you need to sound like a human instead of a textbook-no matter what you’re selling or who you’re selling to.

This holds true whether you sell to businesses, or you’re a lawyer, financial planner, mortician, or high-tech company. Because in the end you’re still always speaking-and selling-to a person.

So at the least you should sound like someone they could relate to and like. If you can find a way to be quirky, funny, hip, suave or interesting in a way that’s appealing to your prospect, even better.

How exactly do you go about creating an effective voice for your marketing copywriting?

I’m going to lay it out for you here in 5 simple steps:

Step #1 - Do a little research on your ideal customer. Look at the Websites, online networking forums, magazines and books they read or participate in. Figure out who they are and what they like and sound like.

Step #2 - Decide what type of voice you think will most appeal to your IDEAL client or customer (NOT everyone who might buy from you). Don’t be afraid to be different. You want a voice that appeals specifically to the type of people you most want attract.

Step #3 - Make a list of the common words and phrases you see and hear when doing your research or talking to prospects and customers. Then grab a piece of marketing you’ve already written, or write one the way you normally would, and put your list of words and phrases at the top.

For example, if I was writing for a wedding store, I’d use words like: Elegant, inspired, enchanting, irresistible, magical, memories, unexpected, fanciful, captivating…

On the other hand, if I was writing to sell a high tech gadget to teens, I’d use words like: Sweet, nano, sweatin’, flip, cool, pals, tunes, customize…

Step #4 - Go through your marketing and search for places where you can substitute in the words and phrases from your list. Also try to get rid of as many 50 cent words as possible (IE: words with three or more syllables), even if all you do is substitute one or two shorter words not on your list.

Step #5 - Read what you’ve written out loud, or have someone else read it out loud to you. Now edit it so flows smoothly and sounds like a real person speaking directly to you.

Bottom line, creating a unique voice is all about the vocabulary you choose. So find interesting, specific words that resonate with your customer and use them to make your marketing-and your business-stand out from the crowd.

Stacy Karacostas is on a mission to end entrepreneurial overwhelm and burnout! Discover how to grow a thriving 6-figure business & have a life by downloading your FREE “Success without Shackles Starter Kit” at http://www.TheUnchainedEntrepreneur.com

Regardless of the type of business you operate, or services you offer, a solid marketing strategy is critical to creating a successful business. Here are the seven golden rules to create a stronger brand and to attract more customers to your business:

1. Highlight your uniqueness. Businesses often struggle to find something different to say about their services. They talk about what they do. You offer professional and expert accounting services? So does every accountant. What makes your services unique compared to your competitors? Rather than what you offer, think about how you offer it, and how this benefits your customers. You might have a special way of presenting their accounts or a proprietary system of assessing their accounting needs. Focus on this and you’ll have created your unique selling proposition (USP).
2. Be consistent Once you’ve worked out your USP, apply it to EVERYTHING. Don’t be tempted to leave old messages out there. New prospects can come to you from all kinds of ways – business card, website, phone call, newsletter, blog, print or online ads and so on. If you’re not consistent you run the risk of confusing your audience with mixed messages.
3. Keep it simple. Don’t over-complicate your message. You may understand the intricate workings of your service, but is this entirely relevant, useful or interesting to your customer? Potential customers are more inclined to read your ad or marketing blog if it’s direct and straightforward. Wordy explanations and flowery writing will lose their attention before you can get your point across. What do you want them to know? Give it to them creatively, yet concisely
4. Branding. When branding your business, how can you create a look that is uniquely yours? Look at your competitors’ websites – do they tend to use the same colours as each other? For accountants this is often blue. Choose a colour or two that’s different from the others and which will form the basis of your web design or logo. This will help ensure stand out from the competition
5. Keep it real. Build your brand from a position of truth not hype. Customers can spot hype a mile off – much better to offer them real content, real benefits, real value. Demonstrate your ability to do this through case studies and testimonials. Don’t offer the moon, if you can’t operate a space ship.
6. SEO. Learn the secrets of using keywords to get your business higher on search engine listings. Knowing how to use keywords to generate more hits on your blog or website will bring in the customers who need what you’ve got.
7. Blogging For Dollars. Create a WordPress website and write about your market in a new and engaging way. This can be linked to your business home page blog. Learn how to blog effectively to bring in more hits and to get more business. Advertising on your blog also opens the doors to more cash flow options

With your marketing strategy firmly in place, you’ll be able to create a really successful business. Being real, and consistently presenting your products and services in a simple yet creative and memorable way, will help your business to stand out from your competitors and keep customers knocking at your virtual doors.

Here’s a simple rule of business: Give your clients what they want, and they will give you what you want.

But… what if you went beyond “wants” and gave your clients what they craved?

How successful could you be if you were in the crave-fulfillment business?

Good news: Not only is it fairly simple to give your clients what they crave, it’s also inexpensive, and 100% legal.

Here’s the secret, in the words of the great American psychologist, William James (1842-1910):

“The deepest principle of human nature is the craving to be appreciated.”

Think about that.

Then, ask yourself:

* How did it feel as a kid when your parent or other adult told you, “Nice job!” after you did something noteworthy?

* How did it feel the last time your family/friends told you how happy they were about a favor you had done them?

* How did it feel the last time you got a round of applause, congratulatory email, or thank-you note in the mail?

Appreciation feels pretty darn good.

Yet, such moments are rare, aren’t they?

Perhaps that’s one of the reasons we crave appreciation — we rarely get it.

Which is a golden opportunity for you.

Simply show your clients how much you appreciate them, and they will return the favor with increased loyalty, repeat sales, and referrals, to name but three ways.

How can you do it? You can…

* Write and mail thank-you notes (email doesn’t count)

* Hold a free client appreciation event, at a restaurant or JV partner’s location

* Mail Thanksgiving cards (not Christmas or Winter Holiday cards — everyone mails those. They mean nothing)

* Mail a monthly “client’s only” newsletter (again, email doesn’t count)

In a world that craves appreciation, there’s room in your industry for a new success story. All you need do is show clients how much you care.

Now. Do you think all this “client love” stuff is a bit warm and fuzzy?

Think about this: The pay-off for appreciating your clients can be rivers of cold, hard cash.

Just ask Zappos, Nordstrom, Virgin Airways, or Apple.

Kevin M. Donlin is marketing expert, author, and speaker, specializing in copywriting for service businesses, information products, seminars, and live events.

He has been interviewed on marketing-related topics by ABC-TV, NBC-TV, CBS Radio, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fortune magazine, Entrepreneur magazine, and many others.

Kevin writes sales letters, space ads, e-mail marketing campaigns, Google AdWords, and sales scripts to help his clients sell their products and services. He also consults with clients on marketing strategy and lead generation programs.

For a FREE subscription to his blog and helpful newsletter, or a FREE, no-obligation cost estimate on your next copywriting project, visit http://www.ClientCloningSystems.com.