Cheapest forms of advertising advice for a small business and other questions

Horace

Tweet about your business, use facebook, join LinkedIn (all free). To get contacts on LinkedIn connect with people that you have exchanged business cards with. Ask for recommendations - even ask previous happy customers if they would mind giving you a recommendation. LinkedIn is like Facebook in some respects in that it has groups - now you could join a group online related to your local area, related to computers or whatever, you can also answer questions that are asked by people all over the world - this shows that you are an expert and people will follow you and start recommending you.

My other advice is never ever pay full price for an advertisement always negotiate them down and then be cheeky and ask for a 5% early paymennt discount - it seems to work for me but I have stopped using paid advertising for my business because I get word of mouth referrals instead.

Join a local business networking group - there are some free/low cost ones out there, that way you would be meeting businesses who might well want your services and may even know someone who wants your service.

I know the guy that built my websites (he hosts them too) offers packages for small businesses, he also teaches them about Search Engine Optimisation so that they (we - me) can do their own. How about an offering aimed at small start up businesses for instance a wordpress website which they can then update at will. It is better to have more low cost ideas for people because you will sell more than you will the larger maintenance packages.

Remember when building websites for people to put your own link at the bottom of the page (in the area where copyright is mentioned) that takes people to your own site.

I know that the guy that I use has a maintenance package for small businesses at £10 a month plus VAT so that if something goes wrong he can repair it and he will often do this remotely too. He sells quite a lot of these packages.

The chap that I know started his business 5 years ago from his back bedroom he moved to serviced offices last November and is moving again to larger premises and he has taken on staff. It can be done on very little.