10 Low Cost & Free Methods to Promote Any Business

In this short article, I would like to share ten low-cost or free marketing methods you can use to promote any home business. I use all of these methods myself. They are listed in no particular order.

1. Email Signature: You should add your website URL to your email signature for all of your email accounts. I get several thousand visitors to my website each month from my email signatures. It’s free and easy to do. 

I recommend you create a “catchy” quote and call to action, such as “To learn how to lose 10lbs in one month, visit here.” This will entice people to click. Also, update your email signature every 30 days to change things up.

2. Sizzle Cards: A sizzle card is a little bit bigger than a business card and slightly smaller than a postcard. The purpose of a sizzle card is to get someone to respond to your offer. A sizzle card is like a very small advertisement. 

Your sizzle card should have a catchy headline, a phone number or website, 2-3 benefits of your offer, and a call to action. You can leave sizzle cards in public places and also enclose them in envelopes that you send your bills in.

3. Car Sign: You can have a car sign made for your car for less than $100. This auto billboard will generate some traffic to your website. Just make sure your car sign is professionally designed and easy to read. If possible, place it on the back window of your vehicle.

4. Fliers: You can have fliers photocopied for less than 5 cents each. And you can hand out fliers at trade shows, flea markets, fairs, community events and countless other places. Typically, I get a 3-5% response rate with fliers. That means that 100 fliers generate 3-5 new leads. That’s about $1-$2 per lead.

5. Online Forums: There are hundreds of different online forums covering a wide variety of topics. I encourage you to find 1-2 forums that are geared around the theme of your home business. Next, create an account and get active in the forums. 

Make 1-3 posts every day. This won’t take more than 5-10 minutes of your time. In your signature profile, you can include a link to your website. Just focus on providing quality content. I get over 5,000 visitors per month to my website from online forums.

6. Daily Email Tip: You could send out a daily tip via email to your leads. You could provide a relevant and helpful tip each day, 7 days a week. At the bottom of each email, you could provide a link to your website.

7. Monthly Newsletter: The BEST thing you can do to stay in touch with past and former customers is to send out a monthly newsletter in the mail. This will cost you about $10 per year, per customer. I think that is well worth the price. 

Your newsletter can be 1-2 pages and provide updates, offers, sales promotions, helpful tips, etc. Remember, it’s easier to sell a new product or service to an existing customer, than it is to find a new customer.

8. Buttons and Bumper Stickers: You could have some buttons and bumper stickers made up. You could give bumper stickers to customers when they place an order. You can wear your button in public. It could say something like “Fire Your Boss. Ask Me How.” This is a simple and easy way to generate leads.

9. Business Cards: I’m a big fan of exchanging business cards with people. Make sure you have some business cards professionally made. Don’t be cheap with your business cards. Whenever you meet someone, get their business card and give them your business card. Follow up with them a couple of days later.

10. Referral Program: I think referrals are a great way to find more customers. You should create a referral program where you compensate your current customers for referring others. It could be a product discount, cash money, a free product, or something else. 

Remember the single greatest cost for most businesses is acquiring a new customer. If it normally costs you $10 to find a new customer on your own, why not pay someone $10 to refer a new customer?

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, these are ten simple things you can do to get more leads and generate more sales in your business. Your key to success is to develop a game-plan, get started, learn from your mistakes, and keep going. I think it’s best to use a combination of these strategies.

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below to let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing from you. 

About the Author

Chuck Holmes is an author, business coach, network marketing professional and treasure hunter. He lives in sunny Florida with his wife, Rachel.