How to Build Your Own Brand Buzz You don't necessarily need professional help to get the word out. Try these tactics for good old-fashioned self-promotion.

David Ciccarelli likes to see his company, Voices.com, mentioned on blogs, in online news stories and anywhere else he can get a plug. His pursuit of publicity has landed high-profile reviews of his online marketplace for voice-over talent on blogs such as TechCrunch, as well as stories in The New York Times and on CNN.com.

"We've never hired a public relations agency," he says. "We don't know anyone personally at a PR firm and can't call in favors. We're on a limited budget."

Instead, Ciccarelli is constantly on the lookout for online publicity opportunities. But online publicity is a bit different than traditional publicity, says Mac McLean, a partner in charge of client publicity at Click Communications, a digital marketing firm in Los Angeles.