Promoting for Pennies Marketing costs weighing you down? Here are 20 creative ways to boost business without breaking the bank.

Startup businesses need to maximize every opportunity forpromoting themselves. Surprisingly, that doesn't necessarilymean pricey advertising campaigns and time-consuming promotionalprograms. Many startup business owners overlook simple, inexpensiveopportunities to promote themselves, reinforce their brands andincrease sales through vehicles they already have in place. Theseopportunities cost far less than most traditional marketing methodsand have been very effective for many entrepreneurs. Here are 20methods to get you going.

1. Invoices: Stuff your statements with special offers orinformation about new products and services. Graphic designer andmarketing consultant Jo Schloeder, 41, sent coupons for a free hourof services from her Wall, New Jersey, firm, Creative ApproachInc. Since few people in her line of work use coupons, it gotattention-and several new projects.
Cost: a few cents to print an information sheet.

2. On-hold programming: Use on-hold time to communicateto a captive audience. Instead of playing elevator music, use thatvaluable time to remind customers about special promotions or relayuseful information.
Cost: Record it yourself, and it's free. Professionalsystems may run upwards of $40 per month. Find providers in theYellow Pages under "Phone Systems" or "On-holdMessaging."

3. Cash register receipts: If you generate receipts foryour customers, they should include more than just a transactionrecord. Dave Ratner, 52, owner of Dave'sSoda & Pet City in Springfield, Massachusetts, anaward-winning chain of pet-food and soft-drink retail stores, usesregister receipts to periodically tell customers about specials,events and product reminders in his four stores.
Cost: If your register offers customizing options, $0. Ifnot, staple receipts to information slips for pennies.

4. e-Mail signatures: When you get an e-mail from EvaRosenberg, 50, publisher of TaxMama.com, you'll also get hercontact information, a description of her site's unique sellingpoints, and a tip about what's new at her site. The Northridge,California, tax consultant says her e-signature has helpedcustomers find her contact information easily and has also helpedfacilitate media interviews.
Cost: $0.

5. Voice-mail messages: Instead of wasting time withinstructions on leaving a message, remind callers to visit your Website or take advantage of upcoming seasonal promotions. You couldalso use your company's tag line or slogan in the message toreinforce awareness.
Cost: $0.

6. Phone manner: Be sure whoever answers the phone atyour place of business is upbeat and helpful to callers. "Thatperson is your vice president of first impressions," saysRatner. Employees fielding phone calls should be able to answersimple questions or know where to get answers, especially when acustomer or prospect calls.
Cost: $0.

7. Stickers: They're not just for preschoolers. WhenRosenberg launched her tax consulting business and Web site, shebought 100 red heart stickers that said, "We lovereferrals."

"We plastered them on everything that went out of ouroffice, and business poured in," recalls Rosenberg."Simply telling people we wanted referrals made a bigdifference."
Cost: $7.50 for 100 stickers.

8. Frequent-buyer clubs: Ratner believes in rewardingloyal customers with gift certificates to his store. He trackspurchases, and when customers get to a certain dollar amount orquantity, they get a gift certificate for anything in the store.For nonretail businesses, other ways to apply this might be adiscount or free gift after a certain number of hours or frequencyof purchases.
Cost: For 500 small, black-and-white punch cards to trackpurchases, approximately $50 to $75. If your point-of-sale orinvoicing system already has a method of tracking volume, you cando so internally for even less.

9. Product shipments: When you ship or deliver products,include an extra catalog, sales sheet or coupons in the package,making it easier for customers to place additional orders.
Cost: a few cents to a few dollars per piece.

10. Occasion cards: Send birthday cards, Thanksgivingcards, congratulations cards-they're great ways to letcustomers know you care.
Cost: about $1.50 per card, plus postage.

Help on the Cheap

If you still need assistance in developing your marketing plan,here are a few places to turn for low- or no-cost help:

• Your local Small Business Development Center: This resourcecan provide help with marketing and much more.
• The ServiceCorps of Retired Executives (SCORE): SCORE offers freecounseling to start-up or established business owners.
• Your local college: If you can offer a meaty assignment,you may be able to attract a marketing student to intern with yourcompany in exchange for credit. If not, see whether the college hasa marketing or advertising club that can help.
• Trade associations: Your industry group may offerassistance, statistics and research that can help you refine yourmarketing. Visit the association Web site, or call for help.

10 More Tips

11. Employees: Empower employees to solve customers'problems and motivate them to bring customers back. Ratner says,"I make each employee sign a piece of paper stating, 'Iunderstand that my number-one job, no matter what I was hired for,is to make the customer come back.' This lets my employees knowthat we're serious about customer service."

12. Business cards: Schloeder advocates printinginformation on both sides of your business card. "Why shouldit have just your name, address and phone number, when you caninclude a description of your company, hours of operation, missionstatement or other important information?"
Cost: a few cents per card.

13. Signage: Look for other ways to use signage-at eventsor even on your vehicle. A local ice cream shop owner tools aroundmy town with the name of his sweet shop on a magnetic sign affixedto the side of his car. Everywhere he goes, he's promoting hisbusiness.
Cost: about $40 to $75 for a magnetic panel.

14. In-store venues: Your windows, countertops, receptionarea, walls and other on-site features of your business are greatadvertising vehicles. Frame advertising campaigns, and put them onyour walls. Create minisigns for your countertops. Adorn visiblewindows with appropriate displays or graphics.
Cost: inexpensive frames for ads, $10 to $30 each; minisignsfrom your computer printer, pennies; a window artist, about $25 to$50 per hour.

15. News releases: Get to know your local media, andlearn how to make yourself part of the headlines. A news releaseannouncing the involvement of Schloeder's company in developinga regional Web site ended up netting a small write-up in a localnewspaper. Over the course of two days, she received more than adozen phone calls from prospective clients.
Cost: 37 cents.

16. Your expertise: Tax Mama Rosenberg routinelyself-syndicates articles about tax planning and other areas ofexpertise to local newspapers across the country. These vehiclesoften have thousands of readers and are hungry for well-written,informative content. Get a list of newspapers at www.newslink.org.
Cost: $0.

17. Networking: Head to your local chamber of commerce orother networking groups with a pocketful of business cards. If yourbusiness is more national in scope, attend appropriate trade showsand conferences. By networking with her competition, Rosenberglanded referrals from others in her field when they've had toomuch business or a conflict of interest.
Cost: $0.

18. Referral bonuses: Inspire customers to act as yoursales force by giving them an incentive to bring you new customers.This may include a discount off their next service or a small giftor credit on their account. Be sure to ask new customers where theyheard about your business so you know when a customer has made areferral.
Cost: a few dollars.

19. Speaking: Rosenberg markets her business throughseminars, teaching prospective clients about the tax issues aboutwhich she's so savvy. If you have a way with words, seek outopportunities to speak in front of appropriate groups. Thispositions you as an expert in your field. Look for groups in yournewspaper's event calendar, or check with your local library,which may keep a list of social, civic and business groups.
Cost: $0-and sometimes, you may receive payment forspeaking.

20. Charities: Teaming up for a good cause-whether bydonating products or services or volunteering your time on anonprofit board of trustees-fosters goodwill within your community.Most of the time, these activities are also rewarded by publicityor promotion through the charity. You can get even more mileage outof the event by posting photos in your place of business or sendingout your own news release. It's a great way to do well by doinggood deeds.
Cost: the wholesale cost of your time or product.

A Penny Saved...

Shel Horowitz may be the king of penny-pinching promoters. TheHadley, Massachusetts, marketing consultant and author ofMarketing Without Megabucks: How to Sell Anything on aShoestring (AWM Books), among other titles, generally spendsnothing on his own promotions. Through a combination of paidspeaking engagements, barter and information-sharing, he's beenable to bring in lucrative marketing and copywriting assignmentsthat pay about $125 per hour for clients as far away as Cyprus,Europe and Japan. Here are some of the tactics he's used:

• Bartering: In exchange for writing copy for a localYellow Pages, he received free advertising in the book.
• Recruiting free help: For his first Web site, he hiredan intern who created the site in exchange for the experience.
• Creating a presence on the Net: Horowitz is active inInternet discussion groups and works on generating publicity to gethis name-and business-in print.
• Information-sharing: In some cases, Horowitz, 47, ispaid to speak to groups or write articles to share his expertise.In these cases, his marketing becomes a revenue stream.

Horowitz shares more of his frugality on his Web site, www.frugalmarketing.com.

Gwen Moran is a writer and consultant specializing inmarketing.