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."