So you have set up your company and run it for a while and realised that you need to keep up your marketing to keep bringing in both new clients and get previous clients to come back again. But, as with many small businesses, you don’t have very much money with which to buy much marketing materials in.

Here are a few ideas for low cost and simple marketing ideas:

- Contact previous clients. It is statistically easier to sell to people who have bought from you before so follow up with them, ask them how they found your service, say thank you for being such a great client (it doesn’t cost anything but it is surprising how few people do this), let them know about any new or improved services or special offers you are currently offering.  Maybe through an e newsletter or by individual email – depending which is appropriate.

- Give something away for free. This is good if you want to drive up traffic to your website and you can also use it for list building.

- Promotional items. These can be expensive but if you are careful and it is appropriate to what you do/sell then the opportunity to include something in a conference bag can be a good one.

- Offer a promotional discount for a limited time or to a limited group of people, such as people who like you Facebook page.

- Volunteer to speak at networking events. Events are always keen for people to give a short talk and are generally short on people willing to do it! Make sure what you have to say showcases your expertise, is relevant to the people who attend the event and isn’t all about you and how fabulous you are – be real value. You get a bit longer than the standard 60 second pitch and can showcase your business and build your expertise for free.

- Offer to guest blog. Make sure it’s on a site that is relevant to your business and the kind of clients you want to attract and ask the blog owner nicely. Again, make it relevant to the audience and about something you know your stuff on. You get to mention who you are and what you do in the last line and a link back to your site. It’s great for your profile and demonstrates your knowledge, BUT don’t just trot out the same post to lots of different places – it’s unprofessional and does not take into account each blogs readership.

- Say ‘thank you’. It costs you nothing to thank people when they do a good job for you, supply something on time or are great to work with. Word of mouth advertising is best form there is.

These are a few of my ideas on the topic and something people on my Facebook Page said they’d like me to talk about. Have you tried any of these and what has worked best for you? Leave your thoughts below.