As any small business owner knows, marketing your small business can be costly. Especially when using ‘traditional’ methods, such as printing marketing materials, trade shows, yellow pages advertisements and the like. But in today’s world, there are hundreds of ways you can market your small business at little or even no cost (other than your time). As a small business owner, you have certain benefits over larger companies in that you are agile. And by “agile” I mean that you aren’t bound to the layers of red tape and tradition that large companies are bound by. 
For instance, I worked for a smaller satellite of a huge corporation that does a lot of government contracting. The small satellite I worked for was in a no-win situation in that it was providing services on a cost plus personnel services contract, so the only way the large corporation could make money was to increase personnel. This was counter-intuitive for the customer, who wanted to decrease the contractor footprint and save money. I approached the Program Manager about connecting with some local small business “friends” of mine that would LOVE to partner with the huge corporation on small business set-aside contracts. As it turned out, there were so many layers of approvals to move forward with any kind of partnership, it was not advantageous for my small business friends as it was too difficult to work out any kind of proposal for the contract due to those “layers”.

So how can you, the small business owner, do marketing on the cheap? Below are just some of the ways I have found to be successful at marketing your small business for little or no cost:

HARO (Help a Reporter Out) – This online (web: http://www.helpareporter.com/, twitter: @helpareporter) service is based on the premise that “everyone is an expert at something” and that newspaper and television stations are always on the look out for a good story. So tell a story about how your expertise or products solved a problem. This will make your service or product tangible in the eyes of your customer, and best of all, it is free.

Freely Share Your Expertise – Join the local or state Chamber of Commerce and offer to provide free workshops or presentations related to your specific area of expertise. This lets the public know you’re an expert, which boosts your credibility and value. This makes it easy for people to connect you and your business excellence and expertise in your field.

Create Synergistic Partnerships – Find another local business that provides services or products that complement yours, and then share the marketing costs. For instance, if you are a hot dog vendor, partner with a local micro-brewery, then approach a local media station (radio or television) about providing dogs and brews during an event. Or maybe you are a bee keeper and you could partner with an apple farmer. Be creative and find a synergistic partnership. This can be a very powerful marketing tool if you partner with someone you previously considered a competitor. Just find out what you do better and what they do better, drop your pride and partner with each other. This will cut your marketing costs in half but allow you to get more than your share of ROI.

Use Social Media – Create a useful blog and update it at least once a week. Then use Twitter and Facebook to promote it the other days that you don’t update it. Ensure that you show your expertise by posting helpful tips and other information that show the people that you are an expert. And using Twitter and Facebook can get you up to 3,500 times more interest in your blog post than using nothing at all.
Ask Your Customers to Promote via Word of Mouth– Offer a discount or freebie to your current customers if they refer a new customer to you. Some studies have shown that up to 96% of people will buy or not buy based on the advice of a family member, and up to 70% from a complete stranger. Pretty amazing stuff.

Submit a Press Release – Write and distribute press releases that are newsworthy, and strategically submit to specific verticals. If only one media outlet airs the story, you'll have free access to thousands of people. Design the headline to grab readers' attention in as few words as possible. Tell a story, and try and make it an emotional one if possible. You’ll be surprised at the buzz this can create if done properly.

Remember, the key to any small business marketing success is creativity. Be creative in your marketing, and you’ll be successful.