“In Business” by Roland Millward

When people read newspapers and magazines they often are influenced when articles are written about businesses and the people in those businesses.

You can get free publicity much easier than perhaps you realize, particularly in newspapers and magazines that are locally based to your business. If you are launching a new product or service or perhaps employing a new manager oo key worker let the press know. The press are always looking for articles to write and your details could be a real bonus to a writer that week who may be short on ideas to write about.

Make a phone call and send a letter detailing the basics of your story. You could do this in the form of a press release with  a cover letter to the editor. Make sure that you give your contact details and state that you are available to answer questions and give for more details if required.

You may well end up with a photograph or two as well as the article. If you do any charity work you can use that as an opportunity to let the press know and it will give you great PR cover.

Also don’t forget local radio stations. If you an an expert in a particular field you could end up with a slot on the radio answering listeners questions. For example if you are a lawyer, finance expert, or gardener that would be a great asset to have you as a resident expert. The list of occupations that could do this is very long! You just need to be able to speak clearly on the radio.

Try it out. Look up the contact details of all your local press including any specialist magazines or trade papers where you may feature well. It is free and worth a small fortune if you were to pay for all the free publicity that you could have over the years to come.

Advertising a business can be very expensive. How about though doing it for free?

Many businesses have found that they can generate a good amount of business from free sources.

Two that I like are Gumtree and Craigslist. Both of these sites allow free advertising in various categories and by city. Take a look at the websites and get a feel for how they work. To get the most benefit you would really need to submit your ads daily as they are listed in date order the most recent at the head of the page. It is easy however to resubmit ads without having to write them out. Just keep a note of the reference numbers for the ads.

In addition to these methods you may find free directories, social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter where you can promote your business.

Having your own company blog can also be a great way of generating interest in your business and keeping existing clients up to date with your products and services.

Go for it! It’s free and so what have you to lose?