Buzz on a Budget: Advertising Your Home-Based Business without Breaking the Bank

| Posted: 25-04-2008 | Comments: 0 | Views: 4 | Rating: (103)

(?)

Home-based businesses often start out at a disadvantage. There you are, in your spiffy, well-appointed home office (or with your laptop on the couch), all full of vigor and enthusiasm for the adventure you are about to embark on. You've already spent your first million in your head. You know you have a product the world simply cannot live without.

But there's one problem: no one knows you exist. No problem, right? You'll just take out an ad in all the big papers, get a prime spot on the radio and litter the city with billboards shouting your virtues. At least that was your plan until you realized that the only thing in your wallet is a picture of your mom.

There's no question that when you are starting out in a home-based business, getting yourself noticed is the biggest challenge, especially when funds are limited. But there are cheap, effective ways to get the word out there.

Hopefully, the reason you decided to start your business is because you believe that people in your community have a need for your product. Once you've pitched to your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, veterinarian and mail carrier, it's time to broaden your efforts to reach the community at-large. The way to do that is through cost-effective advertising efforts.

You don't need to spend lots of money to get your potential customers to take notice. That's likely good news, since you probably aren't rolling in cash. If you were, you wouldn't be starting a home-based business. But before you start recklessly allotting your advertising budget, stop for a moment and keep the following things in mind.

* Test the waters first. Don't jump into too many advertising outlets at once, or you'll never know which one is the most effective. If you try one thing at a time, you'll be able to gauge the success, or failure, of each. Even if you ask your customers how they heard about you, that information is never 100 percent reliable. People may have heard about your business through more than one outlet, but only remember one! Don't spend big bucks until you know what works.

* More money doesn't necessarily mean more exposure. When you are just getting started at running any business, particularly a home-based one, you need to learn ways of promoting your business in ways that don't require a lot of cash output. Some examples:

1. Word of mouth. This can be invaluable to a small business. If you do good work for one person and he tells 10 more, and each of them tells five, it won't take long for your client base to grow.

2. Business cards. You can print out professional-looking business cards on your home computer, using sheets of business cards available at any office supply store. Hand one to anyone who is willing to take one.

3. Press releases. These are easy to create and can be distributed by e-mail once you have a client base. They are easily forwarded and can serve as a kind of cyber word-of-mouth service. It's also a good idea to send releases to your local newspapers. You never know when they'll decide to feature your business. Don't forget to include a way for your customers to get in touch with you.

4. Radio and television ads. You may think that radio and television ads are way out of your modest advertising budget, but that's not necessarily true. If you buy non-primetime ads, you will get exposure without having to fork out lots of dough. Prime time for TV is between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., and for radio it's 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Contact your local stations and see if you can buy some non-prime time. Remember: if people didn't watch TV in the middle of the night, infomercials wouldn't exist!

What all this boils down to is there are lots of ways you can blow your own horn without spending bundles of cash. Take advantage of every way you can advertise and soon you'll see your business, and your advertising budget, grow.

Rate this Article:

Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).

Article Tags: Home-based Business, Home-based Businesses, Work From Home Based Business

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-business-articles/buzz-on-a-budget-advertising-your-homebased-business-without-breaking-the-bank-396573.html

Print article

Send to friend

Publish this Article

Author feedback

About the Author:

Dominic Boykin of Work from Home Based Business is an internet marketer working with top leaders in the home business and internet marketing industry. To learn more about starting your own work from home based business earning 6 streams of income visit: Home-Based Business

Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free!

Article Comments

Add new Comment

Want to Work From Home?
By: Stephanie Weismiller | 28/02/2008 | Home Business
My journey to finding the right work from home opportunity; home-based business.

Make Money With Television Media Giant! - if you Can Say "will That be Visa or Mastercard?" - you Can Do This!!!
By: Brandon Newell | 26/04/2007 | Home Business
This article is about a television media giant who recently launched a network marketing company that has a unique and patent-pending income model which is an industry first. It explains the history and future of the company, why it's income model is so unique and how residual income can be generated for anyone who wants to start a home based business part-time or full-time and be truly successful!

MLM - Network Marketing Companies - are They a Scam?
By: Brian Jones | 27/06/2008 | Internet
Do you believe all MLM - Network Marketing companies are a scam? Can you make money? Are 6 figure incomes possible? You decide...

A Home Based Business Where Anybody Can Make Money
By: Tom Morris | 10/04/2007 | Home Business
The articles describes the qualities found in this home based business. It tells about the development of the business and how anyone, newbie or not, can operate and succeed with this program. People that don't have the knowledge to compete on the internet can get it here and develop themselves into a force to be reckoned with.

Follow a System to Pick a Winning Online Opportuntiy!
By: Ed Weeks | 04/02/2008 | Internet
How does an internet newbie or a seasoned-online person decipher all the information on the world wide web and make the correct decision on what home-based, work-at-home, or online opportunity to join?

The Death of Network Marketing
By: Terry Tay | 02/01/2007 | Home Business
What happens when network marketer can't succeed and start bad mouthing about such and such network marketing company? Get a better understanding about why network marketing is deemed as "Scam" by some people and why other still succeed.

Overcoming Work from Home Based Business Isolation
By: Dominic Boykin | 17/04/2008 | Home Business
As a work from home based business owner, you will be faced with many obstacles. However, one of the most unexpected challenges for many home based business owners is the feeling of isolation.

Is Home Business for Me?
By: Gregory London | 25/03/2008 | Home Business
Millions of people dream of starting a home based business. One thing most fail to realize is that a business is always more work than it looks like.

Got a Question? Ask.

Ask the community a question about this article:

Frequently Asked Questions

Information on colonel chase - african american ...
By: Thomas sylve | 12-07-2008
Information on colonel chase - african american-retired in 1960 or 1961.

Top 10 search engines
By: nirb | 09-07-2008
what are the top 10 search engines?

Looking for rainbow romance/nonstop 6
By: Cindy Nguyen | 06-07-2008
can anyone tell me where i could find rainbow romance (aka nonstop 6) ep 8,9,10,11,12,13...so on, with eng. subs. please, i've tried youtube, crunchyroll, veoh and yeah. well please and thank youu!

How to search better
By: snoph | 01-07-2008
how to search better

How much personal infomation can you find on the ...
By: Meg | 26-06-2008
How much personal infomation can you find on the internet?

How do you find out what kind of car a person ...
By: Meg | 26-06-2008
How do you find out what kind of car a person drives. Are records online somewhere?

Q&A Powered by:

Latest Home Business Articles

How to Make Testimonials Work for Your Home Business
By: David Ogden | 25/07/2008
One way that you can build credibility for yourself and for your business is through the use of testimonials. Let's take a look at a couple ways you can use testimonials to build your home business.

The Best and Worst Ideas for Email Marketing
By: David Ogden | 25/07/2008
For every good idea on the Internet there is an equally bad one. This is especially true when it comes to Internet marketing. One targeted form of Internet marketing is email marketing and in this article we will talk about the best and worst ideas when it comes to marketing by email.

How To Get Home Business Opportunity Leads
By: David Ogden | 25/07/2008
Today, you don't have to worry about that because the Internet will do all of your list building for you. You can contact as many people as you want and follow up with these leads once you have control of them.

Why Your Website Should Include An About Us Page
By: David Ogden | 25/07/2008
I want to talk about the importance an about us page can have when it comes to marketing your home business. By the time you finish reading this article on you will know a few tips to make your about us page a pre sell page for your website and products.

What Does List Building Mean?
By: David Ogden | 25/07/2008
You do not have to be on the Internet very long trying to build a business before someone is going to tell you to build a list. Have you ever wondered exactly what that means?

Even An "Idiot" Makes Money With Paid Surveys
By: Steven Walters | 25/07/2008
Anyone can make money with paid surveys. Keep reading and I'll tell you how in less than 2 minutes.

Are You Ready to Make Money Online?
By: Ron Subs | 25/07/2008
Making money online can be overwhelming. Here are some tips to help you get started.

The Best Personal Budgeting Strategies
By: Samantha Asher | 25/07/2008
By following sound budgeting strategies, you can devise a budgeting plan that you can stick with and save money.

More from Dominic Boykin

Work-From-Home Business: How To Choose A Good Direct Marketing Company
By: Dominic Boykin | 28/06/2008 | Home Business
Having a work-from-home business is an excellent way to incorporate earning an income with schedule flexibility. Here's what to look for when considering a direct marketing work-from-home business.

Work-From-Home Business Opportunity: Deciding If Direct Marketing Is Right For You
By: Dominic Boykin | 28/06/2008 | Home Business
Work-from-home business opportunities promise flexibility and unlimited earning potential. Direct marketing can be a profitable income source, but it may not be for everyone.

Work-From-Home Opportunity Scams and How to Avoid Them
By: Dominic Boykin | 23/06/2008 | Advertising
More work-from-home opportunities are available today than ever before. It's challenging to discern between a legitimate work-from-home opportunity and a misleading one. Apply these rules to a work-from-home opportunity and you'll reduce your chances of falling victim to a scam.

Success Behind A Computer Screen: Work From Home Online
By: Dominic Boykin | 13/06/2008 | Home Business
Most of us have, at one point or another, fantasized about firing our bosses and working for ourselves. And if we could work from home, well, that would be a bonus. Throw into the mix the ability to make money by working online and you have an entirely attractive proposition. The Internet makes it all possible. There are a host of ways you can work from home online.

Where To Find A Work-From-Home Internet Job
By: Dominic Boykin | 13/06/2008 | Home Business
A work-from-home Internet job offers many advantages. More people are earning a living working from home than ever before. Internet and computer technology make it possible to run an entire business from a remote home office.

How To Find Legitimate Home Based Business Opportunities
By: Dominic Boykin | 03/06/2008 | Home Business
Getting involved into home based business opportunities not only offers personal, financial and emotional freedom, but it also entails a possibility to achieve success in the shortest timeframe, quite unlikely with most of the other traditional jobs available in the market.

Looking for Legitimate Home Based Business Opportunities
By: Dominic Boykin | 31/05/2008 | Home Business
The first thing that you need to do when checking for legitimate home based business opportunities is to research them.

Internet Work from Home Opportunities
By: Dominic Boykin | 31/05/2008 | Business Opportunities
You can find internet work from home opportunities that are geared for just about everyone.

Article Categories

Article Marketing

Article Notepad

Stop Duplicate Content

Term Papers

Need Help?

Sign up for our email newsletter

Receive updates, enter your email below

Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy | User published content is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Copyright © 2005-2008 Free Articles by ArticlesBase.com, All rights reserved. (0.25, 17)

Buzz on a Budget: Advertising Your Home-Based Business without Breaking the Bank

Article Comments

Related Articles

Got a Question? Ask.

Latest Home Business Articles

More from Dominic Boykin

Need Help?

Site Links

Webmasters

Business Info

Sign up for our email newsletter