There are so many options available to startups these days to get their business information through inexpensive means, or even free classified ads. There are websites that allow any citizen, around the world, to create advertisements for a business or an individual item for sale. These announcements can be specific to the community, but they can also be published and made available to a much broader audience.
An excellent tool that can be used is social networking sites. Anyone can advertise their business to friends and family, and through the people on their friends lists, the information goes viral to a wide range of people. This is a type of digital word-of-mouth advertising that many businesses have found to be a tool they use with great success.
Of course, the good old phone book is still available. Any household with a traditional landline phone receives these books, and many use them when searching for goods or services. Creating a catchy and attractive ad in the phone book can also link people to your company’s website or other social media contacts, and from there they can receive more information about the company.
There are a variety of websites available where average people can post their own commercials. These video sharing sites have taglines where anyone doing a web search can link to your commercial and can see all the information about the business. This creates a feeling of being more personal, as potential customers can see the people they are about to do business with.
Many social networking sites allow you to link videos, just like personal websites. This allows anyone viewing the video to automatically be taken to the business website where more information is available. Many people prefer to spend money with small business owners, and certainly no executive from a large company would be speaking in a video to promote their business, since these people do not connect with the public as a rule.
The Internet is the most powerful tool small businesses have to get their name out there in the public arena. This is a much cheaper alternative to trying to create a TV commercial. Not only that, but most people watch cable networks, so TV isn’t as useful for advertising to a specific city or community.
Mass mailings and flyers are still an effective means of advertising in a smaller area. Grocery stores everywhere still have bulletin boards out front where a cleverly designed flyer can attract a lot of attention and increase traffic to your business. You can pay a printer to do it, but your average home printer will work just as well and usually cost much less.
With the availability of free classifieds, social media and video sharing; there are plenty of affordable options for startups to get noticed. With a little creativity and a personal computer, anyone can take advantage of technology. This is a powerful and affordable tool that any small business can use.