This fits in with my Starting a Business series, but I’m listing it separately because I haven’t gotten to that part of the series yet. I’ve been lazy, I know, but we’ll discuss start up funding options later this week!

One of the hardest (and most fun, in my opinion) things about running a business is getting people to recognize you exist! Without people being aware of your services, your phone will stay dark, e-mail will stay empty, and your schedule wide open.

The best marketing resources are the ones that don’t cost you money (or much money) and get your name out there. As with most service based industries, the best marketing tool you can ask for is word of mouth. But the question is: How do you get the word in someone’s mouth to start with? Here are a few ideas you might not have tried:

Talk to professionals in fields similar to yours.

Who do you want your main audience to be? Those with speech difficulties? Physical impairments? Find professionals who work in the same area and see if they’d be interested in referring their clients to your services, or having your information in their waiting room. By doing this, you have access to people who you know could benefit from your service, as well as the potential (if you play your cards right) of the professional referring them to you verbally. See if they’ll let you educate their staff!

Local Support Groups and Societies

These organizations have HUGE e-mail lists. A lot of state and federal organizations (I’ve found) won’t include your blurb if what you are advertising isn’t free, but organizations like this want to have resources and services to point their families towards. Examples here in Columbia include the South Carolina Autism Society and Family Connection. I’ve been able to get opportunities to present through them both, as well as a LOT of free advertising!

Local Conferences

A lot of these organizations have conferences! They’re small, they’re intimate, they’re short, and they’re within driving distance for you! They are also geared towards the caregivers of those in the population you wish to serve! I had an exhibit on Friday and Saturday for the first time and I was amazed at the traffic I got! I had to print out more materials! It only cost me $100 for the table, which I will admit is a lot of money to me, but the traffic I’ve received will hopefully balance it out!

The Coffee Shop and Toy Store

Do you have multiple coffee shops in your area? Which one do the moms go to? Put up a flier on their board! You’ll be surprised at the calls you get from it. Also, if you have a specialty toy shop in your area, ask if you can have your information by the register, on a community board, or even if you can do a brief training of their staff. Lots of parents will buy toys geared towards certain goals,  and if your salespeople at the toy store know about your service, they might be able to refer them to you!

I hope that these will help you come up with ideas for marketing your business. I’ll continue with the Starting a Business later this week!