How Do I Advertise My At-Home Business?

Once you have decided on what type of at-home business you are going
to establish, you have to "get the word out"---you need to
advertise! You can spend a lot, or you can spend next to nothing,
but you do have to advertise or you will never attract any clients
or customers.
Remember that this old adage is still very true today:

You have to spend money to make money!
Get a Web Page!
It is as simple as that---get a web page.NOW! And get your own
website, not just free space that is provided by your Internet
Service Provider. This means you will have to get your own
web "domain" and your own web "space." If these terms are totally
foreign to you (as they were to me when I set out to get my own
website), then grab your teenager or that friend of yours who "knows
all about that stuff" to help guide you along.
It isn't nearly as expensive as you think to get your own website
domain (which is the "www-dot" name of a web page, like
www.graphicsbynancy.com). Likewise, it won't set you back too much
to get web space (where you will put your web page). This is
something that can cost you less than $150/year, and will likely pay
for itself ten times over---and more! (By the end of the first year
that I had my own web page, I'd more than tripled my previous year's
income. I didn't spend any time finding clients---they found me!)
As far as creating your own web page, text and graphics, the sky is
really the limit. There are numerous software packages that can help
you, such as FrontPage, and you can find dozens of online tutorials
that will give you hints and tips for creating a website that will
attract clients and create web traffic ("hits" on your website, if
you have an at-home business that is solely web-based).
I was lucky. I found a wonderful lady who helped me to create and
now maintains my website for me. In exchange, I barter my
proofreading services for her own home-based business websites. We
have maintained a valuable working relationship that is beneficial
to both our businesses, and today I'm happy to call her my good
friend!
Barter Your Service for Free Advertising
Regardless of what service your at-home business provides, chances
are you can barter it for free advertising. If you are doing balloon
bouquets for events such as business openings, weddings, or backyard
family reunions, then find someone who will let you put up your
balloons and display a nice sign that reads "Bonnie's Balloons" and
shows your website and email addresses (or other contact
information). Proofread your local church newsletter and have your
byline added at the bottom: Proofreading compliments of Wanda, the
Word Wizard.
Whatever you offer, find someone or somewhere to offer it for free
in exchange for some type of free advertising. It's not the same as
a full-page ad in the Sunday edition of your local newspaper, but
it's a start.
Distribute Brochures, Business Cards, and Flyers
Think logically about the service that you offer. Who would use it?
Where would this target market be likely to see and read a business
brochure or flyer?
Where can you post business advertisements for free? Does your local
coffee shop have a public bulletin board? Is there a bulletin board
at your public library? Can you put a business card holder full of
business cards on the counter at the neighborhood dry cleaner's?
Keep business cards in your purse, wallet, briefcase, and glove
compartment of your car. Don't be afraid to hand them out! Print
lots of them, and use them to jot down messages to leave for friends
who aren't home. USE THEM! You never know who will eventually see
one. Sometimes all it takes for one person to see it and the flood
gates of opportunity will open!
Paying for Advertising
Before you spend any money at all on paid advertisement (with the
exception of the $10 it costs to print your business card in the
Little League All-Stars newsletter), do some research. What is the
readership? How many get printed and sent out? What are the
statistics on return on investment (that is, how much money in
return are you likely to earn for every dollar in advertising that
you spend)?
When you are confident that your investment in paid advertising
might have an acceptable payoff, then try it. Don't expect to see
results tomorrow. However, if you've had poor or no results in more
than 45 days (from the date of publication and distribution), then
it is unlikely that you are going to profit from the venture. This
doesn't mean that you will never profit from paying for advertising,
but it is likely that this publication or print medium wasn't right
for you. So do more research before you pay for advertising again.
Things to Remember about Advertising Your At-Home Business
Get a web page!
Get a web page!
Get a web page! (It's so important, that I had to say it three
times!)
Barter your services in exchange for free advertising
Before you pay for advertising, do your research! Will your
advertising dollars pay off? Jan K., The Proofer is freelance proofreader and copyeditor. Visit
http://www.jansportal.com for more information about Jan's
proofreading and copyediting services and Jan's other free
resources. Please visit Mom's Break (http://www.momsbreak.com/) for
free printable crafts and projects. © Copyright 2005. All rights
reserved.


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