Entrepreneurs know they need to network, advertise, get involved in social media and use a myriad of other marketing venues to grow their businesses.  Some not only struggle to find the time, but struggle to know which marketing tactic will reap the most benefit.

While there are marketing ideas that will work for most businesses, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to promoting your business. It may be a trial and error process to find where your marketing time and dollars are best spent. Make certain though, that for every marketing plan you undertake that you track the results.

Here are some of the marketing and advertising ideas that have worked for us:

1. When you have a client or prospect across your desk, up-sell or cross-sell your products or services. If a client is already happy with your goods or services, they are your best prospect for an up-sell conversation. It’s an easy conversation, “You’re happy with product A, would you like to know what you can get with product B? And by the way, we’re offering a limited time offer discount to existing clients.”
2. Send a press release – don’t send one unless you have a hook to a local news story or are celebrating a milestone. Free publicity can be profitable.
3. If you subscribe to trade magazines or newspapers in your industry, pen an article for one of its issues. Article writing is a great way to build your expertise and reach.
4. Don’t forget to blog about who you are and what you do. Make your blog posts relevant to the market or audience and offer helpful tips and hints to the reader. Announce special sales and offers on your blog.
5. Be active in social media. If you don’t have a presence on LinkedIn, Twitter, Google Plus, or Facebook, those can be great places to connect with new prospects. And for the most part, the only cost is the investment of your time.
6. When is the last time you had a phone call or face-to-face meeting with your clients? Organize a summer picnic or other event to gather your clients and have a customer appreciation luncheon. If that isn’t within your budget, pick up the telephone and have a conversation with your client – a “how are you doing” talk just to touch base.
7. Take advantage of invoices and business cards. If you send out invoices or offer receipts for payment, make certain there is a message or a special offer on the back of the receipts – same goes for your business card, take advantage of that valuable real estate.
8. Do you ask your current clients for referrals? It’s easy and they already work with you and like what you do! Offer a referral discount to a client who comes on board based on a referral and make certain you acknowledge the client that offered it. Send a special thank you gift to the client.

While there are many other marketing ideas and steps you can take to interact with your clients and potential clients, try implementing a few of these and see how it helps your business grow!