You can promote your business without spending lots of money. Of course it helps to have an advertising budget bigger than GEICO, but if you’re like most of us, yours is more humble.

Here are some tips for promoting your business that don’t require huge expenditures:

• Stay in contact with your customers. Thank them for their continued business and ask if you can do anything more for them.
• An email list of your regular customers can help you keep your name in front of them and generate referrals. Your advertising agency or marketing consultant should be able to help you develop professional looking email newsletters.
• Update your website. Remember, customers and potential customers should be able to find you easily using major search engines. And, the content on your site should be current. If you can regularly add new content such as helpful tips or a blog, it will improve your ranking and traffic to your site.
• Attend networking events. Be ready with a 30-second monologue (commercial) about your business.
• You can also take advantage of the fact that fewer businesses are advertising during the present downturn. There are bargains on radio and TV airtime. You can gain market share and be in a better position than your competitors when things turn around.

Above all, stay positive!

Where and when do you do your best thinking? Do your most creative ideas come to you when you’re out for a walk, lying in bed, or on the golf course?

I have found that my most creative times are definitely NOT when I’m at my desk in front of my computer. It’s often during the “down time” that I get inspired with a new idea for a new commercial or even a new product. Many times I see something on TV that inspires me. I get a rough idea of what I want to do. Then I awake in the middle of the night with more of details to fill in the gaps.

What about you? When and where do you get your inspiration? Make sure that you are taking the down time you need to come up with the creative solutions your business or job demands. Even a midday walk can help you to have fresh perspective.

I think of the times when I’ve needed ad copy (script for a commercial) by tomorrow, when it was already quitting time. Did I get my inspiration by chaining myself to my desk, calling to tell my family I’d be working late, and closing myself off from the world so I could think? Never! My best ideas come fastest when I’m in the midst of doing “non-work” activities.

So, enjoy your family, your recreation, your favorite shows, and your sleep in the coming days and see what great ideas come to you!