In these tough economic times, most businesses are doing more with less. The following list presents “101 No Cost and Low Cost Marketing Ideas” for getting your business noticed without breaking the bank. Best of all, 66 of the items in bold are FREE.
1) 24 Hour Rule for E-mails, Telephone Calls
2) 800#
3) Answer Your Phone
4) Ask for Referrals
5) Banner Ads
6) Barter
7) Be Creative
8) Become an Expert
9) Blog
10) Board of Directors
11) Chamber of Commerce
12) Community Organizations
13) Contests
14) Copywriting
15) Coupons
16) Craig’s List
17) Cross Promote with Others
18) Cultivate Relationships with Media
19) Customer Loyalty Cards
20) Customers Thank You’s
21) Direct Mail
22) E-commerce
23) E-commerce – Third Party (i.e. – eBay, Etsy)
24) E-mail Signature
25) E-newsletters
26) Educate Your Customers
27) Exclusive, Free Information for Customers
28) Facebook
29) Facebook Advertising
30) Follow the News
31) Forum
32) Free Advice
33) Free Samples
34) Free Tickets
35) Gift Baskets
36) Give Back to the Community
37) Give Referrals
38) Google AdWords
39) Google Local
40) Guerilla Marketing
41) Handwritten Notes
42) Interviews
43) Invite Customers to Lunch and Pick Up the Tab
44) Learn from the Pros
45) Link Exchanges
46) LinkedIn
47) LinkedIn – Answers
48) Local Online Directories
49) Local Online Newspaper Advertising
50) Local Online Television Advertising
51) Make It Easy to Do Business With You
52) Market to Influencers
53) Mentor
54) Message Boards
55) Mystery Shop Competitors
56) Networking
57) Newspaper Clippings
58) Non-Traditional Advertising
59) Online Listings
60) Peer Groups
61) Podcasts
62) Press Releases
63) Press Reprints
64) Pro Bono Work
65) Product Design
66) Product Differentiation
67) Promotional Items
68) WOW Your Customers
69) Public Speaking
70) Publicity Stunts
71) Put Your Web Site URL on Everything
72) Reward Referrals
73) Sales Letters
74) Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
75) Seminars
76) Special Offers on Invoices
77) Sponsor a Highly Targeted Radio Show
78) Sponsor a Popular Local Event
79) Sponsor Local High School Events
80) Strategic Partnerships
81) T-shirts
82) Talk to Your Customers
83) Target Local Companies
84) Teach a Class
85) Testimonials – Written and Video
86) Trade Shows
87) Training
88) Twitter
89) Vehicle Graphics
90) Video – Do It Yourself
91) Video – DVD
92) Video – Product Demonstrations
93) Video – Training
94) Viral Marketing
95) Volunteer
96) Web Site
97) Web Site Content Management System (CMS)
98) Write a Book
99) Write Articles
100) Your Time
101) YouTube
Download List 
This list is an excerpt from a presentation made at the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce on “Marketing on a Shoestring Budget”. View the full presentation at www.qonverge.com/shoestring.
