For most small businesses, marketing budgets are an impossible luxury. But take note – you do not need to spend big bucks to effectively market your business! There are a variety of ways to increase your business’s visibility, customer base and marketing strategies without setting aside a large portion of your budget. It’s no secret that marketing is key to the success of any business, but by using smart advertising strategies it can cost little to nothing. Follow these few tips to market your business in a cost effective manner:

1. Use free social networking sites – If you don’t have a Facebook or Twitter account for your business, it’s time to jump on the bandwagon. Not only are they free, they offer an avenue through which to advertise your product or service, communicate with customers and create an online community with other businesses. Face-to-face and personal networking is also important. Use your personal and business contacts to network your product or services.
2. Co-op advertising – If you want formal advertising but can’t shoulder the fee alone, why not try creating partnerships with other companies to share the cost?
3. Attach your company name to an event- By offering your services or help with an event, particularly those which are likely to attract your target customer base, your business will gain exposure to a wider group of people. For example, if you own a local shop, offer to sell raffle tickets for the local fun-run.
4. Reach out to existing customers – Many marketing strategists spend a lot of time focusing on securing new customers, but equally important is reaching out to your existing customers to ensure they continue to use what skill or service your business offers, and are more likely to personally recommend you to their friends and acquaintances. Engaging in communication with your existing customers is one of the most important marketing strategies for small businesses.
5. Identify and target your niche market – Not everyone is going to buy your product or have need of your service, so make sure you identify and then target your niche market through your marketing strategies.
6. Join local clubs and organisations – By attaching your business’s name to local organisations you’ll get free publicity and increase your visibility within the community. Also, events organised by local clubs and organisations present great networking opportunities.

It’s also important for small businesses to change the way they think about marketing. Rather than seeing it as an expense you can’t afford, try and see marketing as an essential investment in your business. If no one knows about the service or product you offer, who will be your customers? A smart way to invest in the marketing of your business is to take a marketing course, such as a Certificate III in Business, which will help your business develop more effective marketing strategies. Can’t take the time off work to commit to study? Why not try courses by correspondence, which are usually conducted online, and allow you the freedom to learn marketing skills on your own time from the convenience of your own home. Furthermore, they’re much cheaper than traditional university courses and will significantly improve the marketing activity, and subsequent success, of your business.

Bidding on trademarks in Google Adwords is a great way for small businesses and affiliates to run profitable campaigns. A ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) will decide whether Trademarks are still allowed to be used as keywords whilst running Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns.

This could hit small businesses and affiliates revenues very hard as some of their campaigns rely heavily on trademarked terms. These terms also tend to have the higher conversion rates within the campaigns. Both parties have valid arguments for and against trademark bidding.

PPC advertising is when an advertiser can bid on keywords and be displayed in Google’s search results and also partner sites. An advertiser then pays when a searcher clicks on their ad. As you can imagine bidding on trademark terms can have a lot of value for competitors and affiliates and some companies claim it is illegal and infringes on their trademark.

This seems to be a either embraced or hated by companies and individuals. One side you can take advantage of trademarks and compete in the same area for marketing space. On the other side you have the companies that feel they have to compete for their own trademark. Google has said that consumers are not confused when they see a variety of ads displayed.

Louis Vuitton and the owners of the eurochallenges brand are the ones bringing the case to the ECJ claiming that their trademark rights are infringed when businesses use their names as keywords in PPC campaigns. An advisor to the ECJ has already said in his opinion that the service from Google does not infringe on trademarks and is legal.

Entrepreneurs and small businesses from the UK are hoping that Google will win the case and they will still be able to use trademarks in their PPC campaigns as this could hit their campaigns hard and decrease their revenue if they do not win.. The ruling is expected to conclude sometime next month.

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The easiest thing to do may be to open a search engine and type in a little information about your business (such as “real estate”) and “business tips for tough times”. It may be all you need to get advice. If you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for, though, there are sites that are designed to offer tips, as well as answer any questions you may have about running your business.

About.com, a network of sites that offer lots of great information on a variety of topics, has a small business site. It offers articles and blog posts that give business tips for tough times, and has a forum that you can use to ask questions that can be answered by other small business owners who might be in the same situation as you.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) also has a website that can give you good business tips for tough times. The site also includes a Small Business Planner, that can give you all the information you need to help you start and maintain your small business. It even offers a Local Resources section that may have business tips for tough times that are specific to your local community.

Yahoo! offers a directory of helpful links for business owners that cover nearly every topic you can think of, and can lead you to sites that offer specific information and business tips for tough times that are specific to your industry.

There is a business-focused search engine at business.com that not only gives you statistics and profiles, but gives you updated news and financial information that can lead to business tips that can help you stay successful.

These are just a few of the many resources available to small business owners. When going though tough economic times, information is key, and through these resources, as well as others, you can get the answers to your questions, find the support you need, and have a good list of tips for tough times that will help your business stay strong no matter what the economic climate.

Helen Abbott is a full-time mum, leadership coach, internet marketer and business owner. A firm believer in ‘The Secret’ and living her dreams, Helen is currently on track to reach her first goal of establishing five six figure business incomes. To see what Helen is up to visit http://www.practicalbusinessinformation.com/starting-a-business/starting-small-business or http://www.learnfromthewealthy.com.au