Do you ever feel like the “best kept secret” on the internet?  You have a great service to offer but very few people know about you.  Are you looking for ways to get more attention for your business?  Most small Business owners are!

As a Small Business owner it’s important to use a well rounded approach to gaining attention for your business.  It’s easy to get caught up in all the new social media strategies available to you.  They are extremely important and should definitely be integrated into your marketing plan but they are by no means the only way to market yourself or your business.

Don’t forget about some of the more traditional approaches.  They may not be as glamorous but many still do the job when it comes to introducing your products and services to the public.  Below are just a few ways you can gain attention, partnerships and sales for your small business.

Article marketing:  Articles don’t necessarily have to be long in order to get your point across.  Think about your audience.  Who are they and what are they looking for?  Provide value to your target audience  in the form of a short informative article.  Give them information that benefits them and you’ll have a friend for life! And don’t forget to use some of the top article directories to submit your articles.  It’s great to have them on your website but getting them in front of others through sites like http://www.isnare.com or http://www.ezinearticles.com allows you to get more exposure by allowing others to use your information for content on their websites.

Free Reports:  Offering a free report is a great way to build your list of prospects!  Use a sign up form on your website, blog or even on your Facebook page (yes, you can do this if you use the FBML App) and you’ll have the opportunity to market to all of these prospects at a later date.  Make sure you’re offering something of value.  Help your prospects sell more, earn more or save more and you’ll soon find yourself with an endless supply of potential new business.

Press Releases:  When was the last time your business did something newsworthy?  It doesn’t have to be groundbreaking but it does need to be something that provides value to the people you are trying to get in front of.  Are you offering a new product that will change the way they do business?  Do you have a new service that will help them save money?  Is your company volunteering in a community project that will benefit your hometown?  All of these things are newsworthy!  Once you’ve written your press release you can submit it to sites like http://www.businesswire.com, http://www.internet.com or http://www.prnewswire.com.  Using distribution sites like this not only save you time but also help you get your news published instantly!

Help a Reporter:   http://www.helpareporter.com/.  This is one of our favorite tools for free publicity.  You’ll receive information from reporters who want to write specific stories.  If you have something to say that can add value to their work then you may quickly find yourself with tons of free publicity for no more than a few minutes of your time!

With information so freely available on the internet there are lots of ways to get free or inexpensive publicity for your small business.  So get yourself a plan, ask for help when you need it and enjoy helping your business grow!