What are some good ways to get free/cheap advertising?

[www.derby-electrician.com]

I`m a small electrician firm from midlands looking for free/cheap ways of advertising.

[David P]

The most effective form of advertising is through personal recommendation.

Always make sure anyone who you work for has some of your cards or a handbill. Try a referral scheme where you give a small sum to the person referring a new client.

Join some forums, give advise on these, but do make sure you have a signature that enables people to contact you.

[MArilyn FOrez]

just make some cards and leave in local stores or make banners and glue them around local city also a newspaper and phone book will be a good idea but its a bit more expensive also make a website

[Francisco]

the cheapest form of advertising is the one that gets you more jobs. For example, if you pay $300/month for yellow pages advertising and in return you get 20 jobs out of it, then you will make a significant profit. Printing out flyers, business cards, signs, etc are sometimes more expensive because no one ever looks for it when they need an electrician. Your best bet is either have a website or ad on yellow pages.

[Rosemary P]

As well as word of mouth that's been mentioned, think about press coverage. Do you have a particular story to tell about your business? Has something newsworthy happened recently? If you have a story - not a blatant plug for your business - contact your local newspapers and ask them if they'd be interested in running it.

I helped a business in our area with their story and their telephone didn't stop ringing for the next 72 hours.

Presumably you have signage on your vehicle(s). While you're driving, you're advertising and when you're parked prominently outside your customer's premises, other people can ask them what they think of the work you're doing.

Good luck!

[carlywood]

I've just looked at your website, and it seems to me that either you, or the person who designed your site is knowledgeable about SEO, your website is pretty nice, and seems quite well optimised.

I was going to suggest the 'free index' but you are already listed, so a few more sites out my toolkit:

http://www.xomreviews.com - add your url and it automatically ads your site to it's listings. It probably wont drum you up much business, but it will help your SEO campaign.

http://www.aboutus.org - add your site to this, a wiki of websites, and write what it's all about, what you sell etc.

http://websitejudge.com/nl/home - it's in german, and a bit confusing, but add your url and it will pull in your website's picture and data, and provide a link. Again, won't drum up the business, but will help with SEO.

http://www.bttradespace.com - write about your site, what you sell, set up a blog and link your products - brilliant resource. RECOMMENDED!

Not to mention a couple of other places it wont hurt to advertise: (free!)

http://www.gumtree.com
http://www.facebook.com/marketplace
http://uk.freeads.net
http://derby.digicity.co.uk/
http://www.publictechnology.net/bizdirec...isting.php

If some of the free adverts you place get ranked on Google above your competitors, they'll notice a decline in prospect, while you notice you'll be getting their traffic!

http://www.angieslist.com/Angieslist

This is a website where people can review electricians, doctors, dentists, etc - get your site on there and ask some happy clients to review you.

You could try Google 'pay per click' advertising, which should return on your investment in it, and show your website at the top of the others in Google's index.

I assume you have Google Analytics on your site? You can use this to monitor keywords, and PPC adverting.

Other places to try advertising:

* Local Paper

*Local newsletters (I used to live in Findern, Derby and my Mum lives in Bonsall Derbyshire now, and in both areas we get local newsletters with stories, news and adverts in) Contact local councils, and parish councils who write these, and advertise your business in them.

I'd also look at contacting derby city and county councils and asking about adding your services to a directory of 'trusted' professionals on their websites. I've seen such a directory and used it myself in the past. They may be also able to advise on other types of sponsorship or advertising around Derby. (for example, the signs on Islands near the DRI, or sponsoring events.) They may also have fairs or shows or events coming up that you can set up tables at. Additionally, I know they are putting on a free 'beat the credit crunch' advertising and marketing 101 - 'how to promote your business' class at some point, so see if you can find out more about that too..!

[Ready blue]

Online

There are free and paid ways of advertising a website, blog, business online. Do it daily.

1. Use good classifieds such as for business, job and item, blog advertising; free and paid

http://www.sellit-right.com

http://www.craigslist.com

2. Comment on many other related blogs, but never spam. The blogger can report or block you.

3. Write and submit articles online This will generate good traffic in the long term. You can write quality unique articles, not articles that provide no relevance for your readers. Google or Yahoo search ‘submit articles’.

4. If you already have a blog regularly update content on your websites/blogs especially if you allow people to RSS your blog.

5. Don’t have a blog? Get one from either Blogger.com TypePad.com or Wordpress.com Add content, your URL’s. You’ll need to advertise your blog.

6. Use BTTradespace. http://www.bttradespace.com

Offline

Local paper advertising
Billborad or radio
Dor to door, hand out leaflets

[China j]

You could use twitter.com
You can use craiglist.com
You can use backpage.com