Once you have decided on what type of at-home business you are going to establish, you have to �get the word out�---you need to advertise! You can spend a lot, or you can spend next to nothing, but you do have to advertise or you will never attract any clients or customers.
Remember that this old adage is still very true today: You have to spend money to make money!
Get a Web Page!
It is as simple as that---get a web
page�NOW! And get your own website,
not just free space that is provided by your Internet Service
Provider. This means you will have to get your own web
�domain� and your own web �space.� If these terms are
totally foreign to you (as they were to me when I set out to get
my own website), then grab your teenager or that friend of yours
who �knows all about that stuff� to help guide you along.
It isn�t nearly as expensive as you think
to get your own website domain (which is the �www-dot� name
of a web page, like www.graphicsbynancy.com). Likewise, it
won�t set you back too much to get web space (where you will
put your web page). This is something that can cost you less
than $150/year, and will likely pay for itself ten times
over---and more! (By the end of the first year that I had my own
web page, I�d more than tripled my previous year�s income. I
didn�t spend any time finding clients---they found me!)
As far as creating your own web page, text
and graphics, the sky is really the limit. There are numerous
software packages that can help you, such as FrontPage, and you
can find dozens of online tutorials that will give you hints and
tips for creating a website that will attract clients and create
web traffic (�hits� on your website, if you have an at-home
business that is solely web-based).
I was lucky. I found a wonderful lady who
helped me to create and now maintains my website for me. In
exchange, I barter my proofreading services for her own
home-based business websites. We have maintained a valuable
working relationship that is beneficial to both our businesses,
and today I�m happy to call her my good friend!
Barter Your Service for Free Advertising
Regardless of what service your at-home
business provides, chances are you can barter it for free
advertising. If you are doing balloon bouquets for events such
as business openings, weddings, or backyard family reunions,
then find someone who will let you put up your balloons and
display a nice sign that reads �Bonnie�s Balloons� and
shows your website and email addresses (or other contact
information). Proofread your local church newsletter and have
your byline added at the bottom: Proofreading compliments of
Wanda, the Word Wizard.
Whatever you offer, find someone or
somewhere to offer it for free in exchange for some type of free
advertising. It�s not the same as a full-page ad in the Sunday
edition of your local newspaper, but it�s a start.
Distribute Brochures, Business Cards,
and Flyers
Think logically about the service that you
offer. Who would use it? Where would this target market be
likely to see and read a business brochure or flyer?
Where can you post business advertisements
for free? Does your local coffee shop have a public bulletin
board? Is there a bulletin board at your public library? Can you
put a business card holder full of business cards on the counter
at the neighborhood dry cleaner�s?
Keep business cards in your purse, wallet,
briefcase, and glove compartment of your car. Don�t be afraid
to hand them out! Print lots of them, and use them to jot down
messages to leave for friends who aren�t home. USE THEM! You
never know who will eventually see one. Sometimes all it takes
is for one person to see it and the flood gates of
opportunity will open!
See
http://work-at-home.janktheproofer.com/BusinessCards-Brochures.html
for ideas and tips on printing your own business cards and
brochures.
Paying for Advertising
Before you spend any money at all on paid
advertisement (with the exception of the $10 it costs to print
your business card in the Little League All-Stars newsletter),
do some research. What is the readership? How many get printed
and sent out? What are the statistics on return on investment
(that is, how much money in return are you likely to earn for
every dollar in advertising that you spend)?
When you are confident that your investment
in paid advertising might have an acceptable payoff, then try
it. Don�t expect to see results tomorrow. However, if you�ve
had poor or no results in more than 45 days (from the date of
publication and distribution), then it is unlikely that you are
going to profit from the venture. This doesn�t mean that you
will never profit from paying for advertising, but it is likely
that this publication or print medium wasn�t right for you. So
do more research before you pay for advertising again.
Things to Remember about Advertising
Your At-Home Business
-
Get
a web page!
-
Get
a web page!
-
Get
a web page! (It�s so important, that I had to say it three
times!)
-
Barter
your services in exchange for free advertising
-
Before
you pay for advertising, do your research! Will your
advertising dollars pay off?
Jan K.,
The Proofer is freelance proofreader and copyeditor. Visit
http://www.jansportal.com for more information about Jan�s
proofreading and copyediting services and Jan's other free resources. Please visit Mom's Break
(http://www.momsbreak.com/) for
free printable crafts and projects.
� Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.
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