Whichever kind of business you have, you ought to think about promoting it on and off line. I find it easier to reflect on the off line aspect first, because there are fewer options than with on line advertising and they can often be dismissed. For most businesses, off line advertising typically comes down to newspaper adverts, sign-written vehicles, free ads and handbills.

These forms of advertising are very useful for local shops and local businesses such as builders, glaziers, hairdressers et cetera, but they are comparatively expensive. Here are a few unusual suggestions for off line advertising:

Try to give something away. This may appear to be costly, but it does not have to be. For instance, if you run a poodle parlour, you could write a leaflet on how to wash your dog or how to get rid of ticks. Advertise this give-away on line, in your shop window and in the newspaper. Encourage people to come into your place of work to pick one up.

Ask your local papers whether they print press releases. If they do get details of preferred length and content and send them a press release whenever you take on new personnel, win an award or start selling a new product or service. Press releases should be free of charge.

Next time their is a local event, hire a booth and give a demonstration of what you do; take a survey of what you want to know; and hand out flyers. Stalls at Girl Guide Jamborees or Bring-And Buy sales are very cheap and you may meet thousands of people in person. Then hand out a press release out about the event.

Offer to present a prize at a local charity event and / or have the tickets made too. With your name on, of course. Hundreds or people will see you name associated with a good cause.

Run a competition with a prize. Run it in the local paper or from your shop. As a building firm, we on one occasion supplied a man Friday free for a day. It ran over a three week time span and every week we asked for five trivia questions to be answered. The local paper ran it free of charge.

Thousands of people entered and our cost was a day’s salary. An old widow won him and she had him doing little odd chores about the house all day while she made him tea and sandwiches and had a good old natter. I think it made her year, but it got us a great deal of goodwill and good publicity.

You could offer badges, coupons and novelties as lower prizes

Send out Christmas cards and promotional calendars to past and potential clients or use app promotions services. A calendar will keep your name before someone’s eyes all year around.

You could offer free seminars on the main features of your business. If you could talk at the community hall for thirty minutes, you could take questions and answers afterward. Try the local Womens’ Institute.

Some of these techniques can be used to promote an online business or website as well.