Partner Article

Moneysaving tips from DealJungle

Start Chatting

Find online newsgroups that cater to your audience, and join the fray. I didn’t start participating in online discussion groups to generate business, but as a way to find information for myself on various subjects. However, this has turned out to be the single best marketing tool I use. My only outlay was time and seeing as one list alone brought around 60 new members to my site, this was time well spent. The important thing is to not be too promotional. Don’t tell everyone outright how great your business is or you’re likely to get banned. Instead, help people with issues and show your expertise. This validates your firm’s claims to others and makes them much more likely to use you than a competitor they have just Googled but have no connection with.

Swap Til You Drop

They say one man’s rubbish is another’s treasure and swapping one product or service for another is a good way to avoid cash outlays and unload slow-moving inventory. If you’d rather not bargain with other businesses directly – the thought does strike fear into some more shy businesspeople – then hire a commissioned barter broker or join a commercial barter club or exchange to do so on your behalf. There are many clearing houses for member exchanges across the country, allowing business owners to swap just about anything with anyone.

Join An Association

When you’re starting out in business it’s essential to build relationships quickly. One way of doing so is by joining an association. This may be one related to your sector or based in your location – both of which can offer significant benefits at very little cost. Many trade and business associations have reasonable membership fees and offer discounts on everything from insurance, travel and car rental to long-distance phone service, prescriptions and even golf course fees. They are also a great way to spread the word about your service and meet likeminded people with whom you may be able to build mutually beneficial relationships.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Michaels .