Also, get permission to leave a small stack of your brochures in places where potential customers are likely to congregate such as doctors' and dentists' waiting rooms, local schools etc..

Another good idea is to send your brochure to editors of your local and regional newspapers together with a letter advising of your availability for interview as a local expert in your field.

ADVERTISING

Advertising can be as simple as placing classified ads in your local newspaper or as grand as purchasing television advertising slots. Here's a few ideas:

=> Classified Ads

Place small classified ads in your local and city newspapers and include URL of your website.

=> Yellow Pages

If you purchase display advertising in Yellow Pages, be sure to include your URL.

=> Flyers

One page flyers advertising your product or service and including your URL can be printed cheaply and left on car windshields or distributed via letterbox drops in your local area.

=> Local TV Guide

Your local TV guide can be a good place to advertise cheaply if your product or service is of particular interest to a local geographic target audience. Again, be sure to include your URL.

=> Radio Advertising

Radio advertising can be an excellent buy for many small businesses. Call sales department of several radio stations that target your demographic. Be sure to ask about rates for different times of day and package deals.

=> Television Advertising

You're not going to be able to afford high price advertising exposure that's offered by likes of ABC or NBC but you may be surprised at how affordable advertising on your local cable channel can be. Contact sales department of your cable provider for details. This type of advertising is particularly effective if your product or services is oriented toward a specific geographic target market.

=> Direct Mail

Mailing lists of various sizes are available for rent or purchase for direct mailing your offer to prospective customers.

=> Press Releases

Press releases can act as a form of de facto advertising. Send your press release to editors of print periodicals.

NETWORKING

Any local community offers ample opportunity for networking. Each networking function you attend is an opportunity to publicize your business and your website. Consider following:

=> local Chamber of Commerce => local industry groups => school functions => social events => charitable organizations => community functions, and => public speaking.

EVERY CHANCE YOU GET

Last but not least, getting word out should be a daily habit.

=> Telephone

Every time you answer your business phone be sure to give caller your website address so they can find out more information about you and your business. Make sure your website address is included in message recorded on your answering machine.

=> Mail Inserts

Include a small insert promoting your business and your website in every piece of mail that leaves your home or office.

=> Word of Mouth

Finally, perhaps most effective and under-appreciated tool of them all ­ word of mouth. Talk about your business and your website at every opportunity and encourage your customers, friends, family and colleagues to do same. You would be surprised at just how many businesses out there owe their success to little more than word of mouth referrals.

Successfully promoting an online business requires a sound understanding and methodical application of principles of online marketing and promotion.

But to focus on online methods to exclusion of offline does only half job. Give due attention to offline methods of promotion in conjunction with your online promotional efforts to ensure widest possible coverage of ALL of your potential markets.

How do you distribute your media announcement? Call and tell your news to person in newsroom who answers phone. Then email, fax, or regular mail your announcement. It doesn't hurt to do all three (some editors might get annoyed, but most aren't that organized and appreciate you making sure they get multiple opportunities to use material).

Above all, make sure you are ready and available to provide more details. The entire point of a media announcement is to get editor interested and on phone with you. Many like to email. Provide several phone numbers where you can be reached and an email address you check often. Many times a reporter will call you hours or minutes before deadline. Fail to get back with them quickly, and your story will be skipped.

Some editors may say "send me more information..fast!" Have a press packet ready. This could include an expanded version of your media release. Add more information to it to get a full page press release. Photos also work well if you regular mail them or put them on a web page. A link to page can go in your press release.

A cover letter isn't necessary, but it's a good idea to include a bio sheet. Tell what your business or organization does, how you got started, your history, and your plans for future. Be sure to include quotes that could be used in an article or on air.

Broadcast media--radio and TV--like a list of questions they can ask you. You can also provide answers to questions. This can work well for print media as well.

What editors really want is for you to help them do their job. When I was in media, I gave away thousands in free publicity. I never looked at it as giving away publicity, just as looking for interesting stories my audience would appreciate. If a business helped me do that, then I was more than happy to give them a "plug," mentioning their name and product.

Be persistent. Send just one media announcement out and you probably won't get much response. Success comes when you consistently look for ideas or events to tell media about.

The biggest PR successes haven't come from great stories as much as from small business folks who just won't give up. Take out a calendar and jot down events you could stage over next few months. It might be an event at your store, one you put on with a local charity, a new section of your web site, or you as activist in a local controversy or cause.