You bet there are. The trick to uncovering these methods is to think of creative ways you can get your products or services in front of, or in hands of, your prospects. And that last part is critical. It is only valuable marketing if it is targeted at people you have identified are most likely to buy your products or services.

1)Share Your Knowledge

If you have specialized knowledge or expertise related to your business, think of ways to share that knowledge. Consider writing a regular column for a website or publication that targets same customers you target. Become a regular contributor to a magazine or radio or TV program.

2)Create Information Products

Package and distribute your knowledge in form of an Ezine, Newsletter or Special Report. Build your contact list and distribute this valuable information on a regular basis. Use this as an opportunity to market your products and services and be sure to Include special offers or bonuses to recipients who act by a certain date.

3)Offer Seminars and Do Presentations

Do you offer a professional or personal service? Consider booking yourself for speaking engagements where you can provide valuable information in your area of expertise to groups of people. Make sure groups are representative of types of customers or clients you believe are most likely to benefit from your services. This tactic serves several marketing purposes.

First, it gets you out in front of your prospects. In marketing this is called “generating awareness” and it is first step toward making a sale.

Is there anything you can do now before you continue with your marketing efforts and potentially continue spending money on not-so-effective marketing activities? First of all, don’t beat yourself up. You are not alone. In fact, one of my biggest challenges as a marketing consultant has been to get my clients to track effectiveness of their various marketing activities.

The first thing to do is recognize importance of tracking, and make sure that you have a plan in place to track all of your future marketing activities. The simplest way to track is to ask each new customer where or how they found out about you. You may also want to consider including a code on any flyers or brochures that you distribute, and providing a reason for customer to bring that flyer in when they come to make a purchase. Reasons to return flyer could be to take advantage of a special offer, or to get a discount or free bonus gift.