How to Advertise a Home-Based Business

Since home-based businesses can't benefit from "drive-by" marketing and the same get the same level of exposure as businesses with a storefront, home-based business owners need to be creative with their marketing and advertising efforts. I've helped numerous home-based business owners promote their products and services online with online advertising strategies that include newsletter marketing, pay-per-click advertising and blogging. Many traditional approaches still work, but home-based business owners need to take extra steps to network with potential clients and seek out new opportunities to help their business grow.

Here are some effective ways to advertise a home-based business:

Get Social!
Social networking can help you promote your business and increase visibility in your community - and beyond. Set up a Facebook page for your business and create a Twitter account to promote your brand, products and services within a few clicks. Social media marketing can take some time, but you can generate ongoing interest in your business within a few months.

Attend Local Events
Register your business with the Chamber of Commerce and attend small business networking events in your community. These events can give you a chance to learn from other business owners in your community, and also provide opportunities for referrals. Make sure you bring plenty of business cards and are prepared to share information about your business with a short and simple "elevator pitch".

Encourage Clients and Customers to Post Reviews
Many online directory listing sites now accept user reviews. Encourage satisfied clients and customers to share positive reviews about the products and services received, and rate your business on these sites. Many potential customers and clients go online to learn about businesses in the area, so it will be to your benefit to have plenty of positive reviews and testimonials to share.

Invest in a High Quality Website
Even if you're not selling products or services online, a professional-looking website will tell potential customers and clients that you mean business. Having a website with a basic summary of your business and contact information can help to increase your visibility online. Remember that your website will be indexed by the major search engines, so it's important to include several pages of content related to the products and services you provide. Content-rich websites can get indexed faster and will help potential customers and clients find you when they search for things you offer online. If you don't want to spend the time to set one up yourself, set aside some funds to hire a professional web designer and content writer to create one for you.

Align Your Business with Similar Businesses in Your Area
Find local business owners who might be interested in cross-promoting your services and products in exchange for similar exposure. If you're just starting out, jump online to find similar businesses or small companies in your area and send them a quick email of interest. More established businesses may be able to feature you in a newsletter, promote your products at their store, or even link to your website.

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