Some ideas of how to promote your business and grow your online presents for FREE.

Increase visibility in your community.
Join local organizations that provide business networking opportunities, or start your own. Do volunteer work for a large charity. You’d be surprised at the marketing support such activities can bring.

Participate in online marketing groups.
Search Twitter and other social-networking sites for groups meeting to discuss marketing. For example, Understanding Marketing holds a chat and Q&A session on Twitter that focuses on small-business marketing. It’s live each Tuesday from 8 to 9 p.m. eastern time. Search #smbiz on Tweetgrid.com.

Submit information to blogs.
Blog writers are always looking for content for their sites. Target appropriate ones and send them press releases or descriptive e-mails.

Reward existing customers.
Offer an exclusive incentive to your regular customers—only your regular customers. Notify them via e-mail or other contact methods, and direct them to an otherwise inaccessible page on your Web site where the offer appears.

Get your customers to bring in new customers.
Offer an incentive like a discount to customers who get a new customer to make a transaction with your business.

Spruce up your Web site.
Stale sites don’t attract business. Fresh, frequently updated Web sites show your customers you’re a vibrant and active business. Let users subscribe to get update notices, then update frequently.

Provide free, helpful information to your customers.
Such content should be related to your type of business and can include tips, hints, reviews, and other information that can help drive sales. For example, a business selling paint can provide a guide to selecting the best paint for different uses. Such informative content is often available from suppliers. Use it.

Offer your noncompeting business customers a link exchange.
A link exchange is much like a bulletin board at your business that holds your customers’ business cards. The more links your business has to its Web site, the better your search engine placement, and the greater the number of people who see your business’s links, the more will visit you.

Use downtime for marketing.
When times are slow, keep employees busy contacting customers. Create e-mail marketing documents your employees can send to individual customers. Personal contact with customers gets results. Mass e-mails are less effective and, given today’s e-mail spam filters, may not be seen by many. Go for quality contacts rather than quantity.

Visit your own Web site frequently.
Look for ways it can be improved. Too often, small business Web sites load slowly, are poorly organized, and are difficult to navigate. Fix bottlenecks that impede customers and look for ways to get customers to act. Make sure all links work and lead to up-to-date content. Test campaigns with printable coupons and other incentives. For more tips, see our story “Build a Better Web Site.”

Get active in the online community.
Encourage employees to do the same. Don’t spam discussion forums or other social sites, but don’t be afraid to use signature lines containing links to your Web site. Establish common-sense rules for yourself and your employees regarding these social-networking and discussion sites, and always strive to be positive and helpful on them.

Check out your suppliers’ Web sites thoroughly.
Add links on your site to informative and helpful content on those sites. Many corporate sites offer instructional videos and other material that can inform your customers and lead them back to you, ready to do business.

Get a toll-free phone number.
It makes you look more professional and encourages business—and the fees aren’t as high as you might think.

Launch a blog on your site and update it daily.
Nothing reads “I don’t care” like a blog whose most recent entry is days old. Assign this task to employees who can write and spell—an illiterate blog is worse than no blog at all. Introduce people to your company and its staff. Highlight products. Run contests and give away company swag. Announce specials and upcoming product-line changes. Establish a “customer-of-the-month” tradition and do regular write-ups. Surely there’s something you can say to your customers daily.

Yes, use Facebook and Twitter.
Having a Facebook page may not earn you any new business, but not having one may cause customers to ask why you don’t. Take some good pictures of your offices and your employees (unless you’d rather leave those details to your customers’ imaginations), or, in some fashion, put a more human face on your company identity. Twitter is a young technology, and everyone’s scrambling to figure out useful applications. In the meantime, let your customers at least follow you, and implement a strategy similar to what you’re using in your blog. In 140 characters, that is.

Visit online marketing sites.
Good Marketing Ideas is an excellent site, with plenty of useful tips. The suggestions here cost little or nothing to implement, and will likely lead you to resources you might never have thought of on your own.

Never surrender.
Getting new and potential customers to notice you is an ongoing—and sometimes uphill—battle, and one you can’t ever stop fighting. Pick a new idea every week or two and implement it, no matter how small it is. Call a meeting of employees, order a pizza for lunch, and brainstorm; offer an incentive for ideas you implement. Before long, your marketing might just pay off in new sales—and happier, more involved customers.

Many small business owners across the UK, are being charged hugely inflated prices for first page Google results. It is just accepted that you need to pay £1000’s to these ‘Professional SEO Companies’, for often extremely average returns, that may take literally less than a days coding.

Many of these companies employ programmers from India, and there is no personal relationship with the team. We provide clients a personal programmer that will deal with them one to one, its important that you achieve the growth you deserve, as ultimately we will also gain from your success.

Some first page results for Google.co.uk:

In the last fortnight we have setup 3 new one page highly optimised websites for an existing client, and here are the great results we have achieved in this highly competitive keyword area:

1. Nottinghamfloorsanding.co.uk

‘Nottingham floor sanding’ – position 5
‘Nottingham wood floor sanding’ – position 10
‘Nottingham wood floors’ – position 7
‘Nottingham floors sanded’ – position 8
‘Nottingham wood floors sanded’ – position 4

2. Sheffieldfloorsanding.co.uk

‘Sheffield wood floors sanded’ – position 1
‘Sheffield wood floor sanding’ – position 7
‘Sheffield floor sanding’ – position 2
‘Sheffield floor restoration’ – position 7
‘Sheffield floors sanded’ – position 10
‘Sheffield wood floor restoration’ – position 7
‘Sheffield wood floors restored’ – position 4
‘wood floors restored in Sheffield’ – position 4

3. sheffieldfloorrestoration.co.uk

‘Sheffield floor restoration’ – position 1
‘Sheffield wood floor restoration’ – position 6

—

The cost for each new optimized single page website, including Web Hosting, Domain name and guaranteed Google listing was just £199. And these results were achieved in just a couple of weeks.

There is no hidden costs, only a 12 monthly annual hosting for the Web Hosting and Domain of £29.99, the first year is included.

So why not try our Professional SEO Services and see what we can do for your websites search engine placement.

Regards

Ashley Smith
Professional SEO Services
Webmaster
Acknowledged Web Solutions

The government provides support to businesses both financially, in the form of grants, and through access to expert advice, information and services.

However, getting financial support can be tough. There will be strong competition and the criteria for grants are stringent. Criteria vary but are likely to include the location, size and industry sector of the business.

Government grants are almost always awarded for a specific purpose or project and are usually for proposed projects only – not for those that have already started.

There are also strict terms and conditions that apply to all grants. If these aren’t followed, immediate repayment of the grant can be required. However, generally you do not have to repay grants or interest on them unless you break the conditions.

Matching grant funds

Most government grants require you to match the funds you are being awarded. In other words, the grant covers a proportion of the money needed, while you supply the rest. You must also demonstrate that your business can provide its share of the total costs.

The amount of matching funds asked for varies from grant to grant. A research grant may require a business to find 40 per cent of the total cost with 60 per cent provided by the grant. However, a grant to refurbish a factory may require a considerably higher percentage of match funding.

The matching funds may be found from the owners of the business, retained profits, a loan, or from a new investor.

What kind of grants are available?

The main groups who award grants are:

* the government
* the European Union
* Regional Development Agencies in England, Scottish Enterprise, the Welsh Development Agency and Invest Northern Ireland
* local authorities or local councils and local development agencies

For more information, search Grants and Support Directory of grants, advice and other support on Business Link in your area.

Grant for Business Investment (GBI)

A grant under GBI is for the acquisition of key assets such as buildings, machinery and equipment, and to help create new jobs or safeguard existing ones. GBI is part of a range of support offered through the government’s new Solutions for Business portfolio. This portfolio is still being developed.

In Scotland, this is called the Grant for Regional Selective Assistance (RSA). You can read about RSA grants on the Scottish Business Grants website.

In Northern Ireland, this is called the Enterprise NI Loan Fund (ENILF). You can find out about the ENILF on the Enterprise NI website.

Businesses based in areas classified as assisted areas and in other areas as designated by the Regional Development Authorities (in England) may benefit from a grant if they stimulate regional development, urban regeneration or an improvement in employment prospects.

You can find grants that your business might be eligible for and get free information and advice from your local Business Link.

Innovation, research and development

There are numerous grants available to encourage investment in innovation,research and development.
Other government support

The government has developed a portfolio of highly targeted, publicly funded support products and services for businesses in England. Launching from October 2008, the new Solutions for Business portfolio will include support such as grants for business investment, expert advice services and specialist facilities for businesses in all sectors.

Government business support services are different in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Train to Gain

The Train to Gain service operates regionally throughout England. It helps businesses identify their skills needs and source training to meet these.

Some training offered through Train to Gain is subsidised. Find out about services available on the Train to Gain website.

But if you want to start a business in these unusual time what sector should one choose ? We have compiled the Top 5 best new business models list below….

1. Online retail

Advantages include – low set up costs, low running costs and the potential to garner a broad client base. If done well, it’s virtually immune to economic change.

With no high street overheads to speak of, no geographical or time restrictions and no need to display stock, online retailers are not only the shopkeepers of the future, they’re also the ones cleaning up right now.

2. Pound shop

It’s recession time, and customers are cutting back on expenditure. High street units are emptying across the country. If you want to set up shop and you’re keen to avoid risky ventures, you can’t go wrong opening a store full of bargains.

3. Luxury goods

High-end products, from luxury holidays and designer handbags to artisan ice-creams, are defying the consumer spending slump. Back in the downturn of the nineties, Haagen Dazs did a booming trade; your business could be the surprise luxe success of this recession.

4. Domestic tourism

With the pound down against the euro and the dollar, and job-security at an all-time low, it’s likely holidaying abroad will be a low priority for Britons this year.

Whether you have plans for a budget B&B or your eye on a seaside hotel or campsite, now’s the time to get listed in holiday guide books. Similarly, bus tour operators, historical guides, hiking and adventure organisers – and those running local culture and music fairs – should plan for a busy summer.

5. Green and ethical business

Demand for green goods remains high, and the rising cost of energy and other resources means that eco-friendly business makes good business sense. Investment in green goods, such as energy-saving light bulbs or solar panelling, saves the consumer money in the long run.

So there you have it. We feel that all 5 are realistic options in this current finance and business climate, so maybe its time to take the plunge.

Good Luck and of course if you need a website; you know where to come.