It was my absolute joy to share some of my hard-won knowledge about low-cost and no-cost marketing strategies with fellow business bootstrappers at The Shift coworking space in Chicago last Thursday.

I realize that I don’t cover small business topics that much on this blog. (I usually do it on Carol Roth’s blog, Business Unplugged.)

But I LOVE helping small business owners. And I have learned a lot over the past five years.

What a great group we had! Everyone participated and seemed to get a lot out of it. Here’s what we talked about:

Marketing Your Biz on a Bootstrapper’s Budget.
(A Big Bang for Small Bucks.)

Tactic 1: Blogging Strategies

Why you should have a blog

• Thought leadership
• SEO (you can contact an internet marketing agency toronto to learn more about this)
• Site ranking

Why you should guest blog

• Get in front of people you don’t know
• Get additional exposure
• Build relationships and referral sources

Why you should use LinkedIn Pulse

• For some businesses, more valuable than your blog
• Can repost content you have published elsewhere
• Worried about “duplicate content penalty”? (Hint: Don’t be.) Here’s how to do it right https://www.searchenginejournal.com/duplicate-content-medium-linkedin-bad-seo/155072/

Tactic 2: Social Media

When social media is a giant time suck

• When you are spending hours on your personal social media, not your business’s
• Do what I say, not what I did – my face-plant moment

How to get value from social media

• Have a social media strategy that is tied in with your marketing plan
• Know where your ideal clients hang out so you can get your message in front of them and go to this website to buy views and likes
• Be helpful! (Note: using social media solely as advertising will not work.)

Tactic 3: Referrals

How to get in the habit of asking for referrals

• Add asking for referrals into your sales process

How to make it easy for others to refer you

• Have a clear “who and do what” statement – who do you work with and what do you do for them?
• Have a very specific “ask” – and just ask for one thing (even if you can do lots of things)

Tactic 4: Content Strategies

How to come up with ideas

• What questions do prospects always ask?
• What questions do you wish they would ask?
• Keep a running list of ideas you have when reading, watching TV, taking a walk, etc.
• HubSpot blog title generator http://www.hubspot.com/blog-topic-generator
• Chris Brogan’s “100 Blog Topics for Your Business” pdf http://chrisbrogan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/brogan100blogtopics.pdf
• Interview people and get their ideas about a topic

How to reuse existing content in new ways

• Break blog posts into short topics and make short videos around one point
• Break up points in blog posts for social media posts
• Have videos or podcasts transcribed and then turn them into blog posts
• Consolidate blog posts into an eBook or tips sheet to use as a giveaway to get signups

Why you need to promote your content MORE and create LESS

• Creating content takes time, promote it so that people see it (Pro tip: You’ll need to promote things WAY more than you think you will.)
• It’s not an “if you build it they will come” thing

Tactic 5: Influencers

How to find influencers

• Social media
• Commenting on their blogs
• In-person events

How to reach out to influencers

• Be respectful!
• Don’t ask for anything immediately

How to build and maintain relationships with influencers

• Continue to engage with them over time
• Take online relationships offline, when possible
• Please flip through my deck on this: “Engaging Influencers or Schmoozing for Success” http://www.slideshare.net/pointa_pointb/engaging-influencers-or-schmoozing-for-success

Tactic 6: Podcasting and/or Video

How to get past the fear of hearing/seeing yourself

• Know that pretty much everyone hates hearing/seeing themselves
• Over time, you become desensitized – and hopefully better, too
• Practice, practice, practice
• In short, get over it
• Follow my friend Lou Bortone – he’ll get you going http://www.loubortone.com/

How to have fun creating content

• Be yourself
• Be funny
• Be authentic and share your story and your challenges
• Share your knowledge

Tactic 7: Speaking

How speaking for free can generate leads and help you get clients

• Many (most?) groups and meetings book speakers
• Paid speaking gigs are a separate business, but free gigs are easy to get

How to find free speaking gigs

• Ask the organizer of groups you attend
• Ask for referrals from your network
• Try local libraries, chambers, Rotary Club meetings, etc. (Note: IF those people might be clients.)
• Do a class for Dabble, or your coworking space like this event 🙂
• Sign up for http://chicago.freespeakers.org/become-a-speaker/

Bonus: Insider Tips

How to be seen – and feel like – an expert

• Create a body of work – blog posts, tips sheets, interviews, eBooks, podcasts, videos
• Have a professional look and feel – logo, website – doesn’t have to cost a lot!
• Are you new? Surround yourself with smart, established people
• Collaborate with people who do complementary – and SIMILAR – things
• Try to get mentioned in the media
• Sign up for HARO http://www.helpareporter.com/ and other services
• Read “Got a Media Mention? Now Do the Important Things” by me on Business Unplugged http://www.carolroth.com/blog/got-media-mention-now-do-important-things/