No-cost or low-cost ways to promote solopreneur business

By Mark G. Auerbach

Consider some of these no-cost or low-cost ways to effectively get your name out to prospective clients.

Reconnect

Reconnect with your high school and college classmates. Many high schools, and most prep school, colleges, and universities have active alumni programs that often produce alumni magazines or have an ongoing social media presence. Submit your information or class notes. If you’re an author, for example, some profile “Alumni Authors” with short recaps of their books. The social media opportunities may be class by class, but alumni magazines include all alumni. And many alums are likely to use the services of other alums. Before I began my own business, I got job interviews from other alums, just because we’d attended the same school. Also, don’t overlook alumni groups on sites like LinkedIn.

Reconnect with people from your hometown. You may be located in a different city or town from where you grew up, but Facebook has many pages like “You Know You’re From Podunk if…” where you can connect with folks you grew up with. People like to reconnect, and often will seek out someone they’ve known for a product or service, or connect you to someone where you live now.

Share

Share your product. The right kind of donation can reap rewards. When I worked for New England Public Radio, the station would have several fund drives, where volunteers would come in to answer phones, and area restaurants would feed them. The food and drink donors would get acknowledged on-air. One was Dean’s Beans, an Orange, MA, producer of specialty coffee as a vehicle for social change. His coffee is exquisite, and word of mouth from his participation drove folks to his retail store, retailers elsewhere and his online ordering.

Share your service. Maybe you’re a financial planner or an estate attorney. Offer to do a program for people in an assisted living community and their children. Inform them of changes in laws or programs that might impact them. One or more members of your audience may seek you out as their consultant. And, if the organization promotes your appearance, it’s more material for your social media posts.

Share your expertise. Reach out to local reporters who cover your industry. Let them know that you’re available to provide background information or explanation of an issue, and that you’re available to comment. As a reporter and a radio producer, I’ve reached out to qualified people I know as voices for a program. Likewise share your experience with students learning your industry. I’ve given many public relations workshops, some for non-profits, some for workshops, and some for schools. It’s good to give back, and most hosts promote your appearance, which is more fodder for your social media posts.

Share your expertise in print. Some local and community newspapers or blogs accept short articles in specific areas of expertise. Query the editor and pitch your article. Every time you’re published, it’s something more for that you can share via social media.

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Mark G. Auerbach is principal at Mark G. Auerbach Public Relations, a Springfield, MA, based marketing, public relations, development and events consultancy. You can find more information about Mark at Facebook and LinkedIn.Mark also produces ArtsBeat in print in The Westfield News Group, on radio for Pioneer Valley Radio and 89.5fm/WKB, an on TV at WCPC15.

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