GREAT READS

Free & Low Cost Marketing for Your Small Business

by Kris Solie-Johnson ; American Institute of Small Business.

Starting your own business is no easy feat, and launching is just the beginning. After launching, a business has to prove its worthiness and success, and most importantly, make money! Often, business owners sacrifice marketing because they don't think they have the cash flow to justify it. That's where Kris Solie-Johnson's Free and Low Cost Marketing for Your Small Business becomes a great resource. As the introduction states, "This book was written to help you, the entrepreneur get more out of the limited marketing budget you have. It provides information in a step-by-step format with appropriate resources as well as the advantages and disadvantages in each marketing choice."

As the small business librarian, I often refer to this helpful book to find inexpensive and potentially highly successful ideas for marketing on a budget. For example, a section of the book posits writing articles to increase cash flow. If you don't feel you have enough money to take out an advertisement in the local paper, consider writing an article for an association, non-profit, or chamber of commerce newsletter that provides helpful information to its readers but also advertises your business. Not only is the cost for you FREE, but you also are getting your name out and you are positioning yourself as an expert in your industry. This is the type of useful information that Solie-Johnson suggests to small business owners in this easy to reference marketing guide.

Recommended by Laura Metzler