Marketing my business

[crackers]

I offer a range of services to business and education.

What is the best bang for buck in advertising the business?

I offer IT Asset management services btw.

ty

[Brendan]

Its a hard one mate, I run an IT dept in a large corporate and we get lots of different types of advertising come through, what I have found to be most effective is if someone send me some information in a hand written personally addressed envelope.

Maybe pick about 50 businesses you would love to service, research and find out who the IT Manager and Operations manager is at the place then personally write to them telling them about what you do.

A few days after the mailout, ring them personally and ask if they received the letter and then try and organise a meeting with them to discuss what you can offer.

I find direct personal advertising works best for me that way I know the person isn't just fishing for business, they want to help me out and they have a vested interest in what my company does, who I am and how I can benefit from their service.

Once you have secured a few clients this way, and you have developed a personal relationship with your clients then word of mouth spreads pretty quick.

[Carl Taylor]

Do you have budgetary constraints?

I would suggest reading the following books:

How to grow your business without spending a single cent - by Justin Herald

Instant Advertising (How to write ads that immediate sell and create results) - by Brad Sugars

Word of mouth will always be the most cost effective marketing strategy.
But for startups this can be a challenge - the above books will give you a great place to start.