Business Starting Grants

what is the best way to promote a new business for free?

I have recently started up a new business (making videos, all sorts from wedding - music videos) I wondered what the best way to get the ball rolling would be? I have tried adding it onto search engines but all the ones I have found charge you! I would quite like to find a way (as im sure we all would) of getting the name out there for free!! Please help! Thanks!

Public Comments

1. Make a demo tape, showcase your abilities and give out samples. It wouldn't hurt if you actually did one for a friend or two, if your work is good, word of mouth travels fast and you'll soon start generating interest. If you are trying to break into a market, i would suggest not trying to cut costs by not advertising. How else will potential customers know you are out there. At the very least, invest in business cards.
2. reach the target odience, deal for making videos: with eventmanagers, photo studios, matromony dealers,etc. make a syndicate, try to give business to them they will give you. target community with your good tariff: cream,middle or normal. for free ad: you need to give your presence to target audience, it might be tiresome but you can know them better, you can try with a questionaire with target audience and make them feel your presence. but business without ad cost is difficult either you have to spill or swet.
3. The best thing I have found to do to make a new company known, is to do something newsworthy, and then contact all of the local news outlets and let them know you're doing it. When one of the outlets covers it, they all might. Have a contest, "best local band gets free video" or something bigger if you can think of it, and tell the news outlets you need their help to get the word out. Jim
4. i would put a demo on eBay...that should get you lots of traffic if you set it up right with good keywords
5. Good old free ad sites will boost your advertising at no cost. It's a pain to post on them all, but it costs zero.
6. build a website, it can be very basic html pages that you can learn to do yourself or hire someone else to do it - any of your friends program?? optimize your site so you show up organically on search engines. publish your work on youtube (make sure you have your contact info and website on the video), submit to google videos or any other website that hosts videos. join networking communities in your area. i'm from philadelphia so i just googled 'video film community philadelphia' and some great websites and organizations came up: http://www.film.org/greater_philadelphia_filmmakers/hotline/, http://www.pfvm.com/news.php, etc
7. See free-internet-money.blogspot.com for some of my ideas. There are many other blogs too that deal specifically with this topic.
8. The best free way is word of mouth. Any business never mind how big or successful needs word of mouth sales. Once you have done your first one tell them to tell everyone they know. If your product is good enough you will be on the rung to being a millionaire.