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There have never been more opportunities for business owners to use Press Releases (PR) to promote their businesses. The rewards are great; free coverage in a local or national newspaper or magazine. The only cost is the time and effort to put together a good story. The secret is to present your story so that it catches the attention and imagination of the editor. Here are my top tips for writing effective press releases.

What’s the first thing you do when you need something new – the name of a reliable plumber, a good place to buy furniture or the best bet for a relaxing weekend away? You ask someone you know, someone whose opinion you trust, you tap your network of friends and family to get the information you require. It’s human nature!

So why is it that we don’t take full advantage of this idea when it comes to finding new customers?

There are hundreds of ways for business owners to advertise and promote their products. The real challenge is figuring out which work and which don’t work. Firstly, it is critical to have a crystal clear idea of who you want as prospective customers. In certain cases you may be able to identify your prospective customers by name, in others you may only be able to identify them by common characteristics such as where they live, where they work, what age they are, what they read, what socio demographic group they fit etc. Once you have identified your prospective customer you can concentrate on the two or three promotion activities that are most appropriate for you.

When you are working on the first draft of your business plan, it can be difficult to figure out what you should expect to pay for basic marketing materials. The following are some real life examples that you can use as a guideline, but remember that there is a lot of competition out there so it pays to shop around.

There are literally hundreds of ways to advertise your business, from newspapers and magazines to toilet doors and sick bags. The only limit is your creativity. While many may seem expensive, remember that the cost per prospective customer is more important than the total cost. Here are our top 101 ideas for promoting your business...

Imagine how it would feel if you didn’t have to pay to advertise your business ever again. Imagine if the money was instead used to provide even better products and even better service which in turn attracted even more customers. How would that make you feel? This may seem like business nirvana but it is a reality for many business owners and is within reach for many, many more. It is simply a matter of tapping into the goodwill of your top customers in such a way that they refer even more customers to you.

Read on for the five rules to generate effective referrals.

Most business owners put lots of effort into getting new customers and then concentrate totally on the resulting sales. But good customers are also an important source of feedback, a valuable source of referrals and a vital source of support when the going gets tough.

So you’ve completed the market research, sorted out the advertising and the customers are streaming through the door. Now it’s just a matter of getting the customer to say yes! But that's not as easy as it seems. Here are my 6 tips for closing the sale.