- Take advantage of word of mouth. The best form of promotion is word of mouth. After all, people are much more likely to trust a recommendation from someone they know. Use this to your advantage and encourage your customers to tell their friends about your site. You can do this by using a ?tell a friend? feature or even by asking them directly for referrals. Keep in mind though that word of mouth also works in reverse. If a customer is dissatisfied with their experience on your site they'll also tell their friends about that. And an unhappy customer always does more talking than a happy one!



- Start something viral. Viral marketing refers to the idea that a piece of marketing is so interesting and unique that people pass it along for you ? like a virus moves from person to person. Since others are doing all the work for you, a good viral campaign can spread exponentially and get the word out about your site faster than any other form of promotion. Of course finding something unique enough that people want to pass it on can be difficult. But get creative and think of something your target audience would love and you'll be surprised how many viral ideas you can come up with.

- Use the Press. A well written, newsworthy press release can give you lots of exposure. If it's picked up by online and offline media you'll be seen by a wide variety of people who may not have otherwise heard about your business. And the best part is the instant credibility it gives you. People tend to be sceptical of what they read in an ad, but they almost always believe what they read in the newspaper or see on television.

- Offer an affiliate program. If you sell a product or service that lends itself to having others sell it for you, an affiliate program is a great idea. All you have to do is offer a commission when a sale is made. No sale, no expense! It truly is a win/win situation for both you and your affiliates.

- Participate in a Joint Venture. At any point in time, there are most likely hundreds, if not thousands of other people interested in getting the attention of the same audience as you. Why not join together and work on reaching that audience together? Joint ventures are a great way to generate targeted traffic.