Do you want to promote your business, but lack the million dollar advertising budget of IBM?  Well, thanks to the Internet, owners can promote their business without having a multimillion dollar ad budget.  There are creative ways to promote your business, if you know how and are willing to experiment with Web and traditional marketing activities. 
Below are 10 innovative ways to get more visibility for your organization:

1. Give Valuable Content –Traditional advertising required you to spend lots of money to get noticed. Companies pleaded with journalists to write about their products, services and the company. A more effective option today is to publish valuable information on your website and get the media to read it.  The best way to get noticed today is to publish great content online.

2. Focus on Benefits not Features – Don’t talk about what your products and services do. Rather, emphasize the benefits of your products and services.  Discuss how you can solve customer problems.

3. Enthusiasm is Contagious - You and your staff should be enthusiastic and have fun. People want to do business with people who enjoy their work.  As the owner, you should be the main cheerleader for your company.

4. Spamming the Media Doesn’t Work – Journalists hate receiving spam e-mails as much as you do.  You should contact the media via e-mail and the telephone, but don’t send irrelevant e-mails (spam).  Junk e-mails will hurt your organization and should be avoided.

 5. Press Releases are Good for Customers – Press releases aren’t just for the media.  Both your target audience and your customers will find value in your press releases.  Consequently, you leverage your time and money.

6. Spread the Word on the Internet – There are a myriad of blogs, chat rooms and electronic forums that you can use to your advantage.  You can post responses to questions submitted on the Web.  You can post answers which describe how your products or services can solve your buyers’ problems.  Over time you will be viewed as an expert in your industry.  However, avoid turning your comments into an online commercial.

7. Become an Industry Critic and Expert – Read the popular books in your market and write a review on Amazon. Use your real name, website address and affiliation. You can also become an expert in your industry by answering questions posted on such websites as LinkedIn.com. 

8. Become a Movie Producer – You can create a video about your company and products.  Then you can post the video on your website and video sites such as YouTube.com or Blip.tv.  These videos can be seen by thousands of potential customers.

9. Advertise on Search Engines – Know what search terms people are using to find products and services like yours.  Then you can go to Google.com, MSN.com or Yahoo.com and enroll in their advertising programs.  In essence, you will create ads for your company that will be displayed when people type in the keywords associated with your company.

10. Don’t be Egotistical – Potential buyers don’t specifically care about you and your products. Your customers care about themselves and solving their problems.  Be sure to craft marketing and PR articles that focus on your customer and how your products will solve their business problems.  By doing a good job solving their problems, you will attract positive attention for your company.