1. Get FREE advertising! Is there such a thing? Yes, it’s called PR, Public Relations. Write your local newspaper and tell them about your business. Put it in the form of a Press Release. If you don’t think your business is news-worthy, try throwing in something interesting, for example: “Our business is celebrating its one year anniversary” or “Our business is giving away 20% of the proceeds from sales on such and such day to such and such charitable organization”. You can also write to let them know of any business growth or new employees and promotions.
   
   
2. Go online without spending a dime! There are tons of ways to save money once you have a website. A) If you don’t have one already, get a website. Microsoft is offering them for free these days. B ) Submit your website to search engine directories. This way the search engines will know your website exists and people will be able to find your products/services. C) Ask other websites if they will link up to yours. The best ways to get more hits to your website is to have other sites link to yours. That way the search engines know you’re legit. D) If you want to spend a few dimes, try paid search advertising through Yahoo! or Google Adwords—it’s not that expensive and gives your site exposure.
   
   
3. Do it yourself! If you can spend 10 hours of your time and $20 on a book, that’s better than $50-60/hour for professional help, don’t you think? You can use online services that are much cheaper than hiring a professional company to do the job. For example, with VistaPrint you can design your own business cards online at a very affordable price. The Design and Print shop at Office Depot also allows you to create your own documents, upload them to their site, and have them printed and delivered without ever having to leave your computer.
   
   
4. Look for “volunteers”! Many students and professionals at an early stage in their careers want to build their portfolio. Seek them out to help with things like marketing, marketing research, advertising content, writing articles about your business, or website development. Interns are also a way to get good help at a low cost, while providing experience and mentoring to people looking to jump start their career. Check with your local colleges and universities.
   
   
5. Join a buying group! Studies show that on average small companies can cut up to 10% of their total overhead by joining buying groups. There are several types of buying groups: some can save money on insurance, marketing and advertising, utilities, and many more items. ABN provides an array of different business services that most all businesses are bound to use. While most buying groups charge small fees, ABN is completely FREE to members. See how we do it.
   
   
6. Barter with Your Neighbors! If you need a product or service, find out if the business could use your product or service in exchange. Everything is negotiable. You can also share marketing or advertising expenses by teaming up on special promotions or direct mail campaigns.
   
   
7. Shop Online! Save gas, time and money by shopping online. Office Depot offers free shipping on orders over $50. You can also ship online, too. UPS makes it simple for you to schedule pickups and print shipping labels. Set up an account with UPS and save through ABN.
   
   
8. Reach out to past customers and clients! No matter how much new business you generate, your best customers are the ones that come back. Make sure you don’t forget them, or they will forget you! Read about how ABN President Jack Bergman markets to his members in a recent issue of the Business Times.
   
   
9. Buy in Bulk! Prices are always lower when you buy in bulk. Whether it’s job applications, letterhead, or promotional products, the more you buy, the more you save. Be careful to not buy more than you’ll use! 4imprint offers ABN members a 10% discount when buying promotional items—get pens, t-shirts, key chains and so much more at 4imprint and increase awareness about your products and services.
   
   
10. Use Coupons and Discount Codes! Search for discounts on the internet BEFORE you make a purchase. You’d be surprised at the amount of discount codes out there for everyday business expenses: car rentals, hotels, entertainment, cellular phones, flowers, office furniture and supplies, printing, business forms, online courses, software, computer software, promotional items, and just about anything you can think of. Try it: go to www.google.com and type 4imprint Discount Codes.