Oftentimes, small business owners find themselves with an extremely small, or nonexistent, marketing budget.  What few of them know is that great marketing is not always costly.  One of the best ways to grow a business is giving the product or service away!

Yes, you read correctly.  Putting your product in the hands of connectors can be a great way to encourage a windfall of new business.  Have you opened a new online jewelry boutique?  Why not give a few of your pieces to the local fashionista who is always posing on camera?  This is an especially smart move if you know her to be someone who issues recommendations freely.  Not only will you have great publicity pictures of her wearing your pieces, but you will likely start to get calls from her friends and followers.

This same principle applies with many service-oriented businesses.  Invite connectors to take advantage of your services and, if all goes well, you will likely start to receive calls from new potential clients.  To maximize this opportunity, you should ask these new clients for referrals as well.

If you really want to take it up a notch, offer referral incentives like freebies, discounts or cash in return for referrals.