I am currently teaching a marketing course at a local college. It's been so fun watching my students learn and ask questions about business. They are genuinely interested in how marketing works and want lots of real life examples. Many of my experiences come from the years I owned a construction company. I have been able to share what worked and what didn't. And I have learned once again that marketing is not cut and dry. It is ever-changing, it's not easy to measure and it can be extremely expensive.

Yet marketing is an essential part of any business. When my husband and I began our construction company ten years ago we had no marketing budget. We actually had no budget for anything. We had a few weeks of work, had mortgaged our house and were more than a little nervous about how we would make ends meet. We knew we had to market our fledgling company but there was no budget. I got creative and began a quest for low-cost, no-cost marketing techniques that would give us the visibility we needed to get off the ground.

The ideas below are all things I have tried successfully. Our company grew very quickly as the result of our marketing efforts combined with excellent business practices.

Write articles in your local paper. Local newspapers are always looking for great content. Write articles about the construction industry for the general public. Topics could include: working within a construction budget, construction financing, how to choose a contractor or tips for home maintenance. The object of these articles is to establish yourself as the construction expert in your local area - not to promote your business.

Attend local networking events regularly. I know you are busy and do not have extra time but networking is key for growing a business. Make a point to get out at a minimum of a few times a month to network. If you want more tips on how to make networking more effective visit http://www.michelleneujahr.com/newsletter/currrent-newsletter/june-2006.