On Tuesday, we started a new series of posts called Business 101, and the idea behind the series is to help with every aspect related to starting and running a successful business. We put out a call for post ideas and Nick posted up a suggestion that is probably more appropriate for Marketing 101 than it is for Business 101, though the two topics are clearly related.

In his comment, Nick writes:

I would like to see information on how to advertise your business without breaking the bank. Sure you could buy advertising, but that gets expensive. What are some good ways of getting business/clients to your business with spending nothing or very little?

Good question. One strategy that Gary Jones of BlueFur has done is to start writing guest blog posts on John Chow dot Com. The key to writing a successful guest blog post is not to use it to “sell” your business, per se, but to offer something of value to the targeted blog audience. People may develop a greater respect for you as an expert in your field, and they’ll also recognize you as an actual person and not just a business. This humanization can go a long way in the faceless world of the Internet.

For example, Gary wrote about how everything he learned in kindergarten applies to blogging. It’s a bit of quirky topic, but an entertaining one that John Chow dot Com readers surely enjoyed. As part of the guest post, Gary got to include a brief write-up on BlueFur, as well as a valuable backlink. This advertising strategy will cost you absolutely no money, but it will cost you a little bit of your time. That’s the price you pay for free publicity!