61 ways to engage with customers

Over the last few weeks I've been delivering seminars to SME audiences on the theme of Profiting in Recession. They are based on my original article Nine Steps to Nirvana, which you can find on this blog, or the nine key areas of business that need careful managing to build a sustainable and successful business.
One area that has generated numerous conversations at the seminars is how to reach customers without incurring too much expense. In all cases I have supplied this list to anyone who asked for it. It comes from a similar conversation I had with a number of colleagues a couple of years ago. All I have done here is put the ideas into alphabetical order. How you use them and what it costs to use them is only limited by your imagination.

Advocates, Agents, Alliances, Articles, Auto responders, Books, Branding, Buyers Guides, Blogs, Calls to action, Classified Adds, Cold Calling, Competitions, Consortia, Cross Selling, Customer Care, Customer Follow-up, Customer Surveys, Demonstrations, Direct Mail, Directories, e-books, e-shots, Elevator Pitch, e-mail marketing, e-mail signatures, e-zines, Endorsements, Exhibitions, Folders, Incentives, Industry Spokesperson, Issue Marketing, Key Messages, Leaflets, Media Interviews, Networking, Newsletters, Niche Marketing, Open Days, PDF Brochures, PR Campaign, Packaging, Postcards, Posters, Press Release, Promotional Gifts, Public Speaking, Reciprocal Links, Referrals, Sales Promotion, Search Engine Optimisation, Seminars, Special Offers, Telemarketing, Testimonials, Trialling, Twitter, Van Signs, Web Site, Word of Mouth.