Want to grow your business? Here are five marketing ideas to build your business.

1. Mail it! Not only is the power of direct mail stronger than ever, but it gets around many of the downsides of electronic marketing. It doesn’t require opt-in. It doesn’t get caught by spam filters. It doesn’t get automatically directed into folders with other marketing emails where it will never be seen.
2. Offer a webinar. Be the expert in your subject area by offering webinars. Be the one your customers trust. If you don’t feel qualified, don’t worry. As long as you know more about the subject than your attendees, you have something to offer. Even a 30-second webinar will do the trick.

3. Write a letter. How many people take the time to write letters anymore? Talk to your customers as you would to a friend. No sales talk! Brag about recent success stories. Talk about your company’s community and charitable involvement. Offer ideas that are relevant to them. You don’t see this often, and it’s one reason you should do it.
4. Let the sidewalk do the talking. It’s easy to focus on broadening your reach through direct mail and email and forget about the power of reaching people right in front of you. If you have a storefront, use sidewalk displays, window clings, banners, and other forms of advertising to reach the people walking right by your door.

5. Host an event. Like webinars, in-house events set you up as a thought leader. Offer an educational seminar. Give a behind-the-scenes tour. Bring in an expert speaker. Attendees will remember you, and if they like you, so much the better. People want to do business with people they like.

These are five different channels, each offering something unique to help you build your business. The more ways you can interact with your target audience, the more engaged your customers will be. So pick a channel and use it – or better yet, use them all.