One of the greatest challenges of any home based business is bringing in customers. Unlike a physical storefront, with a home based business nobody is going to just “walk by” and make a purchase. You have to be proactive. You have to get your message in front of your customers. You have to draw people in.

Method #1: Word of Mouth

This is one of the most common ways of marketing a small business. Start with your social circle and anyone your social circle knows. Deliver great quality work and let people refer other people to you.

This method works, but it’s slow. You don’t have much control over the speed at which you generate sales.

Method #2: Craigslist

For many service-based businesses, Craigslist is a fantastic tool. If you’re a photographer, graphic designer, massage therapist, guitar teacher or any other kind of freelancer, Craigslist can send you a lot of traffic.

 Method #3: Host Events

Creating events is a great way to build your brand name and build your credibility. When you create an event and put yourself in front of a room, people automatically assume that you know what you’re talking about. As your event grows, so will your influence. Clients and buyers will come to you naturally.

Method #4: Search Engine Optimization

Try to get your website(s) to rank in the search engines for specific key phrases. This takes a lot of work up front, but once you’re up in the rankings you’ll be getting tons of absolutely free traffic.

Method #5: Pay for Web Traffic

You can make a lot of money if you’re willing to spend a bit of money. Paid web traffic can be a great way to bring in more customers.

Popular avenues include Google AdWords, Facebook PPC, paid banner advertising and paid email marketing.

Method #6: Partnerships

Look for other people in your industry who would want to partner with you. For example, say you teach a real estate investing course. You might look for real estate agents, estate planners and asset managers who deal with the same client base as you.

Do joint projects, joint events, joint mailings and other such partnerships to share your customer and contact base. You all win as a result.

Method #7: Email and Newsletter Marketing

Finally, start your own newsletter. Your newsletter can be in email format or it can be an actual printed newsletter.

Newsletters allow you to build a relationship with people over time. They’ll come to trust you more and more as you consistently deliver quality content. People who would never otherwise become customers will eventually make the jump.

These are seven different ways you can grow your home based business. Customers aren’t just going to come to you – you need to go out and get them. These seven tactics can help just about any home based business expand and grow their profits.