When you’re a one-person show, it’s easy to focus on the product or service your business provides and overlook some areas that may seem less important – such as marketing.

But marketing is a key way to grow your business, increasing your sales and income so that your single-employee company can grow and you can hire some help. When resources are tight, business owners need marketing tactics that provide the biggest bang for their buck.

Here are three ways sole proprietors can get the most for their marketing dollars:

Build more business from current customers

Turn current customers into co-marketers. Reward word-of-mouth references when a current customer or client recommends you to a new customer who goes on to spend money with you. The reward could be a token gift, a discount or even just a simple thank you note – you’ll be amazed at the power of gratitude.

Never let a customer leave your store or receive a purchase from you without taking your company logo and information with it. For example, place your logo, address and phone number on custom bags. Many people reuse quality bags, so your logo on a bag not only reminds a current customer of your business, it could also catch the attention of potential customers.

Get on the Web

A website is as much a must-have of business in the 21st century as business cards were in the 20th. But an amateurish, unfriendly website can actually hinder your business progress, rather than help it. Few entrepreneurs are techno-savvy enough – or have sufficient time – to create a top-quality, user-friendly website.

Turning to an outside company to build a website for your business can make sense without costing a bundle. A simple online search will yield thousands of companies to consider, so you might want to narrow your choices by looking at what companies specialize or have experience in building sites for your industry.

Communicate

In the old days, businesses might send out a holiday newsletter once a year through the postal service. Today, increasingly techno-savvy consumers want more contact and information from the businesses they frequent.

A monthly e-mail newsletter can be a great way to keep your business front-of-mind for current customers and expand its reach to new clientele. Load your newsletter with information on sales, deals, new products or services, new developments in your business progress, and exclusive offers that reward current customers for their business and encourage them to forward your newsletter to others. If you’re not sure how to get started, online services, such as Easy Contact by Deluxe, can help you organize information, create your newsletter and distribute it.