You could promote your business by making flyers with tabs and putting them on community bulletin boards. Or you could use social media outlets, like Facebook and Blogger, and gain exposure without leaving your house. Here are three ideas to get you started with having an Internet presence.

 1. Launch a Facebook fan page.
Having a presence on Facebook is important these days, no matter what your business or service is. It’s a great form of free advertising and it is interactive. If enough people “like” you, it’s also similar to having a bunch of personal cheerleaders who comment on your posts and like your pictures. A Facebook page for your business is a good place to keep former and future clients interested in what you’re doing.

2. Gain more Facebook followers.
Once you have a page, it’s important to get as many people as possible to see it. If you have a lot of Facebook friends, inviting them is a good start. It can also help to develop a personal policy to not add any friends who are business or school acquaintances, but to instead tell them to “like” your page to stay in touch. Giveaways are also a good idea. Tell your followers (or make a post elsewhere or send an email to former clients) to invite their friends and that when you get to a certain number of fans, everyone will be entered to win something. (Unless you only want extremely local fans, giving away a tangible object instead of a service is probably the best idea.)

3. Humanize yourself with a blog.
Customers like to know who you are, not just what you do. Consider starting a blog to share not only your work, but also a little about what you do when you’re not working. If you’re a photographer, an online photo journal is a great idea. It also could also show potential clients some photography of yours that you may not necessarily include on your main website.

 What do you do to promote yourself or your business on the Internet?