For starters, take a crash course in writing press releases and putting together a media kit. Numerous online articles detail press release writing — presenting something newsworthy about your business in one or two pages. Include the who, what, where, why and when of the story and select news that is of interest to your target audience.

Learn how to write a press release and avoid expensive advertising as you grow your business.

A full page ad in an industry journal can cost almost $6.000. But there is a way to use the same publications to to promote your business free of charge.

So you've decided that getting your name out there is going to be one of your major goals for the New Year. But how do you do that on a limited budget?

That's where publicity comes in. And you can do it. It just takes time - and a plan. Here are the seven basic steps to creating a plan: