Your small business marketing channels can help you launch your entrepreneurial vision to success, and it's likely that you'll use the power of word of mouth marketing to make it happen. WOM is the ‘old-fashioned' way of spreading information about your business; it's the offline version of a viral marketing campaign, and is often the backbone of many service and retail industries in operation today.

If your business needs to create customers fast, a referral program is a great way to get people interested and most of all, coming back for a second helping! Here are some easy ways to make word of mouth marketing work for your small business:

1. Introduce yourself to the neighbors. Whether you're selling a product or a service, someone right under your nose will likely benefit from it. You can easily leave your business card with neighbors in your office area, or just next to your home office. Another great way to introduce yourself is to insert a business card inside a note or greeting card that simply says ‘hello.' This can be as friendly or formal as you like, but remember that you are creating your first impression.

2. List yourself! Any community directories, publications, and newsletters that you can list your business and contact info are great ways to get involved in the neighborhood. If you provide a service, consider approaching other businesses in your industry and joining any newsletters they're already distributing. Your community newspaper may also publish a ‘Who's Who' section each month; find out how to highlight your business there, and you can generate some interest easily and efficiently.

3. Post a profile on Daylo.com. Even though this isn't direct WOM marketing, you can create a profile that helps establish your online presence and people can start linking up and reading more about you.

4. Network and join local affiliations. Branch out to the Chamber of Commerce, socializing events in your industry, and business card exchanges. These are great ways to meet new people and leaders in your fields, and also establish your presence locally. Don't invest too much time in paid networking organizations if you're on a tight budget; these are often considered ‘closed networking' circles, and aren't necessarily an avenue of opportunity for every type of business.

5. Contact your social network. If you are friends with many other business owners, consider joint-venture marketing campaigns where both businesses could benefit from. This is especially helpful when you are considering a targeted marketing campaign, and know a business who already may have a list of your target group.

6. Consider online directory listings. Some phonebooks and directory listings will include a paper listing, but others won't. You'll want to be sure to submit your domain name and business addresses to sites such as InfoSpace, Switchboard, and SmartPages.com. This can also boost your search engine rankings because of the links attached to your domain.

7. Partner up with Google Local or Yahoo! Local. Both of these search engines offer some great opportunities for local, targeted directory listings that can be customized for your demographic regions by zip code.

These are just seven ways to promote your small business through word of mouth marketing; creativity and a little socializing can help boost your business into new customer channels, and once you have a steady stream of customers, introducing a referral program is a great way to take it to the next level!