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We had a rather successful Ask YC on this several days ago - see http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=341138

It did focus mostly on online PR, however, so perhaps others could provide deeper coverage on this question on areas I know of but have not tried (or no longer use). For example:

- trade shows

- schwag

- guerrilla marketing

- speaking at events (supposedly can work wonders if you do it right)

- publicity stunts (think Richard Branson)

- becoming a press contact who's quoted a lot

- producing an event for your industry / sector yourself (worked wonders for Carsonified!)

- presenting your product in a remarkable way (think of how Google presented Chrome with the comicbook approach - get inspired by Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud - http://www.scottmccloud.com/ - or see http://xplane.com/ for a more corporate look)

- paying for word of mouth (risky)

- on the street promotion (booths, etc)

- leveraging networks like LinkedIn

- sponsorships

- cross promotions

- affiliate marketing

- e-mail list marketing (not spam)

- lead development and phone calls (surprisingly effective in many areas, though I don't do it as it's not relevant to my sector)

- writing a book on your topic (works better if you're a consultant OR you're happy to be the "face" of your product)

- social objects (look at Hugh MacLeod's career as of the last 3 years)

- be interviewed

- do your own interviews of people in your industry for your company's blog (see FiveRuns' blog for this in action - it's been very successful)

In terms of books, some personal recommendations (as in, I've read them and they rock):

- Dirty Little Secrets of Buzz by David Seaman (this is like dynamite)

- Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite by Paul Arden

- Any of the "Guerrilla Marketing" books by Jay Conrad Levinson

- Ready, Fire, Aim by Michael Masterson.



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