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As the temperature hit the 100 degree mark in Boston, I started to think about visiting my friend Faheem in Vermont. He owns the beautiful Snowdon inn in Londonderry, Vermont. He rang me the other day and we talked about his business. As a small business owner, my friend and his lovely wife manage and take pride in running the Inn and making sure guests have a wonderful time during their stay.

Like any small business owner, the challenges of running a business are never ending. His are no different: How can he bring more guests and increase revenue without spending a small fortune?

Before I pack my bags and head to Vermont, there are a couple of simple yet powerful things any business can do to bring more customers and start making money. The great thing about today’s technology is that they are easy to use and cost very little to adopt and implement.

Over the years, hundreds of guests have stayed at the Inn. Their names and email addresses are part of the record, which he can use for marketing without spending any money. Guests who have stayed earlier and have had pleasant experiences are the best ambassadors and are likely to comeback if they are prompted with nostalgia and incentives.

By harnessing the power of social media and a consistent email marketing campaign, he can get his business humming again. All he needs to do is:

1. Set up a Facebook fan page for the Inn and post all Vermont and Inn related activates. Put a Facebook link or button on the website so guests can find the fan page. Some of the guests will post photos and comments about their visit to the Inn. Now a fan club starts to flourish on Facebook. Faheem can offer coupons and other incentives to visitors, share comments, respond and exchange queries in real time. The real time interaction is one of the best ways for him to connect to customers. The social media is free and can be a very effective tool in building loyal customers for the Inn.

2. Start sending out monthly and seasonal newsletters through email to guests who have stayed at the Inn. He needs to create a mini email database and use an email service like MailChimp which offers a free plan for small email marketing programs such as his. The newsletter should talk about seasonal changes in Vermont and offers discounts and coupons with one or two recent photos.

Anyone can benefit from adopting these tools. Go ahead and build your fortune with some of the free and simple tools available on the net for your business.

Now I’m off to enjoy the clean, cool breezes of the green mountains of Vermont.

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