What is a cheap but effective way to promote my business?

I teach guitar and I need to get my name out there. So far I've done:

flyers
craigslist
Sandwich boards
Youtube
Website
Referrals

So far i've gotten next to nowhere...
any other ideas? I'm hoping for ideas that cost less than $25 and last a while, and prefer they don't take a huge amount of time (like passing out flyers.) Yes, its a tall order but I know you can do it!

Hi Bryan,
I'm a guitar teacher and have gone through all those methods and move over the years. I'll share with you what I believe are the most effective methods to get your name out there and what methods aren't worth your time or money.
First, the methods I would avoid - flyers, sandwich boards, newspaper ads, paid ads on any website. These methods aren't worthwhile because they don't reach enough qualified people. You want to target people who want to learn guitar - so you need to really think of ways to target those specific people.

My biggest source of students is my website by far. Every week I receive emails from people wanting to book in lessons. It didn't start this way - it took some time for people to find the site. I see you listed website as one of the methods you've tried but how long have you been promoting it?

A quick and free way to attract students is to list on guitar teacher directories (I've mentioned a couple in the source section). Don't bother with the 'premium' listings as students will find you without it.

Here's a quick test to find out how easy it is for people to find you. Go to Google and search for "guitar lessons in [your town name]". Does your website show on the first page of results? The second? At all? If you can get your website on the first page then you will get constant contact from new students.
If you spend some time promoting your website (please don't fall for the 'pay $5 for 1000 links' rubbish) then you will find people will start to find your website and contact you.

Check out the links to resources for more help.
Good luck! Feel free to message me if you need more advice

Source(s):

www.liveteachguitar.com/ - provides guitar teachers with teaching resources including marketing guides and advice (they can help you set up a strategy to attract new students)

Guitar teacher directories
www.findaguitarteacher.com/
findguitarteachers.com/