Some of the best marketing around doesn’t come with a big price tag-- just clever thinking. Or, in the case of one Whidbey Island karate school, clever footwork.

Every year my family and I used to snag a place at the curb, plastic flags in hand, to watch the Fourth of July parade in our former hometown of Oak Harbor, Wash. We saw plenty of corny floats, earnest politicians and military color guards in this Navy town. But we also got to see smart marketing in action. The local karate school trotted out with its students kicking, jumping and bowing. And periodically, they would hold out a thick piece of wood and one brave student would cleave it in two with a bare foot. Couldn’t beat that for attention getting public relations. But then they took that piece of showmanship, ahem, a step further.

Once the wood was broken, pieces were handed out to people along the parade route. Ok, that’s an even better marketing move. But the karate school had pre-stamped the wood with their name, address, phone number and the offer of one free karate lesson. What parent was going to say no to that?

It comes down to thinking outside the marketing box—or in the case of the karate school, breaking through that box with a targeted message that’s clever, fun and more effective than all the e-newsletters, advertising copy and public relations they could have paid for.

Which brings up another point. A lot of small businesses don’t have big marketing budgets. But they still need to find a way to grow sales. Turns out, those small business marketing tips can be found online in “Marketing in a Minute.” The recently released e-book by Sharon Baerny, owner and marketing guru of our very own We Know Words marketing agency, hits virtual bookshelves as we speak. This handy marketing book gives small- to medium-size business owners practical tools they need to create buzz for their business without expensive copywriting, advertising and other traditional forms of small business marketing.

Take a peek at www.marketinginaminute.com and see for yourself why sometimes the best marketing, simply means doing things smarter. Hey, if a karate school can kick start business by splitting wood, think what you can do with one of these 104 practical marketing tips!