John F. Kennedy’s statement “A rising tide lifts all boats” perfectly describes the boom years of the economy. Throughout the ’00s you really didn’t have to do much to have an OK business. But what about in today’s receding tide? Fortunately the recession won’t take all boats down with it — only the leaky ones. Use attraction marketing to build your business, especially in tough times. Start with these three strategies.

#1 – Contact your customers more often.

Contact everyone on your email list once a week at least. Remember, though, it’s not only about selling. Customers find value in tips, useful information, articles etc. Sometimes business owners worry about sending too many emails – they are afraid people will leave their list. If your messages have value, people like to hear from you. Except for those who most likely would never have bought. Frequent email contact actually strengthens your attraction marketing.

If you have physical addresses, mail a postcard every 4-8 weeks. Promote a customer appreciation sale. Offer a free consultation. Send people to your website for a free special report, an article, a video of you using your product, or a tip sheet.

Post on Facebook and Twitter regularly. Aim for one Facebook post and 1 Tweet every day at the beginning. Granted, social networking can sometimes be confusing at the beginning. I recommend you create your accounts and simply observe for a while. When you do start posting, keep in mind the #1 rule of social networking: it’s not about selling something, it’s about relating to people. You’ll soon get the hang of it.

Perhaps you don’t have a mailing list. Well, start building one now. Without a list you have clipped the wings of attraction marketing. The list is perhaps the greatest asset of any small business. It is irreplaceable. Not sure how to begin? Creating articles – like the one you are reading – is a popular and effective way to start.

#2 – Be innovative with your products and services. It’s time to shake things up and look for ways to add value to your typical offerings.

Are you a coach? Add information products and teleclasses. Do you sell a product? Complement it with coaching and training support. Are you a service business, such as a hair salon or a pet-sitter? Offer something extra like a newsletter or a tip sheet. Look for small but consistent ways to stand out from the crowd. Standing out in a positive way makes your business extremely attractive to customers in any economy.

Also look for ways to leverage relationships with other business owners. In the brick-and-mortar world, complementary businesses often team up. For example, your wine shop might offer tastings with cheese and crackers from the gourmet store down the block. My life partner’s art print and poster store sells framing and has the work done by a framer in another part of town.

Online businesses can also use leverage. I created an audio set on Law of Attraction marketing from a series of interviews with other attraction marketing experts. It only took 6 interviews to create a product. Everyone who participated in the interviews promoted the product to our mailing lists. Talk about the power of leverage! Make a list of experts you could interview to create a valuable collection of interviews your customers would want to own.

#3 – Promote with personality! As a small business owner you don’t have to behave like a multinational corporation. What a relief! You can be quirky and still remain business-like. Why not let customers know that the local animal shelter is your top charity or that your favorite hobby is restoring antique furniture. Tell them that you love to take your Honda Gold Wing on weekend trips. Write about your kids, your vacation, your home town, your talking parrot.

In all of your promotions express your passion for the business you created and let people know why you’re in business. Develop a compelling story that you tell often — stories have the power to draw customers in. When times are tough, people want to do business with people they know. Express who you are.

Tips: 1) Respect the line between being open and over-revealing your personal life. 2) Stay away from political, religious or other viewpoints that might create controversy. 3) Use personality in moderation – think of it as a side dish or condiment. Keep the attention of your customers squarely on the main course: your business.

Take the next step to attraction marketing s uccesswhen you claim your free copy of Andrea Conway’s special report Secrets of Attracting Prosperityin Hard Times