1. Official Santa Monica Website – www.santamonica.com:  https://www.santamonica.com/partners/promote-your-business/
If you have a tourism-serving business and a Santa Monica city business license you can receive a free dedicated business page on SantaMonica.com.

Each season, they publish a specials page featuring special offers and events relative to that season (spring, summer, fall, winter) for visitors and locals to enjoy. If you submit a special you’ll receive a free listing on that page, which in turn is promoted via social media and e-news communications.

They also have an Events Calendar
which is one of the most visited pages on their website. If you’re holding an event submit it for inclusion on the Calendar.

To inquire about advertising opportunities in the Santa Monica Official Visitors Guide, Official Visitors Map, on SantaMonica.com and other direct-to-visitor opportunities, contact marketing@santamonica.com.

2. Join networking events – like Biz at Sunset and Breakfast and Speed Networking http://smchamber.com/ you do not have to be a member to join the events.

3. Buy Local Santa Monica
All Santa Monica businesses are eligible to participate but priority will be given to locally owned, independent businesses. Fill out the Buy Local Santa Monica Business Sign Up form to join the campaign. Eligible businesses will receive a Buy Local Santa Monica window decal, marketing and promotional assistance, members-only discounted advertising rates, event discounts and exhibitor opportunities, listing in our Buy Local Santa Monica business directory, networking opportunities, and the opportunity to actively participate in this exciting campaign. It’s FREE to join!

4. Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce Non-Profit Guide
If your organization is a current member of the Chamber and a nonprofit organization you can be listed in their guide.

5. Advertise in Santa Monica Daily Press
Santa Monica’s leading source of news and information. Advertising your business in their daily publication gets your business 81,500 impressions per week in Santa Monica.

6. Advertising in the Santa Monica Mirror
A Top 50,000 U.S. website with an average of 85,000 visitors a month.

7. SEM (Search Engine Marketing)
Basically it’s paying for ads on the search engines (Google, Yahoo and Bing) they can be expensive if your are in a very competitive field . Advertise on Google, Advertise on Bing.

8. Yelp
Make sure that you’ve claimed you business listing on Yelp. Many local businesses have a lot of success when they advertise on Yelp, because people research before they buy or hire your business, and Yelp is where they do that, so your ads have a captive audience.

9. Take advantage of social media

Set up a business page and post regularly on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter – it’s FREE! You can also pay for  Facebook ads.

10. Get other websites in your niche and/or location to link to you
You should aim to get backlinks from websites within your niche for maximum effect. Links can be acquired through ads, guest blogging, article directories, press releases, online networking, or bookmarks on social media websites.

Got big bucks?

11. PLANES: Go large and hire an airplane to trail a huge banner along Santa Monica beach.

12. BIKES: Put your brand name on smart bikes like HULU does in Santa Monica and Venice. You know you’ve seen those green bikes all over town, the bike sharing program is actually called the Breeze Bike Share, but no one is aware of that, we only know the sponsors name – Hulu.

13. CARS: Mobile billboards on WaiveCar –  people get to ride the cars for free in Santa Monica and Venice by driving around the neighborhood they act as a mobile billboard.

14. BUSES: Big Blue Bus advertising messaging will be showcased on both the Big Blue Bus and the Culver CityBus (CCB) fleet circulating through a service area that is over 75 square miles. You ad will be seen around job hubs (Downtown Santa Monica, Los Angeles, and Culver City; the Santa Monica Water Garden & Colorado Center; Westwood; Playa Vista; three major hospitals, Century City); Colleges (UCLA, Santa Monica College, West LA College, Loyola Marymount University, and LA Trade Tech College); Shopping Centers (Santa Monica Place, the Third Street Promenade, Westfield Century City, Westside Pavilion, Westfield Culver City, 7th & Figueroa); Beaches (Santa Monica, Venice and Marina Del Rey); Exclusive Westside communities (Pacific Palisades, Rancho Park, Beverly Hills, Playa Vista and more).