Did you know a 30-second spot during the 2006 Super Bowl cost a whopping $2.5 million? That's $80,000 a second!

But consider this: 90 million people tuned in to the game, and many of them did so just to watch the ads.

Why am I talking about SuperBowl advertising to small business owners and solo-professionals who are marketing on a shoestring budget?

After all, who can even begin to relate to spending that kind of money on marketing? I know I can't!

But you can learn from this marketing spectacle. Here are a few ways ...

Lesson #1: Putting "Buzz" To Work

SuperBowl advertisers are taking advantage of the environment their message is in. Buying a spot during the SuperBowl is unlike buying a spot at any other time. There's a great, big, huge spotlight shining on those ads, and that's good news for the advertisers.

Why is this important?

When you've got an event with a lot of hype, it creates an environment where people are paying attention. Getting people's attention is often a marketer's biggest challenge.

With these ads, that first hurdle is a slam dunk.

Lesson #2: Taking Advantage of Free Publicity

Everyone's talking about the game and, more specifically, the commercials. For weeks leading up to the game and for weeks after, there is press about the commercials. Just Google "SuperBowl Ads" and you'll see.

These advertisers are no dummies. All this PR provides additional exposure at no extra cost and adds mileage to their paid marketing.

Lesson #3: Using Today's Technology To Reach Customers

This year all the talk was about Burger King, who made their SuperBowl spot available for download onto Sprint cell phones.

None of this has anything to do with the quality or the cost of these spots.

It has to do with marketing strategy. And you can apply these same strategies to your marketing, regardless of your budget.

Ask yourself, how you can capitalize on buzz ... or create it. Are you launching a new program? Don't just spring it on your audience.

Tease them ...let them know it's coming soon. If you publish an ezine or newsletter, include short announcements about your upcoming new product or service weeks before you actually unveil it. Build some anticipation.

Look for ways to get publicity.

Is there an industry event you can tie in with? Is there news or a trend you can piggyback on? By tying my Marketing Makeover Program into the current "Extreme Makeover" trend I was able to get the attention of Entrepreneur Magazine (10stepmarketing is in the March 2006 issue) Look around ... what's going on that you can capitalize on?

Learn and use technology to get your message out.

I know, it's tough to keep up, but as marketers we have to. Technology is changing the way your prospects and clients get their information. If you don't stay on top of things, you may be left in the dust.

In the last 10 years we've gone from printed direct mail and newsletters, to digital ezines and email marketing, and now we're entering the world of consumer-driven media with blogs and podcasting. Ask yourself how you can deliver your marketing and services using these new mediums.

So there you have it, three ways you can use and benefit from the same marketing strategies as the big guys.

About the author:

Debbie LaChusa created The 10stepmarketing System to make marketing your own business as simple as answering 10 questions. Learn more about this unique, step-by-step system and get a free 10-week Marketing E-Course when you subscribe to the free, weekly 10stepmarketing Ezine at http://www.10stepmarketing.com