Alissa Rothstein of Alissa Rothstein Design Studio in Woodbridge, NJ, writes:

“I am a graphic/web designer, and I’m stuck when it comes to marketing.

“I’ve tried email blasts to different industries, postcard mailings, and am a member of the Chamber of Commerce which, incidentally, had promised but never provided any leads.

“I am not really targeting small businesses because I find that they can’t or don’t want to pay for designer services and I have to fight the ‘I can do it myself’ mentality.  Or, they think that they can save money by hiring  a cheap intern or a kid out of college.  While they can do graphics, web and e-marketing activittes themselves, they just can’t do it very well and it’s a poor reflection on their company.

“Help! I need marketing and publicity ideas from your Hounds. I have Facebook, MySpace and Twitter pages, although I’m not very active.”