sts you a lot less money, and can also be more effective. You know your business; you know your markets.

There is only one catch. Maybe two. One, to do the kind of work required -- writing and placing press releases, writing and designing ads, staging promotions, etc. -- takes time. Secondly, it takes skill. You have to know what you are doing

Do-It-Yourself. It's a concept that has been around since the Fifties, coming at the height of the post-war homebuilding boom in the U.S. Retail stores and marketing gurus convinced us that we could do our own home repairs and alterations in our homes -- as a hobby, of course -- rather than hiring expensive professionals to do the work.

So all of the DIY dads in America went to their neighborhood hardware stores and bought the necessary tools to fix the plumbing, replace the roof, put up the aluminum siding, build a patio, or just pound in a nail or two. Some of us had trouble just changing a light bulb, but we soldiered on nevertheless. We are still buying the concept -- and the tools, and the materials.

Today we live in a different world, but the Do-It-Yourself model is bigger than ever. Now it is being applied in advertising and PR. You find it used primarily among small business owners, but even companies with annual grosses in the millions are getting on the DIY bandwagon.

It's the high cost of advertising, the multiple and confusing media possibilities, and the high cost of employing an advertising or PR firm ($10K to $25K per month on average) that has driven the move to DIY.

Also, there is a steep learning curve when hiring an outside firm to understand your business and then do the job you are paying them to do. Doing your own advertising, publicity and promotion costs you a lot less money, and can also be more effective. You know your business; you know your markets.

There is only one catch. Maybe two. One, to do the kind of work required -- writing and placing press releases, writing and designing ads, staging promotions, etc. -- takes time. Secondly, it takes skill. You have to know what you are doing i

the DIY dads in America went to their neighborhood hardware stores and bought the necessary tools to fix the plumbing, replace the roof, put up the aluminum siding, build a patio, or just pound in a nail or two. Some of us had trouble just changing a light bulb, but we soldiered on nevertheless. We are still buying the concept -- and the tools, and the materials.

Today we live in a different world, but the Do-It-Yourself model is bigger than ever. Now it is being applied in advertising and PR. You find it used primarily among small business owners, but even companies with annual grosses in the millions are getting on the DIY bandwagon.

It's the high cost of advertising, the multiple and confusing media possibilities, and the high cost of employing an advertising or PR firm ($10K to $25K per month on average) that has driven the move to DIY.

Also, there is a steep learning curve when hiring an outside firm to understand your business and then do the job you are paying them to do. Doing your own advertising, publicity and promotion costs you a lot less money, and can also be more effective. You know your business; you know your markets.

There is only one catch. Maybe two. One, to do the kind of work required -- writing and placing press releases, writing and designing ads, staging promotions, etc. -- takes time. Secondly, it takes skill. You have to know what you are doing

materials.

Today we live in a different world, but the Do-It-Yourself model is bigger than ever. Now it is being applied in advertising and PR. You find it used primarily among small business owners, but even companies with annual grosses in the millions are getting on the DIY bandwagon.

It's the high cost of advertising, the multiple and confusing media possibilities, and the high cost of employing an advertising or PR firm ($10K to $25K per month on average) that has driven the move to DIY.

Also, there is a steep learning curve when hiring an outside firm to understand your business and then do the job you are paying them to do. Doing your own advertising, publicity and promotion costs you a lot less money, and can also be more effective. You know your business; you know your markets.

There is only one catch. Maybe two. One, to do the kind of work required -- writing and placing press releases, writing and designing ads, staging promotions, etc. -- takes time. Secondly, it takes skill. You have to know what you are doing

nfusing media possibilities, and the high cost of employing an advertising or PR firm ($10K to $25K per month on average) that has driven the move to DIY.

Also, there is a steep learning curve when hiring an outside firm to understand your business and then do the job you are paying them to do. Doing your own advertising, publicity and promotion costs you a lot less money, and can also be more effective. You know your business; you know your markets.

There is only one catch. Maybe two. One, to do the kind of work required -- writing and placing press releases, writing and designing ads, staging promotions, etc. -- takes time. Secondly, it takes skill. You have to know what you are doing

sts you a lot less money, and can also be more effective. You know your business; you know your markets.

There is only one catch. Maybe two. One, to do the kind of work required -- writing and placing press releases, writing and designing ads, staging promotions, etc. -- takes time. Secondly, it takes skill. You have to know what you are doing if you tackle these jobs. You may have your own learning curve, which cuts into the time you need to keep your business going and profitable.

So in a way it's a toss-up: Hire a firm (or an inside person) to do your advertising and PR, and hope they get it right; or, DIY. Fortunately, if you choose the latter path, there are many tools available to help you succeed. On the Internet, there are many firms which can supply these tools.

Look at them as guides. For a fixed fee, these Web gurus can supply you with templates, marketing tips and the basic outlines for a campaign. A press kit is an invaluable tool; all of the ingredients in template form can be sent to you via snail mail or as a pdf file.

Also, Web industry leaders like Hewlett-Packard provide free templates for many of the elements required for successful marketing campaigns. Although these marketing kits are limited in scope, they provide a springboard for great ideas.

Such things are not insider secrets. Specialty advertising, event marketing, word-of-mouth, sending out product samples -- all of these are marketing activities which the DIY-inclined entrepreneur can do without becoming a slave to his or her business. Guidance helps -- and that's where many Web firms can be called in to provide the necessary expertise.

For the last 25 years we have heard a lot about so-called guerrilla marketing and PR. Bas