Howard Greenstein is a Social Media Strategist and President of the Harbrooke Group, which specializes in helping companies communicate with their customers using the latest Web technologies.

I'd like to point out a business owner who is living much of the advice I'm writing in this column relating to sales and marketing. Tina Hill of Kidzsack is a mom-preneur and inventor, and she's using many different ways to connect with customers as well as buyers.

Previously Hill was a fashion designer, and after time out of the workforce, she was inspired to create Kidzsack because her kids needed a product like it. She also wanted an outlet for her creativity. Hill created Kidzsack, an "eco-friendly backpack and a craft project for kids."

In order to sell her product, Tina has to reach business owners and merchandisers. She's taken to doing much of her own promotion and marketing herself in different ways from online to the phone to in-person networking. Using Tina as a model, here are 5 ways (plus a bonus way) you can promote your start up business more effectively — and obtain sales in the process.

Connect online
One of Hill's key tools is LinkedIn. When she got an order from a Zoo, she went on LinkedIn and connected to the rep, and then worked creating a relationship. Recently she sent him a message, and he bought a new order of products. Hill also sells to resorts, so she joined several resort professionals discussion groups. There she found and connected to resort buyers, which directly led to sales. When DrToy.com gave Kidzsack a "Best Vacation Product Award" Hill put up a press release under the news topic in several of her groups. Buyers got right back to her. Her advice: "Use Groups and reach out to members as a way to find buyers who wouldn't know the product otherwise."

Find Writers and Bloggers interested in Your Industry
To help promote her product to end customers, Hill often reaches out directly to Bloggers who cover kid products. Hill told me "A lot of people read blogs and they shouldn’t be underestimated…one person reads it and then tells two people who then tell three... and so on." Clearly she understands the power of social sharing, and how blogs and other online platforms encourage readers to share content, which can lead to sales. Another good place to find writers? Watch the "Help a Reporter" list. I sourced this article via that list.

Pick up the phone
Tina said "Cold Calling is old fashioned but it’s still the No. 1 way I’ve been getting my sales. People still like dealing with people directly and developing a relationship on the phone and not just by e-mail. E-mail is great for follow ups but I always make an initial first call." I ran that by the "Queen of Cold Calling" Wendy Weiss and she agreed. "Cold calling works. The number one mistake that most cold callers make is to not prepare effectively for their calls. It's a myth to say that cold calling is a numbers game—it's not. Cold calling is a preparation, strategy and skills game."