A couple points. The first thing is that you need a systematic approach. This means trying to orient a lot of things towards getting traction. See it as a core aspect of how you think about your business.
Blogging is a good thing. Try to get your blog syndicated. Try to make your web site useful enough that your target audience comes back for more stuff all the time (think Amazon reviews here as something which has this function).
Don't be shy about hiring a real marketing firm either. Tradeshows are good but be prepared and make sure you put in the time ahead of time to ensure your marketing material is tailored to the audience at the trade show.
Pursue PR at every opportunity. Think of PR as something that infects everything your business does. (EDIT: Tech support is PR in a different context, for example.)
Also pursue strategic partners, even if that is with the competition.
Once you have a bit of a name for yourself, start advertising.
Blogging is a good thing. Try to get your blog syndicated. Try to make your web site useful enough that your target audience comes back for more stuff all the time (think Amazon reviews here as something which has this function).
Don't be shy about hiring a real marketing firm either. Tradeshows are good but be prepared and make sure you put in the time ahead of time to ensure your marketing material is tailored to the audience at the trade show.
Pursue PR at every opportunity. Think of PR as something that infects everything your business does. (EDIT: Tech support is PR in a different context, for example.)
Also pursue strategic partners, even if that is with the competition.
Once you have a bit of a name for yourself, start advertising.
Hope this helps.