Motivational Magic

Stretching Your Marketing Dollars Further

Marketing can be very expensive if you are unaware of the range of low-cost marketing techniques that are available at your fingertips and telephone!

The first step in working out what's right for you is to come up with a ball park figure on how much you have to spend. It will cost you something, whether it the cost of the internet, paper, printing or phone calls, but everyday presents itself with a marketing opportunity for you. Here are my top 10 ideas:

1. Use your God given talent to speak. Everyone you meet is a potential customer. Be it friend, service provider, family member or a stranger in the queue at the local supermarket. If you can talk, you can market your business simply by sharing positive stories about how your customers have benefited from your business.

2. You have a body that goes everywhere, dress to impress and wear signage on your clothes. A simple badge with the logo of your business, or a printed T-shirt, tie or scarf, are a form of marketing that does not require any bravery on your part. You can be a human billboard and so can all of your family. Print some t-shirts for your kids, especially good looking clothing and before you know it they will have the parents of their friends wanting to use your business.

3. If you drive a car, you have another billboard for advertising your business. Simple magnetic plates to stick on the sides or back of your car are not that expensive and can be taken off so your car can be used for dual purposes. Or you can put some bumper stickers on. Not only are you advertising your business but it is tax deductible.

4. Local papers can also be a source for drawing new customers. A small ad can get them coming in the door, however, over time this can be quite expensive.

5. Fliers that you can letter box or hand out at train stations is another way of generating business. 1000 fliers may cost a few dollars but is money well spent if you are able to distribute them. Once again, if you have children, harness the energy and enthusiasm they have for your business and make distributing them a family outing.

6. Websites are only useful if you get people to look at them. You can do a very low cost website by doing most of the work yourself using a service provider who has well designed templates. For as little as $100AUD a year, you can have a website that people can log onto and verify that you are a legitimate business. Remember, the role of advertising is to let people know you are in business and what products or services you offer and the best way to contact you. Having a website does make this whole process a lot easier for those who use the technology.

7. Business cards are also handy as they help you to network. I know of at least one free online printer that will allow you to make up 500 business cards and you only pay for the postage to your home. This is an easy way to kick start your networking promotions.

8. Giving away some products is also another good way to get people to notice your business. Choose a few products, wrap them nicely then advertise the contest. One or two posters in the window of your business and people will be happy to take a look if they have a chance to win something for free. The same goes for special offers, either discounts or two-for-one sales.

9. A newsletter, distributed via the internet is another very low cost marketing tool. If you have writing skills, marketing via a newsletter is simple and effective.

10. Faxing or emailing to potential customers your price list and services, then following up with a phone call is also another way to promote a business. When I set up a home maintenance business in 2000, this is how I generated business. Within a very short time, I had our business booked out up to 3 weeks in advance simply by using this method. The same method worked when I was an Employment Consultant trying to get people work. It's magic. The phone call makes them locate the document and look at it. Even if they have discarded it, they don't want you to know that they did it, so you have them on the back foot straight away.

There are so many other ideas, like having a business launch, putting on special sessions for valued customers, sending birthday letters, distributing fridge magnets (great for business cause people need and love them), right down to standing on a busy corner wearing an A-Frame billboard.

You can do it low-cost, if you make the most of what you have!