If you’re on a tight budget and can’t afford to employ expensive marketing tactics, don’t fret. Sometimes all you really need is a good idea and a few dollars in your pocket. Some ideas to consider are listed below; if you discover one particular tactic that’s effective, use it again. Otherwise, find out what didn’t work about it, change it, and try again until it does work.
If your marketing campaign is focusing on direct mail, do something on the cover of the direct mail package to get attention. Maybe choose brightly colored stamps, or try sticking thirty-nine 1-cent stamps on it. Attention is the first goal of direct mail, interest is the second, and action is the third; anything you can do to reach the first goal increases the chances of the other two occurring. With this method you’re just thinking of different ways to do something you would have done anyway, so you won’t incur any additional expenses.
Flyers are also a good investment. Ten dollars can easily give you at least 500 printed flyers to distribute. They’re versatile in how you can use them-post them on neighborhood boards, include them with your direct mail campaign, give them to customers by hand or send them via a mailing list. Or you can give five flyers to a hundred people to increase the chances of a positive response. Make sure you’re sending the right message to folks, or they’ll get irritated at your efforts and put your business in a bad light. Many printers and other office supply companies will have specials on flyers or other forms of ad copy, so keep an eye out for them. If you can’t find any specials in your area, consider striking a deal with a printer for a joint promotion.
Consider offering an incentive, like the chance to win something-a gift card, maybe, or a meal at a local restaurant. After all, everyone likes to win things. Using an incentive might be enough for a customer to remember you when they need something you have to offer, or cause them to do business with you rather than your competitor. A gas card would also work for the same purposes, especially considering today’s gas prices. Something like a lottery ticket is also a good motivation for referrals. You could advertise a chance to win the amount of the giveaway for all referrals received during a particular period of time.
If a free incentive doesn’t work for you, try holding a contest for current and prospective customers. The contest could quite literally be anything, from a drawing to a “guess the number” challenge, and the prize is equally as flexible. It doesn’t have to cost you a lot of money, but it will get people through your doors and the higher chance of them telling others if they win.
Including candy in your invoices, even small pieces like tootsie rolls, will go a long way in making people remember you. Be sure to include two pieces, one for the person who opens the invoice, and one for them to give away (or eat and pretend they didn’t). Just make sure you don’t include candy that melts easily, or you may find your (unpaid) sticky invoice in the trash!
Along the same lines, take the time to show up at a client’s (or prospective client’s) office and offer a treat to the receptionist/staff office. A box of chocolates or a tin of cookies will often be enough. The customer will be thrilled you stopped by just to give them attention. This may not be a feasible tactic for a large number of clients, but it may be something worth considering with a smaller base of customers or a few of your key clients.
If you’re interested in the prospect of reverse psychology, consider hiring a friend, family member, or a student from the local high school or university to “protest” your business-with a sign that says something positive on it. Remember, attention is the name of the marketing game, and even something that sounds crazy is often an effective advertising tool. A student marching in front of a business with a sign that reads, “The service here is too good!” is almost guaranteed to garner attention. If you’re lucky, you might even get a television spot this way.
Lastly, when you’re on a toll road, ask the toll booth operator if you can pay the charge for the car behind you and have them give the driver your business card. This isn’t as fail-safe an idea as the others presented here, but every business owner knows that their clientele can come from the most unlikely circumstances. It’s also a relatively cheap way to get your name out there: even doing this ten or twenty times a month won’t break your budget, and probability alone dictates that at least one or two of those people will at least look into your business out of courtesy. Maybe you’ll even get that extra sale you needed.
With these low-budget tactics, you can build your profits to a level where you can increase your marketing efforts to a wider range of customers. Even starting slow, you can eventually grow your business into a successful national company. SEO Agency in San Diego USA should suit with the personality of the business firms. The range of the customers will be increased with potential marketing strategies and efforts.
