Low cost and promotion of marketing ideas

Promotion and advertising can be a heavy burden, especially for a company that wants to make itself known in a community. A home-based business, however, in most cases, has a very limited budget when it comes to advertising. The owner of the host company must make the public aware of its product or service at the lowest possible cost. There are many ways. A breeder of five in a big city struggled for several years, until he came up with a new idea. He began to distribute solutions “birth certificates” for pets sold. Almost immediately, its sales grew by more than 10 percent.

The new owner of a cleaning service at home try to attract customers. She could not afford much advertising, it began offering seminars “cleaning house” for civic groups. After two months of seminars, it has been flooded with enquiries and clients.

Promotion often makes the crucial difference between success and failure of firms. Clients or customers need to know about a company or product line before they will buy, and they must have a reason to buy.

If you try to promote your company today, you can move in one of two directions:

1) You can take the traditional route of promotion and mount a media campaign elaborate, spend a considerable amount of money or..

2) You can let your creative juices flow and mount an inexpensive promotional effort, using a potpourri to get the attention of gimmicks to bring your message to the buying public.

Now, of course, traditional advertising is precious. If your company is big enough, or if you sell several product lines, you may find that a real media campaign is the most efficient and cost effective way of promoting your business.

If money is tight, however, or if you are unsure, you can amortize the high cost of a media campaign over a period of time, here’s an assortment of low-cost technologies, you can try. Not all may be appropriate for your business, and certainly it would be costly to try them all. But you are sure to find some ideas that will work for you.

GIVEAWAYS. People like to receive “free” items, in particular those items they can use to acquire knowledge and improve their lives. You can base an entire campaign on this desire. If you use a repair furniture, for example, might give you a brochure repair furniture, furnishings planning free guides, or color samples. Once you begin to distribute reliable information customers will begin to perceive you as an expert in your field.

NEW CREATION. Want to get names and news about your company in the local newspaper? It may be easier than you think. If you have no news to report in the local press, create some. Maybe you took a new partner. Or perhaps you are selling a unique product line. Or perhaps you opened a centre for free advice for the community. Or maybe you received an award from a civic or professional group. Pennysavers and weekly local newspapers are often very interested in commercial information of this kind and can help draw the attention of thousands of people.

EVENTS. You may be able to attract media attention or a crowd by staging a special promotional event. If you run a fitness classes, for example, you could organize a celebrity instructor. If you are promoting a new real estate business, you can offer a model home visits in the region. If you sell products of the child and it is spring, you can offer lunch with the Easter rabbit. Get the idea?

CHARITY TIE-INS. Are you launching a new product? Trying to increase their visibility among a particular segment of your community? Give your products to one or more local charities as a raffle prize or for use at a fundraising event. You will receive a lot of exposure among people who buy tickets or attend the event.

COMPETITION. Offer a single point or desirable-or even several points, as competition. First, find a theme that challenge levels in your company. A caterer could provide a quiche-eating contest. A photographer could offer a young model contest. A mail-order company craft could offer an “Early American” contest of handicrafts. Invite Bids and competitions offer prizes to the winners. Do contests draw attention? You bet. Just a few signs, a small press announcement or two, and the word will spread in the community grapevine.

COMMUNITY SERVICE. Nothing brings you to the attention of people faster or more favourably than community service. Ask yourself how your business can be a “good neighbour” to your community. If you are caring for a lawn care and gardening, you may be able to offer a season on a pro bono services to a charitable organization or needy nursing home in your area. Hundreds of people will hear of your work in the process. A volunteer for various community causes. If necessary, you can step in the community during emergencies, providing products and services to help an organization or individuals in need.

COUPONING. The Americans are well aware of coupon. Testing the market: at what level the coupons increase the volume of different product lines or services? When you get a few tentative answers, the distribution of coupons start offering a discount on your services. Deliver them to area newspapers, shop counters, door-to-door-mail packages (which can often be very cheap), the public library, laundries, anywhere where people congregate.

Badges and novelties. You can easily and inexpensively produce badges, stickers bumper, book covers, and other novelty items for distribution in your area. You can mark your company name and the names of his clients on a wide range of these products at low cost and distribute them free of charge. Or you can link your program in the novelty, a competition once a month, you can offer a prize to anyone whose car happens to one of your bumper stickers or badges with peel-off coupons, redeemable at your place of business.

CELEBRITY VISITS. With a little perseverance, you may be able to arrange for local media have a celebrity, public servant, entertainment or personally own a fictional cartoons or clown-visit your service. The celebrity can sign autographs, reading to children, conducting cooking demonstrations, or any of the movement a hundred other building activities.

CELEBRATE HOLIDAYS. You will probably want to celebrate with major holidays special sales. But some celebrate holidays shifted too. Almost every company has a few little-known holiday. Never heard of the National Pickle Day, for example? Or Cat Lovers months? Once you find the “right” holiday, you can sponsor a special sale or special products organize special media coverage of an event of holidays.

Go where people are. Can you open sale information booths at community fairs and festivals? This technique can work promotional gift for retailers, artisans, service companies and personnel. If you have the people and time, are you ready fairs or even regional markets?

MAILING LISTS. Once you start to establish a committed customer base, to collect their names on a mailing list. Save your names on mail and telephone. Finally, you will be able to send circulars product catalogues or even for the people on your list and you will be able to promise merchandise by mail.

SCAVENGER HUNTS. If you want people to buy NOW, they offer an excellent deal. If they bring an old product, a small device, a book, anything for you, you will give them a rebate on a comparable new item. Or organize a treasure hunt for general use. Customers who bring in three canned for your community food bank will receive a discount on products purchased in the day.

PARTIES. Everyone loves a party. Why not celebrate the anniversary of your company or a special celebration by offering baked goods and beverages? If you manage a service business, maybe you can offer an open house or get a small banquet room in your community. In addition to the refreshments, make sure the area is well furnished.

GREETING CARDS. Do you send greeting cards to major customers or clients? Holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, and make nice greeting card occasions. Greeting cards goodwill and create enormous keep your name in front of people.

SEMINARS. In this era of information hungry, people like to receive advice, particularly with regard to their personal needs and recreation. If you sell health foods or run fitness classes, you may be able to offer wellness seminars during the lunch hour to your area in the business community. If you are an interior designer, perhaps you can offer one hour of decorating workshops for a group of ten people who will gather in someone’s home. If you run a printing plant, you may be able to offer tours and presenting seminars to your plant.

If you are not satisfied with your promotional efforts today, or simply if you should increase your visibility with customers and prospects, it is probably time to increase your advertising efforts.

By all means, publicity in the media if you can or should. But do not neglect your greatest asset-your promotional spirit. Meditating on products, services and events that you can give to the community and to develop a strategy to promote creative around them. You will need to invest some time and energy in the draft, but the gains will be worth it. You will save hundreds or even thousands of dollars on advertising and, better still, you can travel well-worn shortcut to profit.