Marketing your business should be an exciting and creative endeavor, not a frustrating and expensive one. With the right strategies and a bit of planning, you can achieve remarkable results without breaking the bank. I’ve spent years developing low-cost and no-cost marketing strategies that have consistently delivered impressive returns for businesses, products, and services.
Here are a few examples of the success realized with these strategies:
* Pre-sold over $8,000 worth of books before publication.
* Registered over 250 attendees for a seminar in under two weeks with a promotion budget of less than $25.
* Helped a company generate over $180,000 in consulting fees at a career expo.
* Enabled a speaker to sell over $23,000 in products at the back of a two-hour seminar.
These results aren’t meant to impress, but rather to illustrate the power of implementing the right marketing systems tailored to your specific market. Successful marketing hinges on well-defined systems. By implementing the seven strategies outlined below you are sure to drastically increase visibility, leads, and sales.
1. Leverage Business Cards: Business cards are a powerful tool, often underestimated. Maximize their potential by utilizing both sides. Depending on your target audience, include valuable information like sports schedules, emergency numbers, or important dates.
* Carry your cards everywhere – in your wallet, car, desk, and home – and be ready to distribute them whenever an opportunity arises.
* Distribute them creatively: Leave one with the tip at restaurants or use one as a bookmark in library books.
* When you receive a business card, promptly enter the contact’s information into your database and send a personalized note or email within 48 hours to keep your name top-of-mind.
2. Send a Picture: A personalized photo can create a lasting impression.
* For auto dealerships, create a calendar featuring a picture of a buyer with their new car. Proud owners are likely to display it throughout the year.
* Specialty gift shops can take a photo of customers with the shop owner after a significant purchase, frame it, and send it to them.
* Dentists specializing in smile makeovers can arrange a professional photoshoot to capture the patient’s new smile. Patients will be eager to share their transformation with others.
3. Join Relevant Associations: Industry-specific associations offer valuable marketing resources and networking opportunities. A quick online search will reveal the associations relevant to your industry.
* Take advantage of networking opportunities and presentation slots. Presentations often lead to mentions in the association’s newsletter, e-zine, or website.
* Offer to write a press release or article for the association’s publications to gain pre-presentation visibility, establish yourself as an expert, and enhance your credibility.
Most associations provide the following marketing benefits:
* Newsletters
* Internet listings
* Website links
* Discounted advertising rates
* Networking events
* Business referral services
* Special recognition events
* Educational seminars
* Business and membership directories
4. Get Involved in Committees: Committee involvement allows you to contribute to your association or community while increasing your visibility.
* Consider joining committees outside your area of expertise to broaden your network and gain new perspectives.
5. Host Contests and Drawings: Contests are a great way to build your database, especially for businesses with high foot traffic.
* Use contests to generate leads from existing customers. The key is to implement back-end marketing to nurture those leads.
* Advertise contests to attract new customers. Trade shows are excellent venues for hosting contests. Use pre-show marketing to drive traffic to your booth.
* Creative contests can generate free publicity.
6. Cross-Promote with Complementary Businesses: Partner with businesses that offer complementary products or services to expand your reach.
* For example, a massage business can partner with a candle company to sell candles to clients, while the candle company offers coupons for massages.
* Cross-promotion reduces marketing costs and allows each business to use promotional techniques that might be too expensive alone.
7. Offer Bonuses: Secure special offers from other businesses targeting a similar market.
* When a customer makes a minimum purchase, offer a bonus packet containing offers from the partnering vendors.
* This creates a win-win situation: vendors gain visibility, you offer added value to your customers, and customers receive valuable discounts.
Be sure to carefully choose your cross-promotion and joint venture partners, ensuring they are equally committed to the success of the campaign.