Creative Marketing on a Shoestring
Influence the Influencers
Say you're a photographer who specializes in wedding
pictures. If you can get just one bridal store to recommend you to
its customers, you've done the equivalent of advertising
yourself to the dozens or hundreds of people who shop there every
week. Make it convenient for your host store to recommend you to its
customers. Run off simple, persuasive leaflets that describe your
service, a big glossy photograph of your product for permanent
display (alongside business cards for people to take away), or
coupons that offer special discounts. Then start approaching local
businesses whose clientele might also be interested in what you
sell. "Would You Like Fries
With That?"
This simple question rakes in so much extra profit for
McDonald's, employees probably have it sewn into their shirt
collars. There's a lesson in this for you: Don't be so
focused on getting new business that you neglect your most
promising and potentially profitable market—your past and
current customers. Content Continues Below
After a sale, always offer clients companion products or
additional services at a discount—if they buy now. If your
business has built-in repeat potential (pet grooming, accounting or
carpet cleaning, to name a few), drop a regular postcard or phone
call to solicit another appointment with past customers.
There's a good chance that they'll become regulars who then
recommend you to people they know. Even if your business offers a one-time service, ask your
clients' permission to retain contact with them. Then send them
an e-mail announcing a new and improved product, a holiday special
or a discount for anyone they refer to you. Think how much more
successful this would be than to start over with folks who've
never even heard of you. | | NEXT STEP
Searching for some more creative marketing
ideas? Search no more: - Small Business
Now: a large site devoted to marketing, with free quizzes,
a collection of more than 50 articles, numerous links and
more
- BusinessTown.Com: a large index of business
articles, with separate sections for marketing and
advertising
- "Stand-by space": If you
think newspaper ads could work for you but you can't afford the
rates, ask your paper if it will hold your ad until they have
unsold space left. This usually gets you a discount of two-thirds
or more.
- E-mail marketing programs: If you
like the direct-mail approach but can't afford the postage and
printing costs, consider e-mail marketing. Entrepreneur.com's
SmallBizMailer
tool will help you put together an e-mail marketing campaign
starting at $12.95 a month for 5,000 e-mail messages.
- Niche newsletters: The circulation
might be small, but if you pick a niche that fits your business,
you'll pull lots of leads for ads that cost a tiny fraction of
what a general publication charges.
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Isabella Trebond is
a freelance copywriter and entrepreneur who specializes in
small-business promotion and image consulting. She enjoys running
advertising response studies in her spare time and uses the results
to craft sales letters that get measurable results. She also has a
couture business that she started with a $10 outlay for
marketing.
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