| |
| |
|
Advertising Information |
|
|
|
Save This Page Links 
allspectrum.info Link exchange submission form: Featured Site More Cheap Tricks for Promoting Your Business
In a recent article, I shared five of my top 10 favorite tricks for promoting your business without spending much (or any) money. Several readers wrote and said they enjoyed the first five tips, so I'm hoping the next five will be just as helpful. There's nothing like getting valuable exposure and new clients for your business without spending a dime (or perhaps spending just a few). Here are five more of my favorite tips for doing just that. 1. Submit an article to a business magazine or newsletter. Chances are there are lots of publications out there that are geared to your target audience. For instance, I receive numerous publications about marketing, communications, and running a business. These types of business publications are almost always looking for articles and information that will be valuable to their readers. And most of them welcome articles that are submitted by experts in the field (i.e., people like you). If you're not already, familiarize yourself with the publications that your target audience reads, such as those published by trade associations or your local business newspaper (many are found at www.bizjournals.com). Then start pitching articles - not only will you get exposure in front of those who read the publication, but you can send copies of your article to clients and prospects. (For specific tips about how to write publishable business articles, see the August 2004 issue of my newsletter, "Marketing Tips from The WriteShop." It's available at www.writeshoponline.com/newsletter_writeshop.shtml.) 2. Advertise in local, low-cost venues. If your business is local or focused in a specific community, don't waste your time and money with advertising that reaches audiences much larger than your target. For instance, advertising in a large metropolitan newspaper is unnecessary if your target audience is actually located in two or three suburbs of the metropolis. Instead, consider low-cost advertising venues, such as high school football programs, alternative newspapers or community newsletters. They'll be more tailored to your target audience and will be much easier on your budget. 3. Keep in touch with customers via e-mail. Convenient, easy and virtually fr*e, e-mail offers powerful marketing opportunities. If you don't already, start collecting customers' e-mail addresses (with their permission, of course). Sending e-mails too frequently can annoy your customers and be counterproductive, so don't take advantage of the medium - but using it wisely can be an effective, inexpensive way to keep in touch. Clients will usually be glad to hear from you, especially if you're using e-mail to send information that is valuable to them, such as announcements of special events, discount offers, helpful newsletters, or articles that interest them. 4. Network, network, network. We've all heard that it's not what you know that matters; it's who you know. Simply getting to know people is possibly the least expensive and most valuable activity you can undertake to help promote your business. If your business is local, attend networking events in your community, many of which are cheap or even fr*e. (Check your newspaper's business section for listings.) And don't be stingy with your network - when you have two acquaintances who could do business together, introduce them to each other. When you share your contacts, you simply broaden your network and others will be more likely to introduce their own contacts to you. 5. Ask for referrals. We all love to get referrals, because they often bring business - or at least interested prospects - with little, if any, effort from us. But referrals are few and far between if you simply wait around for them. Instead, those who really want to succeed in building word-of-mouth business must develop a referral system. When you've pleased a client, don't be afraid to ask for referrals. You'll get more success if you explain clearly what type of clients you're looking for. And when clients refer you to their friends or contacts, be sure to thank them appropriately. For instance, one of my clients, a carpet cleaning company, asks every customer to refer their friends and neighbors. When those friends turn out to be clients, the company sends the referrer a coupon, which is redeemable for cleaning services or cash. That way, everybody wins - the new customer, the old customer, and of course, the carpet cleaning company. Copyright 2004 Nancy Jackson About The Author Nancy Jackson of The WriteShop helps companies better market their products and services with powerful communications including newsletters, articles, Web content, brochures and custom publications. Subscribe to her free monthly newsletter at www.writeshoponline.com or e-mail info@writeshoponline.com for a free quote for marketing communications services.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How To Write More Powerful Brochures, Leaflets, And Catalogues Probably the most interesting thing about brochures and leaflets is that they're seldom read in what we've come to know as the right order - as you would read a book. Rather in the same way that many people read magazines in dentists' waiting rooms, they will flick through brochures and leaflets and stop to take a longer look at bits that grab their attention. Electronic Score Boards Wide range of electronic Key venues around the globe has turned to Electronic score boards that not only look breathtaking from every angle and distance, but provide consistently reliable performance year in and year out.Different type of sports including athletics, track cycling, running events, street cycling and mountain bike, swimming, synchronized swimming, diving as well as inline skating, water polo, ball spots, motor sports, alpine skiing, cross country and biathlon are some of the areas where Electronic score boards perfect fits solutions for. How To Get Big Sponsorship Money for Your Band, Tour, Event or Production Touring is a bands greatest opportunity for success. But, touring can be very expensive. Do Your Adverts Get You More Sales? Philadelphia retailer and US Postmaster General, John Wanamaker, once said, "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half."If you're spending $10,000 a month on advertising $5,000 is going straight down the tubes. Is Your Advertising... Sexy? Ever hear the term 'sexy' advertising? It's not necessarily what you think. Sure, some people's idea of sexy advertising is hot babes in bikinis spraying beer all over each other, but that's overtly sexual and not what we're about to discuss here. Make the Right Advertising Decisions Advertising is a powerful and somewhat frustrating marketing tool. It enables us to launch new products and services, increase sales, and increase awareness. Tips On Writing a Successful Ad When knowledge is based on truth it is powerful!When it is critical knowledge, its presence can drive our success, while its absence may contribute to our failure. I will attempt to convey in this report some useful and practical knowledge about how to write awesome ads for the World Wide Web. How to Advertise with Flyers When you first start out on your business venture, money is usually tight but you still need to advertise. One of the most affordable, yet very effective, ways to begin your advertising campaign is with flyers. If You Lost 70% of Your New Customers, Would You Notice? Buyers Don't Rely on the Yellow Pages Like They Used toCustomers' buying behavior has changed - for good. If your business depends on most categories in the Yellow Pages to attract new customers, you've probably seen a decline. Indoor LED Displays To promote the audience, staff, customers and other people the Indoor LED displays are most widely used. By incorporating the latest technology Indoor LED displays provide exceptional service for a great value. Moving Message Board Moving message boards are used in the areas where continuous announcements, or other information are need to be displayed in to either indoor or outdoor. Used most widely in churches, schools, airports, other transport stations, banks, production and administration department of organization as marquee information billboards. What To Do With Your Business Cards Without a plan to distribute your cards, there's no need to print them in the first place.Many fall into the trap of thinking all the thinking about business cards is over once the order is placed. Advertising Through Moms Moms have a very powerful influence on what their families eat, drink, wear, do, and buy. Moms are not only the driving force behind their families, but also the economy. Avoid The Big Advertising Mistakes Is your advertising copy getting the results you want? If not, look at your current marketing to see if you're making one of the major copywriting mistakes:Selling features instead of benefits. Telling your customer that your "fabulous new ALF-400 comes complete with AeroScan and BandControl technologies!" doesn't actually tell them anything. The Power of... You certainly must know that Many Big Marketers consider COPYWRITING to be the most important skill you need to be earning online.There's a lot of good copywriting around. The Seven Second Race: How to Draw Attention Your Ad You've decided to launch your advertising campaign but you have no idea what would inspire others to buy from you. Or maybe you've already run some ads to no avail. How to Get People to Read Your Ads Like CRAZY! Rule One :- The HeadlineThe headline should summarize the whole offer. It should grab the eye, and make you want to read the subheading. How to SAVE Yourself from Spending too Much Money on Advertising! How much money have you spent in Advertising, Promotion & Marketing? If you're like most people you've probably spent over $1000 or more. Many individuals and companies have spent $2000 to $50,000 in Advetising within a course of 1 Year. Advertising Agency In Boston: Tips and Tricks The big news on Wall Street last year was the initial public offering of Internet search engine Google. If you were a visitor from another planet, you might be asking yourself, What big, sophisticated, high-technology company is behind the success of Google? Could it be IBM, Microsoft, Intel, Apple, Oracle, SAP, Hewlett-Packard, Cisco, Dell, Xerox, Sun Microsystems, Philips or Siemens? Of course not. Boost Headline Believability With Specifics Don't use vague generalities in your headlines. Be as specific as possible.
|
