Cheap Marketing Tools

You can increase market awareness on the cheap!

It’s a pretty common misconception that marketing means you have to spend a fortune. The following are some basic marketing tools that any business can implement themselves – the bonus? Little, in some cases zero, expense...and nothing but positive results!

NEWSLETTERS – provide a reason to stay in contact with your clients (and can potentially be picked up by new ones). Show your clients you are interested in maintaining a relationship. Are a platform to procure future work by promoting various aspects of your business (you can gear clients to specific projects/products/services etc).

PRESS RELEASES – deliver appropriate media with your news. Media often run press releases as actual news stories or simply as fillers. Always provide an image – if they run it you will gain more page space. Every business has regular news or a reason to write a press release. Set up a template and you will be surprised how easy it is to implement. Not all media will run it, but everything that does get picked up is FREE.

WEBSITE UPDATES/NEWS – if you have a website make sure you use it. Your website is the perfect place to advertise and promote any items of interest. Specials, awards, new products or services, staff movement, industry information, community involvement...there is always something of interest you can promote and there is no outlay!

EMAILS – regular email contact, however brief only costs you your time. There is always a reason to contact a client, whether it’s making them personally aware of a special, or dropping them a quick hello.

DIRECT MAIL-DROPS – whether it’s a flier or a simple business card, take a few hours to do some deliveries yourself and generate some interest.

BLOGS – a great way to communicate with a wider network. Blogs are informal ‘conversations’, it’s the modern form of Friday night drinks (only it will cost you less and you won’t wake up with a headache!). Keep your topics contained to what you know and what you are passionate about and you will find keeping blogs updated a very simple process.

FACEBOOK – if you haven’t got your own Facebook page then set one up. You will be amazed who you find on Facebook and how quickly your friend list develops. Like blogs, Facebook is cyber networking, but allows you to bring in a little more of a visual element. Remember your Facebook page is NOT your webpage so make sure you keep its content less formal. And try to monitor your time, it can easily get out of hand and become a headache rather than a cost effective marketing tool.

And for those who have the gift of the gab, pick up the phone and try some old-school: TELEMARKETING - be sure to have some points you want to cover written in front of you and have some sort of an offer to promote. Be mindful of who you are contacting and what time would be suitable to contact them.

Word of mouth is still the most effective form of marketing. If you can generate interest in your business and get people talking on a regular basis you will reap the rewards.