Promotion And Advertising Can Be A Heavy Expense, Especially Fora New Business That Wants To Make Itself Known In A Community. Ahome-based Business, However, More Often Than Not, Has A Verylimited Budget When It Comes To Advertising. The Home Businessowner Needs To Make The Public Aware Of His Or Her Product Orservice At The Lowest Possible Cost.There Are Many Ways. A Pet Breeder In A Large City Was Strugglingfor Several Years-until He Came Up With A Novel Idea. He Startedgiving Away Customized "birth Certificates" For The Pets He Sold.Almost Immediately, His Sales Rose More Than 10 Percent.The Owner Of A New Home Cleaning Service Was Trying To Attractclients. She Couldn't Afford Much Advertising, So She Beganoffering "home Cleaning Seminars" To Civic Groups. After Twomonths Of Seminars, She Was Swamped With Inquiries And Clients.Promotion Often Makes The Crucial Difference Between Businesssuccess And Failure. Customers Or Clients Must Know About Abusiness Or Product Line Before They'll Buy And They Must Have Areason To Buy.If You Are Trying To Promote Your Business Now, You Can Move Inone Of Two Directions: 1) You Can Take The Conventional Route Topromotion And Mount An Elaborate Media Campaign, Spending Aconsiderable Amount Of Money Or 2) You Can Let Your Creative Juicesflow And Mount A Low-cost Promotion Effort, Using A Potpourri Ofattention-getting Gimmicks To Bring Your Message To The Buyingpublic.Now, To Be Sure, Conventional Advertising Is Valuable. If Yourenterprise Is Large Enough Or If You're Selling Numerous Productlines, You May Find That A Full-fledged Media Campaign Is Themost Efficient And Cost Effective Way To Promote Your Business.If Money Is Tight, However, Or You're Not Sure You Can Amortizethe Heavy Cost Of A Media Campaign Over A Period Of Time, Thefollowing Is A Assortment Of Low-cost Techniques You Can Try. Notall May Be Appropriate For Your Particular Business, Andcertainly It Would Be Costly To Try Them All. But You're Sure Tofind Some Ideas That Will Work For You.GIVEAWAYS. People Love To Receive "free" Items, Especially Itemsthey Can Use To Gain Knowledge Or Improve Their Lives. You Canbase An Entire Promotional Campaign On This Desire. If You'rerunning A Furniture Repair Business, For Instance, You Could Giveaway A Furniture Repair Brochure, Free Furniture Planning Guides,or Color Swatches. Once You Begin Giving Away Authoritativeinformation Customers Will Begin To Perceive You As An Expert Inyour Field.NEWS CREATION. Want To Get Names And News From Your Business Inthe Local Newspaper? It May Be Easier That You Think. If Youdon't Have Any News To Report To The Local Media, Create Some.Maybe You've Taken On A New Associate. Or Maybe You're Selling Anunusual Product Line. Or Maybe You've Opened A Free Advice Centerfor The Community. Or Maybe You've Received An Award From A Civicor Professional Group. Local Pennysavers And Weekly Are Oftenquite Interested In Business News Of This Sort And Can Help Youattract The Attention Of Thousands Of People.EVENTS. You May Be Able To Attract The Attention Of The Media Ora Crowd By Staging A Special Promotional Event. If You Run Afitness Classes, For Instance, You Could Stage A Celebrityinstructor Day. If You're Promoting A New Real Estate Business,you Can Offer Tours Of A Model Home In The Area. If You'reselling Children's Products And It's Springtime, You Can Offerlunch With The Easter Bunny. Get The Idea?CHARITY TIE-INS. Are You Launching A New Product? Trying Toincrease Visibility Among A Particular Segment Of Your Community?Offer Your Product To One Or More Local Charities As A Raffleprize Or For Use At A Fund Raising Event. You'll Receive Lots Ofexposure Among People Who Buy Tickets Or Attend The Event.CONTESTS. Offer A Desirable Or Unique Item-or Even Severalitems-as Contest Prizes. First, Find A Contest Theme That Tiersinto Your Business. A Caterer Might Offer A Quiche-eatingcontest. A Photographer Might Offer A Young Model Contest. A Mailorder Craft Firm Might Offer An "Early American" Handicraftscontest. Invite Contest Submissions And Offer Prizes To Thewinners. Do Contests Attract Attention? You Bet. All It Takes Isa Few Signs, A Small Press Announcement Or Two, And The Word Willspread Throughout The Community Grapevine.COMMUNITY SERVICE. Nothing Brings You To The Attention Of Thepeople Faster-or More Favorably-than Community Service. Askyourself How Your Enterprise Can Be A "good Neighbor" To Yourcommunity. If You're Running A Lawn Care And Gardening Service,perhaps You Can Offer One Season's Services At No Charge To Aneedy Charitable Organization Or Nursing Home In Your Area.Hundreds Of People Will Hear About Your Work In The Process.Volunteer For Various Community Causes. If Appropriate, You Canstep In During Community Emergency, Offering Products Andservices To Help An Organization Or Individuals In Need.COUPONING. Americans Are Very Coupon-conscious. Test The Market:at What Level Will Coupons Increase The Volume Of Various Productor Service Lines? When You Get Some Tentative Answers, Startdistributing Coupons That Offer A Discount On Your Services.Distribute Them To Area Newspapers, On Store Counters, Indoor-to-door- Mail Packets (which Can Often Be Quiteinexpensive), At The Public Library, At Laundromats, At Anylocation Where People Congregate.BADGES AND NOVELTIES. You Can Easily And Inexpensively Producebadges, Bumper Stickers, Book Covers, And Other Novelty Itemsfor Distribution In Your Area. You Can Imprint Your Business Nameand The First Names Of The Customers On Many Of These Products Atlittle Cost And Distribute Them For Free. Or You Can Tie Yournovelty Program Into A Contest: Once A Month, You Can Offer Aprize To Any Individual Whose Car Happens To Carry One Of Yourbumper Stickers Or Badges With Peel-off Coupons, Redeemable Atyour Place Of Business.CELEBRITY VISITS. With A Bit Of Persistence, You May Be Able Toarrange To Have A Local Media Celebrity, Public Official, Orentertainment Personally-even A Fictitious Cartoon Character Orclown-visit Your Service. The Celebrity Can Sign Autographs, Readstories To Children, Perform Cooking Demonstrations, Or Performany One Of A Hundred Other Traffic-building Activities.CELEBRATE HOLIDAYS. You'll Probably Want To Celebrate Majorpublic Holidays With Special Sales. But Celebrate Some Of Theoffbeat Holidays As Well. Almost Every Business Has A Fewlittle-known Holidays. Ever Hear Of National Pickle Day, Forinstance? Or Cat Lovers Month? Once You Find The "right" Holiday,you Can Sponsor A Special Sale Or Special Product Arrange Specialmedia Coverage Of A Holiday Event.GO WHERE THE PEOPLE ARE. Can You Open Sales Information Booths Atcommunity Fairs And Festivals? This Promotional Technique Canwork For Gift Retailers, Craftspeople, And Personal Servicefirms. If You Have The People And The Time, Can You Handleregional Fairs Or Even Trade Shows?MAILING LISTS. Once You Begin Establishing A Committed Clientele,gather Their Names On A Mailing List. Save The Names From Yourmail Orders And Telephone Inquiries. Eventually, You'll Be Ableto Send Product Circulars Or Even Catalogs To The Folks On Yourlist And You'll Be Able To Promise Your Products By Mail.SCAVENGER HUNTS. If You Want People To Buy NOW, Offer Them Anunbeatable Deal. If They Bring An Old Product-a Small Appliance,a Book, Whatever-to You, You'll Give Them A Worthwhile Discounton A Comparable New Item. Or Stage A General Purpose Scavengerhunt. Customers Who Bring In Three Canned Goods For Yourcommunity's Food Bank Will Receive A Discount On Productspurchased That Day.PARTIES. Everyone Loves A Party. Why Not Celebrate Theanniversary Of Your Business Or Some Special Holiday By Offeringbaked Goods And Beverages? If You're Running A Service Business,perhaps You Can Offer An Open House Or Obtain A Small Banquetroom In Your Community. Besides Refreshments, Be Sure The Placeis Brightly Decorated.GREETING CARDS. Do You Send Out Greeting Cards To Major Customersor Clients? Holidays, Birthdays, And Anniversaries Make Nicegreeting Card Occasions. Greeting Cards Create Enormous Goodwilland Keep Your Name In Front Of People.SEMINARS. In This Information Hungry Age, People Love To Receiveadvice, Especially About Their Personal Needs And Hobbies. If Yousell Health Foods Or Run Fitness Classes, Perhaps You Can Offer"wellness" Seminars During Lunchtime To Your Area's Businesscommunity. If You're An Interior Decorator, Perhaps You Can Offerone-hour Decorating Workshops To Any Group Of Ten People Who Willgather In Someone's Home. If You're Running A Printing Business,perhaps You Can Offer Tours And Layout Seminars At Your Plant.If You're Not Pleased With Your Promotional Efforts Today Or Ifyou Simply Must Increase Your Exposure Among Customers Andprospects-it's Probably Time To Increase Your Publicity Efforts.By All Means, Advertise In The Media If You Can Or Must. Butdon't Neglect Your Greatest Promotional Asset-your Mind. Ponderthe Products, Services, And Events You Can Offer The Communityand Devise A Creative Promotional Strategy Around Them. You'llhave To Invest A Bit Of Time And Energy In The Project, But Thepayoff Will Be Worth It. You'll Save Hundreds-or Eventhousands-of Advertising Dollars And, Better Yet, You'll Travel Awell-worn Shortcut To Profit.
