How to Promote Your Small Business with a Marketing Budget of ZERO

As a small business marketing consultant one of the most common questions I hear is; “How do I advertise my business when I have no money?” Over the years I’ve discovered a treasure trove of free and low-cost advertising and marketing methods. In this article I am going to cover one of the oldest and most effective marketing methods. This strategy can be applied to virtually any business model and has been used by all the worlds’ most successful businesses. #1 Marketing Strategy - Give away free product samples. You’ve probably already experienced the effectiveness of this strategy firsthand when you’ve been given food samples in the supermarket or bakery. When you tried the sample did you find yourself buying something that you wouldn’t have bought otherwise? Not every person who samples your product or service will buy from you but you will be surprised how many will.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• A product or service to promote

1. Decide what it is that you can give away. Choose something that will appeal to your target market and is likely to encourage additional purchases. For example a beautician might choose a mini facial. A hairdresser could give away a free hair-cut. A consultant might give away a free consultation. A restaurant might say a free lunch. A software company could give away a free trial of their program.
2. Work out who is most likely to buy your product or service at the completion of your trial. It’s pointless handing out samples to people who either can’t or won’t buy from you. Put together a customer profile on all the attributes of your best customers.
3. Determine which businesses already serve your target market and ask them to distribute your free offers for you. This will help you reach the most amount of people in the minimum time and allow you to really hone in on the exact people you want receiving your free offer. Most businesses will happily hand out your offers if they feel that it is something of value to their clients, especially if it is something that makes them look good.

Tips & Warnings

• Think outside the square, don’t limit your thinking to what other people in your industry do instead look at how other industries are using this strategy and see how you could apply those ideas to your own business.
• Giving away freebies to people who are unlikely to ever buy from you is one of the quickest ways to go bankrupt! For example if a hairdresser were to give out free haircuts to people who lived 30 minutes away she may get some people taking up the offer and purchasing additional services on the spot but it is highly unlikely that any of these clients will become regulars. Invest the time now in working out who your best buyers are and how you can reach them.