With the price of advertising in large markets costing so much, small businesses are at a distinct disadvantage in the marketplace. It’s hard for the small guy to get ahead in a market filled with big business having endless deep pockets. For the small business looking for free advertising ideas, there are certainly promotional ventures you can undertake on your own.
COUPONS
Coupons when submitted in direct mail pieces can be pricey, but when you place coupons on your Facebook page, they’re free. Facebook is a fantastic avenue to put coupons or discount codes for your customer. If you’re having a slow day, post a status saying, the next ten customers to mention this post receive 25% off. You’ll be amazed at the response. Another easy way to send the word out about coupons is with your mobile phone. Gather cell phone numbers as part of your information on customers and send out coupon blasts.
CORK BOARDS
It may sound old school, but many people still scan the cork boards at home improvement stores, churches, grocery stores and hardware stores. If you have a business card, carry it with you always. Whenever you see a bulletin board with other business cards on it, make sure yours is prominently displayed. While you’d never want to take anyone else’s card off, it’s fine to re-arrange them so there is room for yours, too.
WEBSITE
While a quality website is going to cost money, having some presence on the web is better than no presence at all. Offer to barter your services with a graphic design student for a site, if you can’t design one yourself. Then, agree to let them use it in their portfolio. Once you get the site up and running, it’s up to you to promote it. Put it on all of your stationary, correspondence and email. Send out newsletters to customers, posting it on other people’s sites for return links.
Certainly this lists is not conclusive, but it gives you a starting place when you feel the odds are stacked against you. In a dog-eat-dog world, there are free advertising ideas anyone can do to jump start the profits.
