By Evan Vitale
In Part I of our two-part series on “Marketing on a Budget” we revealed the following five ideas you can implement for little or no expense:
* Participate in social media
* Create a website for your company
* Create a blog
* Create your own marketing materials
* Network
Here are five more low-cost marketing ideas you can implement:
* Attend trade shows. Some trade shows, depending on the market, can be expensive, but there are a few alternatives you can try. First, you should consider “attending” trade shows and wander from booth to booth meeting and talking with exhibitors. Introduce yourself and learn more about their company, products and services. Don’t give them a sales pitch. Instead, listen and exchange business cards. Now you have a lead that you can follow-up on after the show.
* Offer free consulting. This technique works wonders because everyone usually wants something for free. Make it something of value. Do your research before meeting with the potential customer, so you’ll be prepared to talk better about their needs and their problems.
* Consider a “give away” item. This can include a free report, white paper or something useful and handy such as a letter opener, ink pen or other specialty item. Meet with your local ad specialty sales rep for items and budget. Think of your audience and your brand, but start with something you can afford.
* Have a contest. Holding a contest is free, but it’s the prize(s) that will earn you more attention. Consider offering something trendy (like a new tablet, a free month of your company’s service or one of your top products).
* Look for free, online advertising opportunities such as Craigslist, Backpage, Kijii and others. Sometimes, weekly local newspapers will offer free or low-cost classified ads in order to fill space.
These 10 ideas will help get you started and help you maintain your marketing budget. Work on two or more of these ideas simultaneously. Don’t give up if an idea doesn’t produce results right away. It’s going to take a while for you to gain trust and confidence from new customers and clients.