|
|
Stretching Your Marketing
Dollars--7 Cheap and Easy Ways to Market on a
Budget
Just
because you have to stretch your marketing
dollars doesn't mean their effectiveness will
decrease. The easiest marketing solution is
often to simply throw money at a problem. But
that is rarely the most effective. When
Businesses are forced to use creativity and
ingenuity to market on a budget, that is when
some of the best results happen.
There
are always going to be rough times in any
business. But those who throw money at their
marketing problems instead of finding
alternative means will find themselves in a
tough financial situation.
Here are a few
cheap and easy marketing methods that won't
drain your bank account:
1. Learn to
barter. Not every price is fixed. For instance,
TV and radio time that goes unsold is wasted
forever, so stations will usually accept offers
below their normal rates.
2. Create your
own marketing materials with desktop publishing
programs. These programs are easy to learn and
use, so after a few hours of study, you'll know
your way around well enough to create simple
marketing materials. If you aren't confident in
your design skills, find a sample piece to model
yours after. In the marketing world, looking
over someone else's shoulder for the right
answer is permissible.
3. Get a toll-free
number. Although long distance rates are more
affordable than ever, most people will still
hesitate to call a long distance number. If you
have a toll free number, there is nothing
standing between you and your potential
customers.
4. Buy smaller print ads and
run them consistently. In the end, the
repetitive printing of your ads will elicit more
results than running a few large, impressive
ads.
5. Buy cable TV ads. Now anyone, no
matter how tight their budget, can advertise on
television. Cable rates are incredibly cheap and
you can even target your commercials to specific
parts of the city.
6. Get the cell phone
package with the most minutes and give your
number to everyone. When customers can get a
hold of you anytime of the day or night, you can
connect to more person-to-person
sales.
7. Don't sacrifice your image by
accepting shoddy production or design. A shoddy
advertisement gives you a shoddy image. Continue
to hire professionals to design your ads, but
shop around for the best prices. Hire a
professional designer to create a visual format,
then hire a lower-cost designer to do your
follow-up ads with the original as a
guide.
bio: Mohamed Rabea is the owner of
one of the Internet's most popular
home based
business website, available from http://www.bizpeak.com/ |
|
| | | |
|
| |
|
