Beverlee Rasmussen CEC PCC I don’t like the word cheap, but when it comes to marketing your businesses, you don’t have to spend a lot to money to have a big impact.
Every day I see so many clever things business owners are doing to market their products and services. These marketing systems cost little or no money resulting in huge returns. Curiously enough most often these entrepreneurs don’t even realize it’s marketing.
Marketing is way more than advertising, marketing is all the amazing things you do big and small that make the experience of doing business with you memorable.
Check out the “free rocks” giveaway that Janice has been doing for years in her jewelry store.
To keep kids busy while mom and dad shop Janice keeps a pile of shiny rocks and offers one rock to each kid that visits. Parents get more time to shop. Kids remember the great experience of going to that store. One young woman has been collecting these polished rocks from her store since she was a little girl. Her mom chimed in that she didn’t dare buy jewelry from anywhere else because her daughter wanted her rock. Thousands of dollars later in sales this young woman plans to someday buy her own wedding “rock” from the magical store that so delighted her as a small child.
Another idea used by this same entrepreneur is a “wish list” card. Local retail stores can capitalize on upcoming holidays by ensuring they have information on what their customers are wishing for. When their spouses come in looking for a gift everyone wins. It’s a great conversation starter to engage shoppers.
What about people selling mortgages or houses or consulting? The cheapest form of marketing you can do is continue to up your service level. Every system you perfect from answering your phone, to getting back to people quickly, to having useful information on your website, will be rewarded. These small actions can return as much or more than any form of paid marketing.
The best way to come up with low-cost marketing ideas is to imagine what your customers are thinking.
[Tweet “Look at your marketing through the lens of solving problems for your prospective customer.”]
A mortgage broker can offer a free mortgage calculator on their website. It’s an inexpensive way to continuously provide value and keep your company top of mind at the same time. Years ago when we moved into our current home our realtor sent us pizza on moving day, the $40 he spent went a long way in us remembering him the next time we listed a house. It’s often the simple marketing ideas that are cheap to do that have the biggest impact.
What problem can you solve for your customers? (Like providing shiny rocks to kids being annoying when mom is trying to buy a new pair of earnings?)
Until next time .. enjoy your entrepreneurial journey!
