Marketing tips for small businesses

Small business doesn’t mean small job, and it doesn’t have to mean small profit either. A skilfully managed advertising campaign can get your business on the map and running, efficiently and successfully. Yet small business can also mean small budget when compared with giant corporations. So, an advertising campaign can sometimes be dismissed as an expensive and intangible concept. This is a common misconception; effective marketing comes in all shapes and target hitting sizes. Having run my own successful printing company, I have seen many simple, low cost advertising tools bring very favourable results. These include advertising flyers, a5 door drop leaflets and brochures.

The key is to start thinking creatively with a very specific target in mind.

Here are some quick suggestions to get you going:

• Begin a flyer distribution campaign with some eye catching printed content.

1. Try to offer something original that makes your printed flyer stand out from your competitors.
2. Think about a print flyer advertising a competition. Make sure the prize is something that appeals to your target market.

• Place ads in local newspapers or magazines that your potential customers read.

• Pin some printed flyers up on community notice boards. This is a great way to make contact with the locals.

• Put up printed ads, flyers or brochures in interesting locations – think about what your target customers would do for fun, where they shop or live. Where would be the best place for them to see the benefits of your company? That’s where your advertising flyer should be.

• Get attention grabbing business cards printed and give them out to everybody, anywhere. What about printing a coupon on the back, or something useful that people would want to keep?

• Create an interesting email signature. Every email you send will be an opportunity to promote your business. Attach your website url, the latest special offer, an invitation to follow you on Twitter and so on.

Make your own list and let your creative mind out of the box. Be great to hear any other affordable marketing ideas…

This entry was posted on October 17, 2011 at 12:39 pm and is filed under Promotion and Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.