Copyright 2006 Donna Gunter
Several years in the past, in response to client requests for no-value or low-price advertising techniques, I coined the term "tightwad advertising". My definition of tightwad advertising is the artwork of doing extra with much less, or the usage of your creativity as opposed to your checkbook to get the phrase out about your commercial enterprise.
Even though the saying, “If you build it they’ll come” worked for Kevin Costner’s character inside the movie, “Field of Dreams”, lifestyles would not often imitate art. Usually the primary component that pops into a person’s mind after they consider advertising and marketing is, “I’ve were given to place an advert.” Place some advertisements and shortly your advertising and marketing budget has definitely dried up. Statistics say that someone have to see your advert six times in the identical ebook earlier than contemplating using your commercial enterprise. If it’s a weekly or month-to-month ebook, that might be six weeks to 6 months down the street, and also you cannot have enough money to wait that long!
In order for the general public to find your discipline of dreams, here are ten inexpensive methods to get began:
1. Define your USP–your Unique Selling Proposition–and use it in everything which you do. Make certain your client is aware of what it’s miles which you do this is unique to you and your business. Don’t lead them to warfare to answer the question of why they must do enterprise with you in preference to your competitor.
2. Create joint ventures with different agencies that supplement yours. For instance, if you’re a real property agent, crew up with a cleansing provider, an interior decorator, and a non-public chef to provide a nice packaged deal to a new domestic customer.
3. Stress the advantages of what you do, now not the product or service. There’s a super story that’s handed round approximately the sector’s maximum a hit coverage salesman, who, whilst requested what he did for a living, spoke back, “I purchase lifestyles warranty.” Most humans replied, “What do you imply?” to which he spoke back, “I buy existence guarantee for my clients at the excellent possible charge. Would you want me to buy some for you?” Make your ability patron think, “I’ve got to get that!”
4. Become newsworthy! Send out media releases to announce a brand new services or products or sponsorship of a charity occasion. Create an event or a special day. Link what you do to an existing trend or information event. Talk about your non-public tale in the enterprise, i.E. In case you went broke and bounded returned, started out to create one product and ended up with every other, etc. Issue an award or deliver something away. Conduct a survey and file the consequences. Write a letter to the editor.
5. Talk on your clients. Call 5 preceding clients and discover what they favored and failed to like approximately their dealings with you, and how you may better serve them in the future. Have them write testimonials that you could use. Ask and praise them for referrals.
6. Love what you do and end up a model of what you’re promoting. If you don’t certainly love what you do and sense captivated with it, your clients are going to peer proper via you and not be convinced to buy what you are imparting. For example, if you’re a vehicle mechanic and your shop sits on a car parking zone complete of clunkers that do not run, why might all people hire you to repair their vehicle? Or, in case you’re a landscaper and your garden is full of weeds and crabgrass, who desires to lease you to beautify their yard? If you don’t sincerely experience enthusiastic about your business and end up a dwelling model of that business to absolutely everyone you meet, then find every other business!
7. Network, community, community! Join organizations, which include Chambers of Commerce, professional organizations, civic agencies, and many others. And any form of agency to which your target market may belong. Attend network events like enterprise open-homes or neighborhood picnics. Sales master Joe Girard lives by using his “Law of 250”, which states that everyone knows approximately 250 people well sufficient to invite to their wedding or to be in attendance at their funeral. Lesson: Perhaps the person you’re speakme with isn’t interested by what you offer, but there’s an awesome threat s/he knows someone who is250 of them!
Eight. Use interest-getting devices — make your self seen. Always have commercial enterprise cards accessible to distribute. Have a t-blouse customized along with your business call and wear it while you run errands. Wear an outfit or uniform that shows the arena who you are. UPS has taken their identity as visible in their brown vans and uniforms and embraced it with the tag line of their modern-day advertisements, "What can brown do for you?"
nine. Talk and train. Approach local corporations about being a guest speaker at their next assembly. Give a workshop this is open to public and is low-price/no-cost for contributors and speak a selected thing of your enterprise, or reveal what you do. Offer them treasured data, however leave them hungry for greater. For instance, a economic planner may provide a loose seminar referred to as, “Planning for Retirement as a Thirty-something” or a financial institution mortgage officer would possibly provide a workshop together with a actual property company known as, “Everything a First-Time Homebuyer Needs to Know But is Too Scared to Ask.” Or, paintings along with your nearby university or endeavor branch and receives a commission to teach what you realize.
10. Implement five a day. Make a listing of all of the innovative approaches you can marketplace your business, and enforce 5 of them in step with day.
Remember, in Tightwad Marketing, you’re restrained most effective by your imagination!
